I didn’t expect this hyped desk accessory to be worth it — but it absolutely is

Desk lighting is an important part of my workstation setup. It's not something most people actively think about. After all, how complicated can it be to set up a lamp? But while a regular desk lamp will light up your workspace, it hardly provides any protection for your eyes.

This is where monitor light bars come into play. Having your screen adjust to your room's light automatically helps, but having the right light is more important than you think. This is when I found the BenQ ScreenBar Halo, and as it turns out, it's more than just a fancy lamp on top of your monitor.

A lighting problem most desks quietly suffer from Why overhead lights, lamps, and monitor glow all fail in different ways Yadullah Abidi / MakeUseOfCredit: Yadullah Abidi / MakeUseOf

Monitor glare and eye fatigue in poor lighting is one of the quickest ways of making your workspace inhospitable. If you work long hours at a desk—whether you're coding, designing, editing, or just going through your emails—you've already felt it. That tension behind your eyes. The dryness. The sense that your workspace is actively fighting you.

The root cause of this is the contrast glare you get. When your monitor is the brightest thing in a dark room, your eyes work overtime trying to balance the light. Your pupils constrict and dilate frantically, you blink less, and in a couple of hours, you feel like you've been staring into a lighthouse.

BenQ's ScreenBar Halo solves this through two mechanisms: direct task lighting and ambient bias lighting. The front bar illuminates your entire desk with zero glare, while the rear halo light gently illuminates the wall behind your monitor. This second light source isn't bright enough to wash out your display, but it's enough to tell your brain that there's ambient light around the monitor.

The tech actually lives up to the hype Bias lighting, front illumination, and sensors working together the right way

Sure, you can find cheap knockoffs that claim to do the same thing as BenQ's rather expensive light bar, but the specs BenQ promises aren't just marketing fluff; they actually matter in real-world use.

The ScreenBar Halo outputs 800 lux at full brightness, with color temperature ranging from 2700K (warm, cozy lighting) to 6500K (cool, bright daylight). More importantly, it maintains these specs consistently across the entire dimming range.

Many budget lights lose color accuracy or flicker when you dim them down—not this one. The high CRI (Color Rendering Index) of 95+ means the light quality is professional-grade, which matters if you do any color-sensitive work like photo editing or design.

The wireless controller is where you feel the premium build quality. It's a rotary dial with capacitive touch controls, feels smooth and precise, and there's no cable cluttering your desk. The controls are intuitive as well. You tap to select brightness or color temperature and rotate the dial to change settings. Different light modes enable either the front, back, or both lights at once. Once you dial in your preferences, you can save them to a favorite preset using the dedicated button on the controller.

Yadullah Abidi / MakeUseOfCredit: Yadullah Abidi / MakeUseOf

The mounting system for the light is also rather solid. Unlike cheaper options that rely on adhesive strips or flimsy clamps, the ScreenBar Halo uses a well-engineered clip that works on flat monitors, curved ultrawide screens, and basically anything with an edge. It's not destructive, doesn't require any stickers or extra solutions, and doesn't rattle around when you move your monitor.

Premium lighting comes with a premium price What you’re really paying for—and why cheaper clones fall short

As great as the ScreenBar Halo sounds, $179 for a desk lamp is steep by any measure.

Here's how I justified my purchase: this is roughly $36 per year if used for five years. For eliminating eye strain during long workdays, reducing headaches, and avoiding the dull ache of tired eyes, I'm more than happy to spend that.

Yadullah Abidi / MakeUseOfCredit: Yadullah Abidi / MakeUseOf

More practically, if you're someone who works from home regularly, spends long hours in front of screens, or does any color-critical work, this is a professional tool, not a luxury. It's in the same category as an ergonomic chair or a quality monitor—an essential that makes your work-from-home desk dramatically better.

Yes, there are cheaper alternatives available, but the ScreenBar Halo destroys these in build quality, features, and real-world longevity. Knockoff light bars often have inconsistent color accuracy, insufficient brightness, or flicker that strains your eyes. Sure, you can save as much as $150 upfront, but end up returning it, wasting time, and buying again. The BenQ just works.

Small annoyances you should know about It's not the brightest lamp in the world, but it does its job

To be fair, nothing's perfect. The rear bias light, while immensely useful, isn't as powerful as dedicated bias lighting strips from companies like Govee. If you want maximum backlighting punch, you might want to supplement it.

Yadullah Abidi / MakeUseOfCredit: Yadullah Abidi / MakeUseOf

The wireless controller runs on AAA batteries and isn't rechargeable, which feels like an oversight at this price point. It's not a dealbreaker, but it's a small friction point.

And if you're someone who works in varying lighting conditions throughout the day, you might want manual control over the color temperature during auto-dimming mode, as it locks to a fixed temperature in its current state.

ScreenBar Halo earns its spot on your desk Why this accessory sticks after the honeymoon phase ends

When I first looked at the ScreenBar Halo's price tag, it put me off. It just seemed like an expensive desk gadget that nobody would need. Having spent my money on it and using it for a month, I am now reluctant to unplug it.

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It's one of those rare products where the hype, while sometimes overstated, is fundamentally justified. It delivers real comfort, looks professional on any desk, and solves an actual problem that millions of remote workers and office-bound creatives deal with daily.

Is it worth the $179? I'd say yes. If you spend more than four hours a day at a desk, especially in low light, your eyes will thank you for the purchase.

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