BenQ ScreenBar Review
Living in the UK means that for half the year I start and end my working day in darkness. It takes about an hour for the sun to crawl up the sky and illuminate my room after I turn on my PC, and it seems to disappear again earlier and earlier each day.
Being an artist, I hate nothing more than having to work in a bright room, especially one illuminated by unnatural light, so these periods of darkness often involve me squinting at my keyboard until the monitors spring into life and offer a subtle glow around the room.
I do have a lamp, yes, but the problem is its too big for my desk and it’s too bright, so most of the time I don’t use it.
This has been my routine since I started working from home back in 2007 and for the most part it’s worked. So, when BenQ contacted me and asked if I would like to try the ScreenBar I was initially sceptical.
Could this LED filled tube be the lamp I didn’t know I needed, or would it be more of a glorified piece of desk furniture.
Read on to find out…
Unboxing
The ScreenBar box comes with a wealth of information around it and is also branded with the many design awards its received. Looking at the picture on the front you can see why it has been awarded these accolades. It has a slim, modern design yet is also compact and functional.
On opening the box, you can clearly see the main lamp, its clip and the USB-C power cable, they aren’t hidden away in more boxes. The packaging is minimalistic, yet it displays each element clearly with labels next to them telling you what they are and how to operate them.
I do like these simplified instructions, especially the ones which show you what each part of the ScreenBar does, which includes the touch buttons that operate the different functions.
The ScreenBar itself has an elegant design. The cylindrical shape of the main lamp helps to soften its appearance, with the touch buttons sitting discretely on top.
Even the clip has been well thought out. It has a good weight to it meaning it should hold the ScreenBar in place, but it’s not so heavy that it pulls the lamp from the monitor.
Instead, it offers the perfect counterbalance.
Setup
Setting up the ScreenBar is extremely easy. All you do is attach the bar to the clip, insert the USB charging cable and you are good to go.
All you need to do then is place the clip on the top of your monitor and plug the USB power cable in. It’s as easy as that.
Because of the weighted clip, the ScreenBar simply sits on top of your monitor without the need for any Velcro or sticky pads, this means it’s easy to make adjustments and move it if needed.
The only issue I had was that the top of my monitor is usually reserved for my webcam, so I had to rethink where that would go as it wouldn’t sit on top of the ScreenBar. Maybe BenQ could release a version of the ScreenBar with a webcam included?
To turn on the ScreenBar all you need to do is tap the power button, and this is when I got my first shock. I was horrified by just how dusty my monitor was, something I wouldn’t have noticed with a traditional light. Because the ScreenBar casts its light directly down in front of the monitor instead of towards or away from it, it was also catching the dust particles.
That aside, and with my monitor thoroughly cleaned, the ScreenBar did offer a good amount of light around my desk and what’s more, there was no screen glare or obvious reflections from the LEDs.
Configuration
Across the top of the ScreenBar you have four touch pads which operate as buttons, plus a light sensor.
Starting from the right, you have the power button and next to that is an automatic dimmer. When enabled this will do as the name suggests and adjust the brightness and colour temperature of the ScreenBar depending on the ambient lighting conditions.
Next you have the light sensor which the dimmer uses to gauge the ambient light, and then there’s the hue adjustment button.
Tapping this will cycle through different colour temperatures, making the light warmer or cooler. This ranges from 2700K to 6500K.
Finally, you have the manual dimmer button which controls the brightness when you’re not using the auto dimmer.
The ScreenBar In Use
As you would imagine with a lamp, using the ScreenBar is as easy as switching it on and off. You can get more complicated by adjusting the colour temperature, but that is as far as the configuration goes. You would’nt want or need anything else though would you?
It sits quietly on top of your monitor so doesn’t take up any of your desk real estate, which again was a plus point for me. It also gives a nice, even glow with no patchy spots or flickering bulbs, plus, unlike with my main light, it doesn’t cast shadows over my desk.
After using the lamp for a while, I did find that it has been useful for illuminating the rest of my desk, making it easier to take nots and find things during those darker hours.
I had recently invested in a Bluetooth, back lit keyboard, to help with the fact I couldn’t see the keys. This helped me when typing but the battery didn’t last very long. The ScreenBar eliminated the need for that, so I disabled the backlight meaning the keyboard battery now feels like it lasts forever.
BenQ do suggest this lamp has health benefits too. It’s said to reduce eye fatigue with its auto dimming function, meaning there is less of a contrast between the screen and the surrounding area.
Plus, with the colour temperature adjustment, the warmer light can help you relax while the cooler light allows you to concentrate more, boosting efficiency, or so the marketing information tells us.
Now I’ve only been using it for a short time so I can’t really comment on these two claims. What I can say though is I do feel like I’m not straining as much to see around my desk in the mornings and evenings, but with that said, I do wonder if I could get this from a normal lamp?
Should You Invest?
I did wonder if the ScreenBar was something I would use, or if it was more of a gimmick. As I mentioned earlier, I do prefer a darker room to work in, so was fully prepared to put the ScreenBar back in its box once the review was finished.
What I have found is that it has indeed improved my workspace. Now when the sun goes down, I simply reach up, tap the power button and I can see my keyboard and my desk again.
Now at £89 is this something I would go out and buy myself, probably not, but then again, I didn’t know about this product before being asked to review it.
The problem is a quick look around the internet can offer you lamps with similar features for less than half the price.
I guess with the ScreenBar you are getting a higher quality product, and one that sits discreetly on top of your monitor so saves you space if you’re working on a crowded desk.
If the ScreenBar is too big for you, you can also check out the ScreenBar Lite. Alternatively, if you prefer more direct control over your lighting you could look at the ScreenBar Plus, which comes with a hand dial, and a slightly bigger price tag.
Although BenQ supplied the ScreenBar for me to test, the opinions offered in this review are my own.