Product test
Elesense screen bar – the perfect desk lighting can be affordable
by Lorenz Keller
Benq Screenbar: An extra lamp for the monitor? Useful or gugus?
18.11.2019
Translation: machine translated
Benq wants to sell you a special lamp for your workplace. No annoying reflections, without a stand and more comfortable for the eyes. Are these empty promises or is there an actual benefit?
Hit the buzzer
The Screenbar is supplied with power via a USB-A cable. This saves you space in the power strip. Installation is also child's play. Simply place the screen bar on the top edge of your monitor. A counterweight ensures that it stays in place. The whole thing even works perfectly on my curved ultra-wide monitor and nothing wobbles. The lamp is shielded from the front so that the light doesn't dazzle you.
In contrast to the normal Screenbar, the Screenbar Plus has a wired remote control. I think it's great that I can use it to switch on the lamp like a buzzer. You can also set the brightness, colour temperature and automatic dimming. With the cheaper Screenbar, the buttons are on the lamp itself, which is a bit more complicated to use.
The buttons with the monitor symbol use the integrated sensor to measure the ambient light and automatically set the right brightness and colour temperature. If this doesn't suit you, you can make manual adjustments. However, I usually found the auto dimming to be very accurate. With a light intensity of up to 1000 lux, the Screenbar is also bright enough. With the auto function, it dims to 500 lux, the recommended standard for office work.
Not even that bad
In the evening, on the other hand, I use the screen bar regularly. Especially when my wife and I play games together in the office, which are more effective in the dark. The screen bar then creates a very pleasant light without dazzling. Unless I really want to immerse myself in the game, then I don't need any light at all.
In addition, the screen bar ensures that the image looks slightly brighter due to the direct lighting on the monitor. This is not necessarily positive. For me, it seemed a tad more faded than when I played with the normal ceiling light.
What is even more annoying is that the screen bar makes every speck of dust and every spot on your monitor visible. And really clearly. You can also see this as a positive, because it forces you to finally get a cloth and wipe away the stains that have been bothering you for a while.
My colleague Kevin is really enthusiastic about the Screenbar. But that's probably also because his workstation is the furthest away from the window and the office lights. Any lighting is a relief.
Conclusion: Practical, elegant, but not a must-have
Philipp Rüegg
Senior Editor
Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.chAs a child, I wasn't allowed to have any consoles. It was only with the arrival of the family's 486 PC that the magical world of gaming opened up to me. Today, I'm overcompensating accordingly. Only a lack of time and money prevents me from trying out every game there is and decorating my shelf with rare retro consoles.
Computing
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