Monitor light bars are a great desk upgrade: They reduce glare and eye strain, light up your desk, and barely take up any space. But they also range from $20 to $200.
So the real question isn’t just: “Should I get one?”; It’s: “How much should I spend?”
Because the right one can instantly improve your setup.
But the wrong one can shine into your eyes, reflect on your screen, or be so annoying to use that it ends up as e-waste.
So we’re comparing a $20, a $70, and a $200 monitor light bar.
Meichoon Light Bar
Let's start with the Meichoon Light Bar, which costs $20.
At first glance, you'll notice that it's quite small, 32 cm, and made of cheap plastic.
The clamping mechanism is also pretty terrible, so it never feels properly secured.
It's also not very bright, but you can adjust the brightness and choose between three color temperature levels: cool, warm, and neutral.
There's no remote control, though. You need to use the buttons on the light bar itself. But all of that doesn't really matter.
As much as I tried to adjust it, I either got direct light in my eyes… or glare on the screen. Or both.
So yes, it’s cheap. But I wouldn’t recommend it.
Quntis Monitor Light Bar Glow
Next up is the $70 Quntis Monitor Light Bar Glow, and this is where things get much more interesting.
It’s bigger, better built, and the weighted clip actually holds the light securely, even on curved monitors.
It’s also much brighter, and it adds a rear ambient light, which makes the whole setup feel a lot nicer.
You can control the front and back lights separately with the wireless remote, switch between different modes, and adjust the color temperature from warm to cool.
The main issue is glare.
Quntis claims the hood prevents light from shining into your eyes, but in practice, you still need to position it carefully. And even then, I still noticed a bit of glare on the screen.
Still, for $70, the Quntis Monitor Light Bar Glow gives you most of what you actually want from a monitor light bar: good brightness, decent build quality, ambient lighting, and a proper remote.
So the Quntis seems clearly the value pick.
But what do you actually get if you pay almost three times more?
BenQ ScreenBar Halo 2
Let's check out the $200 BenQ ScreenBar Halo 2.
It has a similar size at 50cm and very good construction.
The spring-loaded clamp mechanism allows you to place it higher, eliminating glare on the screen, even at its maximum 1000 lumen brightness.
And more importantly, it lights the desk without shining directly into your eyes.
BenQ achieves this with a clever reflector and a very sharp cut-off angle.
It also has a brighter backlight that you can adjust in brightness and color temperature with a remote control.
As with the Quntis monitor light bar, you can switch between different modes at the press of a button.
The BenQ remote controller is tilted forward, which makes it easier to use.
It has a built-in screen that shows the color temperature and brightness of each light, which you can adjust granularly by rotating the dial.
Very cool.
There's also an automatic mode that adjusts brightness and color temperature based on ambient light, and you can save your favorite settings, too.
However, my favorite feature is the presence sensor.
When you leave, the light turns off automatically. When you come back, it turns it on again.
It sounds like a small thing, but it’s exactly the kind of feature that makes a product feel premium every day.
And, as the cherry on top, it comes with an accessory to mount the webcam on the light bar.
So, the BenQ ScreenBar Halo 2 is clearly the best one here.
But is it almost three times better than the Quntis? Definitely not.
For $70, the Quntis gives you much better value. It looks good, has the key features and gets the job done.
But the BenQ wins on refinement: better glare control, a nicer remote, automatic on/off, and a more polished overall experience.
So if you want the best value, I’d get the Quntis.
If you want the best monitor light bar and budget isn’t a problem, the BenQ is the one I’d keep.
It’s not three times better, but it is the one I’d rather use every day.
But what do you think? Would you pay extra for that refinement, or would you spend that money somewhere else?
Join the discussion on Reddit or Discord and share your thoughts.
See you there 💜
