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BenQ's New iScreenBar is a Monitor Light Bar Made for the iMac

BenQ today announced the launch of the iScreenBar, which it says is the first monitor light bar built for the iMac.

iscreenbar 1
The iScreenBar is meant to look like an extension of the ‌iMac‌, offering desk lighting that does not clash with the ‌iMac‌'s design or block the camera or microphone. It's made from aluminum and lights an area of 33.5 by 19.7 inches at 500 lux. A glass touch panel is available for adjustments, and there's also a macOS app for tweaking brightness, color temperature, and light mode.

It turns on and off using presence detection and can also activate when the ‌iMac‌ wakes, plus it dims or brightens as the lighting in the room changes. In video call mode, evens lighting and reduces glare on the face for a better image when the camera is in use.

iscreenbar 2
The light bar mounts to the back of the ‌iMac‌ using a magnetic clamp, and it comes with a magnetic cable clip to hide cords. BenQ says asymmetric optics light the user's desk without shining on the screen or in the eyes to reduce glare and preserve color accuracy. It is powered by the ‌iMac‌'s USB-C port, which also allows for automatic camera mode activation.

The iScreenBar can be purchased from BenQ or from Amazon for $189. It is compatible with the 24-inch ‌iMac‌ (2021 and later).

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Top Rated Comments

3 weeks ago

It's looking good but I never understood why someone would put a light on top of his screen... it just creates glare on your screen for nothing and it's bad for the eyes.
I have a similar BenQ product but use it for my Pro Display XDR.

It is invaluable. No screen glare at all and you can adjust the color temp so it’s a nice way to lighten your workspace without the glare of overhead lighting.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
3 weeks ago

It's looking good but I never understood why someone would put a light on top of his screen... it just creates glare on your screen for nothing and it's bad for the eyes.
The problems you listed are exactly the ones light bars solve: No glare on the screen while lighting the whole desk area without the light source blasting your eyes.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
smilyfox Avatar
3 weeks ago

It's looking good but I never understood why someone would put a light on top of his screen... it just creates glare on your screen for nothing and it's bad for the eyes.
Bad for the eyes? You really dont know how great it is instead of only the screen light of your monitor.. I have ScreenBar Halo 2 much much better than this one.

"In low light, uneven lighting, or glare from a desk lamp, the eyes have to constantly adjust, which can lead to eye fatigue during prolonged screen use."
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
3 weeks ago
I have a few of the BenQ ScreenBar (not this iMac version)—three for me, two for my wife—and showing them has resulted in further sales to coworkers.

Many of you are not getting what the light does: It has a sharp cut focus that prevents it from lighting up your monitor's screen. It lights up your desk and only your desk (it's a task light, not a floodlight). It's also a very high-quality, bright, high-CRI, non-flickering light.

Back when these first came out, even at $99, they were a revelation. You might be able to find a passable knock-off now. But if you buy a **** LED-strip-in-a-tube for $25 and it lights up dust and glare on your screen, with a pink tinge on one end and blue on the other, and flickers at 60Hz, you may not understand where the money goes.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
minhrom Avatar
3 weeks ago
$180 for a bar light? this must be a joke
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
3 weeks ago

That would be the weirdest business model... Designing, building and selling a light where one of its features is creating unwanted glare on users' displays and another feature is bad for users' eyes. If true, I can't imagine them moving many units. And the units they did move, would likely be returned. I'm gonna go ahead a trust that they thought about that.

I like how it appears to light up the space in front of the display - so it; snot just display light shooting out at your face. Talk about bad for the eyes. Another benefit? The footprint. No desk lamp mount or base. Pretty clean presentation.
Bar lights are usually designed to not add glare to the monitor itself! It lights up the desk area, helping with eye fatigue and etc.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)