A monitor light can be a more practical workspace upgrade than another bulky desk lamp, especially when a tablet, laptop dock, keyboard, and charging gear already compete for room. BenQ’s ScreenBar Halo 2 mounts directly atop a flat or curved monitor, putting adjustable task lighting over the keyboard while adding rear illumination behind the display.
After testing the ScreenBar Halo 2, its strongest appeal is the combination of its asymmetric front light and its rear light. The setup aims to light the desk without producing a direct reflection on the screen, while the rear illumination reduces the perceived contrast between a bright display and a dark surrounding room. It is a particularly compelling arrangement for home-office users who work after daylight fades.
A desk-space-saving lighting setup
The ScreenBar Halo 2 is a dark gray aluminum-alloy and plastic light bar with a separate wireless controller. Installation is straightforward: connect the bar to its USB-C power adapter, place its clamp on the monitor, and charge and pair the controller. The lamp supports displays from 0.43 to 6 cm thick, including curved models with 1000R to 1800R curvature.
Rather than placing lighting hardware on the desk, the bar sits above the screen and leaves only the compact controller within reach. Its wireless design makes brightness and color adjustments accessible without adding another cable across the work surface. BenQ says the controller can run for up to three months per charge.
The hardware also earned an iF Design Award in 2025. An optional webcam accessory is available, though the dossier does not provide its price or confirm U.S. availability.
What the light bar can adjust
BenQ rates the dual-color LED system at a color rendering index of Ra 95 or higher. The front lamp delivers up to 1,000 lux at the center from a height of 50 cm, and BenQ specifies 500 lux coverage across an 85 x 50 cm area. That is intended to provide more even illumination across a keyboard and nearby work area.
- Front-light brightness adjustment from 0% to 100%
- Color-temperature adjustment from 2,700K to 6,500K
- Rear-light balance adjustment from 0% to 100%
- Independent switching for the front and rear lights
- Multi-device pairing, allowing one controller to connect to multiple Halo 2 units
The rear light uses a three-part curved profile. BenQ says its upper section limits light above the display, the lower section blends upper and lower lighting zones behind the monitor, and the side sections extend illumination outward. Along with the asymmetric front light, the company says this design maintains an illumination contrast ratio below 1:3, in line with ANSI recommendations cited in the dossier.
An ambient-light sensor enables real-time automatic adjustment toward BenQ’s recommended 500-lux work lighting level. The bar can also tilt up to 24 degrees, and it turns off when no movement is detected to conserve energy. BenQ further says it has tested the product through 10,000 light-head rotations and 10,000 clamp durability cycles, as well as a 50 cm drop test, humidity testing, cable-sway testing, and operation from minus 20 to 60 degrees Celsius.
A premium accessory for display-heavy workspaces
The ScreenBar Halo 2 is more specialized than a conventional desk lamp, but its design is well suited to people who spend long stretches at a monitor and want lighting that does not consume workspace. The separate rear light is the feature that most differentiates it from a basic monitor bar, creating a more balanced-looking environment around the display while the front lamp handles practical desk illumination.
The 0.8 kg light uses USB-C power, draws up to 15W, and includes a 150 cm USB cable. Its bar measures 50 x 14.3 x 10.9 cm, while the controller measures 7.4 x 7.4 x 3.95 cm. Pricing and U.S. availability were not included in the dossier, so prospective buyers should confirm those details before treating it as a workstation purchase.
For remote workers, writers, creators, photographers, and other users building a cleaner desktop setup around a large monitor, the ScreenBar Halo 2 appears to justify its premium positioning through flexibility and a genuinely space-conscious form factor. Its value will depend largely on whether its front-and-rear lighting system is worth more than a simpler desk lamp for a given workspace.
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