Monitor light bars are the ultimate desk light solution. No screen glare, no footprint, USB powered, it’s no contest against normal desk lamps.
The most popular monitor light bar was from BenQ, which unfortunately started at $100. I don’t know about you, but I don’t usually spend $100 on a desk lamp alternative.
Since BenQ’s monitor light, tons of brands have been providing users with the exact same benefits but at a fraction of the cost. One of those popular light bar alternative brands is Quntis.
Quntis provided me with the light bar below for review. This will be an honest deep dive into the good, bad, and ugly of the Quntis ScreenLinear Pro light bar.
Overall Pros & Cons
Pros
- Bright & wide light output, suitable for all desk sizes
- Compact size, around 15.7 inches in length
- LED housing has an aluminum body
- Responsive integrated capacitive touch controls
- Weighted clamp keeps light bar stable
- Simple design keeps the cost low
Cons
- No remote control. Competitors at a similar price point include a remote.
- Not suitable for super curved monitors
Using The Quntis ScreenLinear Pro Light Bar
Now let’s get into the review of this Quntis ScreenLinear Pro light bar and see what it offers.
What’s In The Box
As with other Quntis light bars that we have previously unboxed, the packaging is similar and simplistic.
When you open the box, you get the following:
- Quntis Monitor light bar
- Light bar clamp
- USB Type C cable
- 2x Adjustment covers
- 2x Allen keys
- User Manual
Light Bar Design & Build Quality
The bar that holds all the little LEDs has an aluminum body and feels very high quality. The light bar clamp is mostly made from plastic but has a weighted base.
There is a clear cover protecting the LEDs inside the light bar which is a great touch.
Having a weighted base is important if you want a solid attachment to your monitor. I noticed the base was pretty small compared to other monitor light bars I’ve used.
At the same time, it’s a pretty short light bar so this is not a huge surprise.
Light Bar Setup & Installation
As with all monitor light bars, the setup is pretty simple. First, you have to snap the light bar directly into the light bar clamp. Don’t try sliding it in from one side.
Afterward plug in the USB type C cable into the back of the light bar, and into a power source. The last step is to rotate the light bar until there is no light spilling on your monitor.
That’s it! This is a super simple light bar, so getting up and running is simple as well.
Compatible Monitors
While the design is pretty simple, this light bar is compatible with a large range of monitor shapes. You have a few options.
There is a spring-loaded vertical clip for monitors with a square top profile. If you have an irregular monitor shape, you can simply use the weighted base as I did in the image below.
Even though Quntis doesn’t necessarily say this light bar will be compatible with curved monitors, it works perfectly on my Dell 34″ curved ultrawide monitor. My monitor has a 1900R radius.
The fact that this light bar is shorter actually makes it more likely to work with curved monitors. Long light bars can clip the curved edges more easily.
If you have an aggressively curved monitor, I wouldn’t recommend this, simply because they don’t advertise compatibility.
I would instead recommend the Quntis Light Bar Pro+ or the BenQ ScreenBar Halo. Both of those work with monitors down to 1000R
Lighting & Features
Because this is an affordable monitor light bar, you only have the essential lighting features:
- Brightness control
- Color Temperature control
- Automatic Brightness control
When you turn on the automatic brightness mode, a blue front-facing LED lights up letting you know.
My favorite thing about the Quntis auto-brightness control is that it keeps the color temperature constant. I am used to using BenQ light bars, and they change your selected color temperature in auto mode, which is annoying. Quntis got this right.
The automatic brightness mode actually produces a very balanced lighting level. The Quntis Pro+ Light Bar that I previously reviewed was too dim in auto mode. This ScreenLinear Pro on the other hand nails it!
Control Interface
This monitor light bar comes with an integrated control interface. There are capacitive pads on top of the light bar.
Capacitive touch pads are nicer than buttons because you don’t need to add much pressure at all. Grazing your finger on the pad will activate that control.
It is a bummer that this light bar does not come with a dedicated wireless controller. There are monitor light bars in this price range that come with a simple wireless controller. I talk about that light bar in our guide to the best monitor light bars.
At the same time, no wireless controller means you don’t have one less device to worry about changing batteries.
Verdict
My favorite part of this monitor light bar is the cost. This costs less than half of the cheapest BenQ monitor light bar. You get everything that the low-end BenQ models offer with this light bar.
The Quntis ScreenLinear Pro comes with a solid build quality and has no unnecessary features which keep the cost very reasonable.
This is a great light bar for those looking for a cheaper monitor light bar that feels higher-end and doesn’t break the bank. As long as you are okay with no wireless controller, you will be happy with everything else this light bar has to offer.