BenQ ScreenBar Pro Review - Lighting Up My Life
There have been a lot of cool, life-changing bits of tech over the years in regards to office space. Ultrawide monitors, mechanical keyboards, ergonomic support and high-dpi gaming mice. These innovations have all made working and playing at your desk better, easier and more enjoyable. They have changed the way people interact with their humble PC. Well, I have another bit of gear to add to that list, and it is one that surprised the hell out of me. What is it you ask? Well, it is something as simple as a lamp.
To be fair, calling the BenQ ScreenBar Pro a lamp is like calling the Mona Lisa a nice painting. Sure, it is not wrong, but it is hardly accurate. You see, the ScreenBar Pro takes the idea of a desk lamp to the next level, adding things I never knew I needed, yet now will struggle to do without. Good lighting was such an overlooked and underappreciated part of my work desk that I didn’t even consider it. I just put up with the conditions as they presented themselves. The ScreenBar Pro showed me the error of my ways.
Firstly, the Screenbar is a nice, sleek little device that attaches to any monitor with a simple, adjustable clamp. From straight-edged to super-curved, it doesn’t matter. It just clips right on with a firm, padded grip, so there is no damage to the monitor. As you can see from my pictures, it is grabbing onto my Ultrawide quite nicely. There is a host of practicality built into the device, too, with a very small surface area needed on the front of the monitor so the ScreenBar never gets in the way of any built-in camera, making it just fine for laptop use. For those of us who have USB webcams, well it has a little mount that can be attached to the top of the light so you can clip your webcam there. Once again, check out my screenshots; my Logitech cam fits on it perfectly.
As for what the light actually does. Well… it lights up your monitor. “Big deal”, I hear you say. But it is so much more than just lighting up the monitor. Users can adjust the warmth and coolness of the light, adjust the brightness and save favourite settings. The light angle is perfect to shine only on the monitor and keyboard area, so it is never distracting, and the sleek unit is unobtrusive as it sits above the monitor.
The real trick, though, the real reason I love this thing is the auto settings. You see, I work in an area with varying light throughout the day and night. During the day, I have windows and skylights that all catch the sun at various times. At night, I have simple downlights. All of these lighting conditions cause different types of glare on my monitors. The ScreenBar Pro, with its built-in sensors, automatically adjusts the light needed to negate that glare, giving me perfect viewing no matter the time of day. Sure, I could manually set the light to what I want, but when the auto system works so well, why would I?
Another fantastic automatic addition is that the sensors can detect when someone is sitting at the computer, automatically turning the light on and after five minutes of no movement, will turn the light off again. Perfect for the forgetful among us, and honestly, a great power-saving initiative. These auto functions elevate the ScreenBar Pro above any lighting system I have ever used, and I am not lying when I say it has changed my workstation for the better in ways I could never have imagined. My eyes aren’t working as hard, I have massively reduced glare from external sources, and I don’t have to constantly adjust anything to achieve it.
On the tech side of things, it is powered by a USB-C cord that can be plugged into your computer, monitor or the wall (with the supplied plug). It is certified by the EU for blue light safety, exceeding industry standards and has been built to last 17 years through rigorous testing. It comes in Black or White so those Mac fans out there can colour match, and all of its packaging is completely recyclable, paper-based materials, so there is no wastage at all. This has been well designed in every single area, and frankly, I can’t find a fault at all.
At the price of of $239 AUD it is certainly more expensive than a traditional desk lamp, but frankly that would be like comparing the price of a Suburu and a Rolls Royce. You get so much more than a simple light for your money. It almost wholly eliminates glare, makes using the PC gentler on your eyes, automatically adjusts to lighting conditions, turns off and on by itself and does it all without ever getting in the way or needing input from the user. It is just about flawless. Frankly, I never imagined a light being such an essential part of my desktop setup, but now I can’t imagine ever working without it. The BenQ ScreenBar Pro is an absolute cracker of a product and if you are having any sort of light issue at your workstation, well I can’t recommend it enough.
