I was pretty disappointed when last year, I bought a Monitor Light Bar only to discover that, well, it doesn’t fit my 49” Samsung G9 Ultrawide.
So when I saw this one that had been recently launched, I just had to give it a try.
Introducing the BenQ Screenbar Halo, which is designed specifically for 49” Ultrawide screens, and others with a more pronounced 1000R curve.
I picked one up, swapped it over, and have actually been really surprised with a couple of things.
The Fit
The Halo is a pretty simple install. You just clip the light onto the top of your screen, and if you have that 49” 1000R G9 Ultrawide like I do, then you simply use a couple of spacers included in the box, which makes the light bar properly fit so that the light itself isn’t overlapping the screen.
You run down the USB cable to a port on the back of your screen or computer, and that is actually all there is to it.
This brings me to the second unexpected surprise with the Halo over the older generation.
The Controller
The controller is totally wireless. On the last model, it was wired and just meant more messy wiring on the desk, but now I can place the controls right where I want them without worrying about where to run the wire.
The controller itself has a rubber grip underneath so it doesn’t slide around, it’s fairly heavy too, feels high quality, and the touch controls on top are pretty responsive.
Having a wireless controller, you probably think you’ll be changing the batteries all the time, however, BenQ has solved this by allowing the controller to go to sleep. This does mean that before you use it, you have to wake it up again, which I normally do by hovering my finger or hand above the controller for just a second before tapping the controls.
This then leads me on to the next thing that I actually like about this Screen Bar. There’s the normal light that points down at your desk, but there’s also the backlight that lights up the wall behind your monitor.
When working in darkness, this actually makes quite a difference as it doesn’t feel like I’m straining my eyes as much when looking at the monitor.
With that controller, you can tap to change whether you want the desk light on, the backlight, or both of them together. You can also control the brightness and colour temperature of both the front and backlights, and there are 2 more functions to use. Auto automatically determines the colour and brightness depending on your environment, as well as a favourite setting that you’d like quick access to.
Comparing the Halo to the last generation, even if you aren’t using a 49” oddly curved screen like I am, I’d still consider one of these.
It’s not as messy due to fewer wires with the wireless controller, and the second backlight also really makes a difference when working in low light.
Pete Matheson
🛒 Grab the Light Bar here: Amazon: https://geni.us/Nythb
BenQ Direct: https://bit.ly/3tT7wSJ
