The BenQ ScreenBar e-Reading Lamp is an innovative desk light that’s designed to free up space on your desk by clipping to the top of monitors while providing the right amount of light to avoid eye strain when working at your computer. It’s designed not to produce glare on the monitor screen, but the question is how effective is it? Read on to learn more and watch the video unboxing and review below.
To purchase the BenQ ScreenBar e-Reading Lamp on Amazon UK click here
Basic BenQ ScreenBar e-Reading Lamp review
Every once in a while a new product comes along that makes people take notice, and the BenQ ScreenBar e-Reading Lamp is certainly one of those. It’s such a simple yet well thought out idea that it’s almost unbelievable that something like it hasn’t been produced before.
It certainly resolves the issue of desk space for a traditional lamp and the colour temperature control means you don’t have to worry about the light affecting critical colour work in Photoshop and Lightroom etc. But this great little light isn’t without caveats that I’ll discuss later.
The lamp is made from aluminum and engineering plastic and has a quality feel and weight to it. There’s no denying it’s a quality product as you’d expect from BenQ, and despite being made by a well respected monitor manufacturer you’ll be glad to hear that it will work with any monitor that’s between one and three centimetres deep at the top.
Easy control
The ScreenBar is is designed so that it glare free, and while it’s arguably not 100% glare free it’s not far off and certainly doesn’t cause any problems when viewing your screen. Brightness itself can be controlled manually using the soft touch control on the top of the ScreenBar, or you can instead turn on the ambient light sensor which automatically adjust brightness according to ambient light levels.
Other controls include the ability to change the colour temperature from 2700K to 6500K, which means you can select a colour temperature between orange and pure white light. The latter is more stimulating and better for use in the day and when performing colour critical work such as colour correction, while warmer light is better for use in the evening and when you’re not colour correcting.
This is actually an important setting for the previously mentioned reasons and because white light suppresses the body’s production of melatonin, which is a hormone that regulates sleep-wake cycles. Warmer coloured light has a lesser impact on melatonin production and therefore doesn’t negatively impact sleep as much as white light.
Powered by USB, the ScreenBar can be powered by a powerbank, USB power adaptor or via a USB port on your monitor or computer. If you power it using a computer USB, the ScreenBar will turn on and off with the computer and remember the previously used settings. If you use a separate power source you’ll have to switch it off manually, although for those who need to use the light without necessarily needing their computer to be turned on, this would be the better option.
Verdict
The BenQ ScreenBar e-Reading Lamp isn’t cheap at £89, $99 US and €99, and this will be a stumbling block for many since this is much more expensive than a standard LED desk lamp. But there’s no denying that its innovative design, build quality and overall performance make it an attractive option for those who need a light but have a small desk or little space for a traditional desk lamp.
The fact you can’t use it with a monitor hood is a frustration if you really need to use one, but for me switching between the lamp in winter and the hood in summer would be fine and overall provides the perfect solution for when I need more light on my desk in the darker winter months.
To purchase the BenQ ScreenBar e-Reading Lamp on Amazon UK click here
BenQ ScreenBar e-Reading Lamp Specs
- ScreenBar Weight: 0.53kg
- Light Source: Bi-color LED
- Color Rendering Index: >87
- Lumens: 2700K 300lm & 6500K 320lm
- Illuminance: 1,000 Lux
- Color Temperature: 2,700K ~ 6,500K
- Power Consumption: (On mode) 5W (Max.)
- Material: Aluminum alloy, Engineering plastic
- Dimensions: (HxWxD) 450x90x92 mm
- Country of Origin: Made in Taiwan
To purchase the BenQ ScreenBar e-Reading Lamp on Amazon UK click here
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