Is The BenQ ScreenBar Halo Worth It?

I love monitor light bars as much as the next person, but the BenQ ScreenBar Halo comes at a steep price. We’re going to tell you everything you get on the ScreenBar Halo so you can ask yourself: is it worth it?

I’ve been using the BenQ ScreenBar Halo for almost a year now, so this is an updated article that now touches on longevity as well. We have our hands-on review of the ScreenBar Halo here.

If you’re new to monitor light bars, check out our article on monitor light bar benefits.

Key Takeaways

• The ScreenBar Halo adds a suite of features over the original ScreenBar, such as a rear bias light, curved monitor support, greater area coverage, and more.
• This light bar is not exactly perfect and comes with some disadvantages which should not be the case for a flagship product at this price point. 

BenQ ScreenBar Halo Pros & Cons

BenQ ScreenBar Halo Highlights

Curved Monitor Compatible

The original ScreenBar and the ScreenBar Plus are specified to work with monitors of curvature of 1800R and larger. If you had a monitor with a much tighter radius, such as 1300R, you would be out of luck according to BenQ for those first two versions. 

However, the ScreenBar Halo ships with an adapter for curved monitors. The adapter is a small plastic spacer that moves the light bar further from the monitor.

This little feature allows the Halo Light Bar to work with monitors with radii as low as 1000R! We have a dedicated article on curved monitors & light bar compatibility.

I am currently using the ScreenBar Halo with my curved 34″ ultrawide monitor:

Wireless Controller

BenQ stepped up big time with the ScreenBar Halo’s control, it comes with a fully wireless backlit controller. That makes the controller a nice cable-free addition to any desk.

The controller is pretty feature-packed too. You can adjust color temperature, brightness, set a favorite profile, turn the light on and off, activate auto-dimming, and control the light modes.

The controller is a capacitive touchpad surrounded by a large physical dial that is weighted and very nice to the touch. Everything feels high quality here.

Diffused Rear Bias Light

Bias lighting, or accent lighting is a pretty important feature in today’s computer-heavy world. When you use your monitor at night, it’s important to light up your surroundings to make the monitor less intense on your eyes.

The BenQ Halo adds this bias light to help relieve eye strain by lighting up the wall behind your monitor. It is a very nice feature addressing a real issue with using monitors in dim environments.

I use a set of Govee light bars for this purpose instead because they are much brighter than the BenQ Halo. Here is how I decided where to place them. 

Webcam Compatible

Most monitor light bars have a USB cable connection right on top which makes it hard to attach a webcam. BenQ fixed this issue with the ScreenBar Halo as well.

Notice how the first image below has a cable connection directly into the light bar, but the Halo on the right has the cable exit from the bottom.

The lack of a connection behind the light bar makes room for BenQ’s optional webcam accessory. I wish they included this accessory with the light bar, but it’s sold separately.

Screen Bar Halo Drawbacks

Those are the main benefits of the new ScreenBar Halo. Now time to get into the drawbacks. This is where I start digging into the concerns of a light bar that comes in at such a high price point. 

Rear Diffuser Light

Ironically, the rear diffuser light is a drawback as well as a benefit. It was a benefit because BenQ had good intentions. 

It’s a drawback because it doesn’t have nearly enough power to properly light up the area behind your monitor to reduce eye strain. In my experience, bias lighting mainly helps if it can produce a similar amount of light that your monitor is outputting.

This allows your monitor to blend in with the wall brightness to avoid being an intense point source of light. The rear light on the Halo does not get close to meeting this requirement.

Here are images of the Halo bias light and some dedicated Govee Light Bars. You can tell that the Halo rear light is not a big source that can significantly help with eye strain.

Requires Higher Current Power Supply

I generally complain about light bars not coming with power supplies. I talk about this point in our article on desk lamps vs monitor light bars. 

Monitor light bars typically don’t come with power supplies because they advertise simply using your monitor’s USB port. However, if you want your light bar to be a full desk lamp replacement, you can’t rely on your monitor’s USB port.

Desk lamps work all the time while a monitor-powered light bar only works when your monitor is on. This is a deal breaker for me so I use a dedicated USB power supply for my monitor light bars.

Before the Screenbar Halo, I could use any old 1 amp USB power supply, however, the ScreenBar Halo requires 1.3 Amps.

If your monitor can only output 5V 1A, you will be short on power. The same is true for any spare USB power supplies you have lying around. If they only have 1A current supply, you will be handicapping your $180 light bar. 

Requires AAA Batteries

A wireless controller is sleek and all, but that means it needs a battery. BenQ did not make this a USB rechargeable controller. Instead, you need AAA batteries every time the controller dies. 

What’s worse, it’s an odd number of batteries! If you buy the usual set of four batteries, you will have a single battery left out. 

It would have been amazing if BenQ made this a rechargeable device, similar to many wireless mice and keyboards out there, especially at this price point. 

High Cost

Last, but absolutely not least, is the cost of this light bar. Desk lamps don’t typically cost $180. That’s a pretty steep price to pay. Not to mention that it’s almost double the price of the original ScreenBar that already works pretty well. 

I shouldn’t be able to point out so many disadvantages of a product that is the flagship of a product line. That makes this cost disadvantage so much worse. 

[Solved] The Controller Could Be Improved

UPDATE: This issue has been resolved by BenQ, new ScreenBar Halo controllers do not require the user to hover their hand over the controller to activate it.

The following issue is no longer present:

There have been a ton of complaints about the usability of this controller as the controller actually has to fall asleep after 5 seconds of no use.

To activate the controller, you have to hover your hand over it, which illuminates it, signifying the controls are active again. 

The problem here is, that this is a very clunky way to just turn on or control a light. In order to control your light, you have to first turn on the control itself. 

It sounds like something minor, but it really can be an annoying step to wait for a control to be active. You should be able to control it in an instant!

Verdict on The BenQ ScreenBar Halo

By this point, you probably have a much better idea of the advantages and disadvantages of the ScreenBar Halo. The biggest obstacle for people here will most likely be the $180 cost.

We have a more in-depth review of the BenQ ScreenBar Halo here, where we unbox and review the light bar in more detail

If you want most of the benefits of the Halo but don’t want to pay the price, I recommend checking out the Quntis Pro Plus light bar. I have a dedicated review of the Quntis Pro Plus Light Bar here.

It can mount to almost any type of monitor, has a wireless remote, a wide light source, and a tightenable monitor clamp.

BenQ’s Full ScreenBar Lineup

The ScreenBar Halo is one of BenQ’s latest monitor light bar offerings, aside from the new LaptopBar. There are a total of three different models that they have released over the years.

The desktop models include the original ScreenBar, the ScreenBar Plus, and the ScreenBar Halo. Here is a quick breakdown of the difference between them.

ScreenBar (Original) Monitor Light

This is BenQ’s original no-nonsense light bar and is the version I did my full review on and use every day. 

It has no crazy bells and whistles. The main features include integrated controls on the light bar itself, auto-dimming, color temperature control, and brightness control. 

ScreenBar Plus Monitor Light

The ScreenBar Plus was the first monitor light bar to come with a wired controller. This way you don’t have to reach up to the monitor bar to turn it on and off. You have a convenient controller on top of your desk. 

The other change from the original ScreenBar is that it comes with “Smart Dimming” instead of auto-dimming. This just means you have to tap a button if you want the light to re-evaluate the ambient conditions and adjust. 

Otherwise, it has the same functionality as the original version. 

ScreenBar Halo Monitor Light

Finally, we get to the ScreenBar Halo. There have been quite a few more updates on this model.