Thursday, March 28, 2024

These are the best monitor light bars in 2020

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The best monitor light bars are a perfect way to brighten up the monitor in your workspace for easier reading without having to boost the brightness of the screen itself, which can be taxing on your eyes. They usually don’t take up much, or any, additional space on your desk. We’ve done the research to identify and rank the best monitor light bars for your home office or workspace.

Best for customization

LOFTER Screen Bar Light

Staff pick

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With three lighting modes including warm, cool, and natural, and 10 brightness levels via a total of 84 LEDs, the slim and sleek design of this light keeps crucial desk space free. There’s no glare or shadows thanks to the convenient angle, and it’s easy to set up, plugging in via USB.

$40 at Amazon

Adjustable angles

Baseus Screen Light Bar

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The gravity rotating shaft fixing device makes it easy to adjust the angle of this light to your liking. It fits just about any monitor, from those as thick as 1.5 inches to as slim as 0.2 inches, and offers a glare-free view of the screen along with three color modes.

$40 at Amazon

Brand recognition

BenQ ScreenBar

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From the trusted folks at BenQ, this LED task lamp offers auto-dimming, hue adjustment features, and complies with the standard light levels set out by the American National Standard practice for office lighting. USB-powered, the asymmetrical design helps eliminate screen glare.

$98 at Amazon
$129 at B&H Photo

Relieve eye fatigue

Quntis e-Reading Task Lamp

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Ideal for lengthy on-screen reading sessions, this lamp employs a suspension design that keeps lights coming from the front and center to prevent glare from reflecting off the screen. It also emits soft light that won’t result in flicker that can be annoying to your eyes, especially after poring over a 20-page report.

$40 at Amazon

Buy and try

Anpro USB E-Reading LED Task Lamp

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You can get this task lamp for your monitor, which offers dimmable color, three color temperatures, easy installation, and reduced screen glare, without worry thanks to the generous 60-day unconditional refund policy. The company also offers a 365-day replacement service for added peace-of-mind.

$39 at Amazon

Versatile placement

WILLED Dimmable Touch Light Bar

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This light bar doesn’t connect directly to your monitor like others but rather can adhere to any surface via the stick magnet mount. You can affix it to your desk above the computer monitor or laptop, or use it in other settings, too, like by a makeup mirror or in a closet. A bonus: it comes with a built-in 2,000mAh rechargeable battery.

$19 at Amazon

Set the mood

Philips Hue Play Smart Light Bar

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This one is ideal for large-sized monitors and entertainment experiences like gaming or watching movies, letting you set the mood by choosing from thousands of colors and shades to use for background ambiance. Plus, it’s voice-activated through Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri with the optional Philips Hue Hub.

$68 at Amazon
$70 at Best Buy
$57 at Newegg

Price is right

Tomons E-Reading Monitor Screenbar

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You can’t go wrong with the price of this monitor screen bar that still features the essentials, including adjustable color temperature and no screen glare or flicker. Plus, it has a built-in sensor that will dim it automatically based on the lighting condition and an auto-shutdown timer.

$30 at Amazon
$30 at Newegg

Great for travel

Cyezcor LED Desk Lamp

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Since this lamp does not attach directly to the monitor but rather is placed beside it to be positioned at the top of the screen, it’s easy to unplug and take with you to use between the home and office, while traveling, or in other rooms of the home.

$30 at Amazon

What should you look for in a monitor light bar?

A monitor light bar is ideal when you tend to work in front of a computer screen for hours on end, especially if you read a lot of text. It’s also good for gamers to help provide sufficient lighting that won’t strain their eyes.

A good monitor light bar should offer adjustable angles, like all of these do, so you can situate it just right to avoid reflections and screen glare. The suspension design of the Quntis E-Reading Desk Lamp that keeps the light front and center is a good example of this.

You also want an adjustable color temperature because the type of lighting you need for reading an eBook will be much different than what you might want for playing a dark and action-packed video game. The LOFTER Screen Bar Lights excel in this category with three modes including warm, cool, or natural and 10 brightness levels, all provided by a generous 84 LEDs.

Finally, you want the design to match your specific needs. If you’re going to use the light bar exclusively for a computer monitor that stays in one room of the home, get one that affixes directly to it via a clamp design, like the Baseus Screen Light Bar that can work with virtually any sized monitor.

But if you want to be able to bring the light with you while traveling for extended periods of time, to use in a hotel room, for example, or at your office, or your teenage daughter wants to grab it to use at her make-up table from time to time, consider one like the Cyezcor LED Desk Lamp that’s easy to move from room to room and adjust to just the right angle.

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