Why this made the list
The standard ScreenBar already solved the basic glare problem of desk lighting. The Halo adds a second piece: a rear-facing backlight that washes light onto the wall behind the monitor. In a dark room, a bright screen against a black wall is its own kind of eye strain, and that's the specific gap this version is built to close.
What it actually does
Like the rest of the ScreenBar line, the front bar clips onto the top of the monitor and angles light down onto the desk instead of into your eyes, with a built-in ambient sensor that auto-adjusts brightness to roughly 500 lux. Color temperature is adjustable from 2700K to 6500K, with a rated color rendering index above 95. What's new here is the rear backlight, switchable independently or combined with the front light, plus a wireless controller (radio, not a cord) that runs on three AAA batteries instead of sitting on a wired puck.
Who this is actually for
Someone who works at a monitor after dark and already knows a plain desk lamp isn't the fix, but finds a front-only light bar still leaves too much contrast between the screen and a dark room. The rear bias light is the reason to pick this over the cheaper standard ScreenBar; if that's not a problem you have, it's not worth the upgrade.
What to weigh before buying
- The wireless controller runs on AAA batteries. It's more convenient to place anywhere on the desk, but it's one more battery to eventually replace, unlike the wired control puck on cheaper ScreenBar models.
- It clips onto the monitor's top edge, and BenQ specs a fairly narrow fit window (roughly 0.7-6cm for flat panels, 1.6-3.8cm for curved). Thick-bezeled or oddly shaped monitors should be checked against those numbers first.
- The rear backlight is the entire reason this costs more than the standard ScreenBar or ScreenBar Plus. If you don't specifically want that bias-light effect, the cheaper model does the same core glare-free lighting job.
The verdict
A legitimate upgrade over the standard ScreenBar for anyone working in a genuinely dark room, not just a dim one. If screen glare is the only issue, save the money and get the plain version instead.