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It is easy to pass this monitor light bar as a gimmick, but you’ll soon realise, it isn’t. The idea is simple. Call it a bar or call it a strip, these LEDs sit atop your monitor or display whilst slightly forward positioned and downward looking, to illuminate the workstation table. If you’re thinking of a table lamp to do the same job, the pitch that a monitor light makes is uniform illumination across the workstation or desk, something a lamp near one end of the table will be unable to provide. We often pay very limited attention to the health of our eyes, the screen time, screen brightness levels and so on. You should. That neatly leads us to the BenQ ScreenBar Pro, an evolution that has borne refinements over the years, and definitely a step forward compared to the generation which preceded it. There is, and you will soon realise it, a definite use case for this. And BenQ has refined this better than any of the lesser-known alternatives littering e-commerce platforms.
The addition of the ₹13,490 priced ScreenBar Pro on BenQ’s line-up now makes it a quartet that also includes the ScreenBar, which is the first monitor light bar in the world. This ScreenBar Pro represents two more simplified versions that are meant for monitors around 27-inches (I tested this with an Apple Studio Display) or more, while the latest Halo 2 model should work well with similar screen sized displays but instead of the touch controls, has a wireless display control panel. The other two are smaller in dimensions, and best fit for smaller screens. Some of you considering the BenQ ScreenBar Pro will likely be glad that it’s a simpler take on the concept, with really well configured touch controls on the front of the bar itself. Mind you, these are incredibly responsive, and never did I have to take a second stab at getting it to respond.
The fact that the BenQ ScreenBar Pro has a matte black finish means fingerprints and smudges don’t show up on the control panel. The second important well-thought design element is the asymmetrical sawtooth design clamp mount which is minimal to the extent that it sits just above any integrated webcam in the display and the weighted clamp at the back provides the balance so it can also easily sit atop thick and ultra-thin displays. It is a really simple, really thin design which simply requires you to securely place it above your computer screen and plug it in (the port is a USB-C) either using a wall socket, a surge protector strip or a port on the back of your PC or display. I really appreciate the controls on the device itself, rather than having to manage a secondary accessory — though that will have its own advantages of finer, more diverse controls.
The peak illumination that the BenQ ScreenBar Pro delivers in the central part of your work desk (that is, the area in front of the display; your core work zone) is rated at just above a 1000 lux, or lumen per square meter. A distance of 33-inches from either edge of the BenQ ScreenBar Pro, is illuminated at 500 lux. And beyond 45.3-inches from the light source, illumination levels are around 300 lux. Notice how BenQ takes the more formal lux numbers to adjust and tune the BenQ ScreenBar Pro, instead of the more commonplace lumens? They clearly are very serious about getting illumination and comfort right.
Mind you, most work desks at home wouldn’t likely be larger than 33-inches — or perhaps they just cross that threshold. You’ll be able to adjust the colour temperature in an 8-step setting between warm yellow and cold white (2,700K to 6,500K; I prefer it two or three steps from the warmer side) and also an 16-step setting for illumination level. For most work desks and use cases, the BenQ ScreenBar Pro set at level 4 for illumination is just ideal for some late afternoon ambient lighting as well as a typical nighttime work scenario where there may be little or no light in the room. Video calls look better with more diffused yet even lighting across your face and the frame.
There is no glare off the screen or even the wood finish on the desk itself, but weirdly enough, the Apple Magic Keyboard reflects quite significantly — so much so, the identifiers on each key tend to get hidden in the reflectiveness. That is not a shortcoming of the BenQ ScreenBar Pro, but the keyboard’s finish. Secondly, there is some directional adjustment available for the bar itself, with a hinge mechanism allowing you to manage the direction of the light throw to be straight down or slightly towards the display — the latter is better if your seating adjustment is such that the LEDs themselves are directly visible at times.
The BenQ ScreenBar Pro has an ultrasonic sensor which underlines the motion detection capabilities. This feature can be turned off too, mind you. Basically, it can detect your movement up to 60 meters directly in front of the screen (the sensor looks slightly downward, at where your hands would be on the desk; so as to not detect humans walking past the desk), and turn on the light bar at its last adjusted settings. A few minutes after you leave the desk and there’s no movement, it can turn off. BenQ says the ScreenBar Pro is adjusted for the full colour spectrum, as close to the sunlight, as possible.
That should, once you experiment with the adjustments according to the time of day for what is most comfortable for you, there is a perceptible reduction of eye strain after a long day of writing, reading and checking documents. A key tip is, pair the BenQ ScreenBar Pro with display brightness manually adjusted according to your room’s ambient lighting, for best vision health. Think about it — when was the last time you manually adjusted your display’s brightness level? Sorting your workstation lighting with a flicker free source, doesn’t get any simpler than this BenQ ScreenBar Pro.
English (US) ·