Opinion
This purchase has enlightened my home office set-up
by Lorenz Keller
BenQ Helo 2: the best screen bar so far
3/12/2025
Translation: Patrik Stainbrook
Pictures: Lorenz Keller
BenQ’s Helo 2 does two things for me in my home office: the screen bar automatically adjusts its brightness and switches itself on using a motion sensor. Both are useful, but something’s still missing from perfection.
Thanks to this new screen bar from BenQ, I can skip pressing a button during my morning routine when working from home. Get up, get ready, feed the cats and sneak into the office shortly after six o’clock. Sit down, briefly hammer away at the keyboard to wake my MacBook from its slumber. Then check e-mails, reply to community comments, write test reports, moan about my boss in the group chat.
However, I’ve been able to skip one step over the last few months: turning on the light in my office. Thanks to its motion sensor, the Halo 2 screen bar does this all by itself. And while I paid this feature little attention initially, it’s now part of every morning.
Now, you might be thinking: «Screen bar – does this thing make me cocktails for breakfast or something?» No, but I’ll briefly explain what they’re all about.
In this article, you can read in depth why I’m a fan of this lighting type.
Expensive model with two sensors
The BenQ Helo 2 is one of the priciest models in our range. Alternatives rated highly by the Community are already available for just a third of the price. My own comparison of affordable screen bars has also shown that inexpensive models can impress just as well.
So, why spend all that money? One argument in favour of BenQ’s top model is its two sensors. They automatically take care of what most competitors do manually.
Light change: at the touch of a button, the screen bar automatically adjusts its brightness to the ambient lighting. The brightness you see on your desk always stays the same, more or less. In my test, I compared this with an adjustable video light. The Helo 2 reacted to changes practically in real time. The brightness level and colour temperature are preset – you can’t change them. Luckily for me, the 4,000 Kelvin neutral white recommended for offices and the intensity were a great match in my test.
Light control: a motion sensor detects you as soon as you approach your desk. The light switches on automatically when you’re in your office chair. If you move away, the light goes out again. You can choose between a delay of three, five, ten or fifteen minutes.
While many models have a built-in light sensor, I haven’t seen a motion sensor in any other screen bar in our range.
I mostly enabled both automatic features in my test. Most of the time, the remote control was just sitting around uselessly. I could’ve put it away in a drawer, all sensors are built into the lamp.
For me, both automatic features worked perfectly during everyday use. With my drink and smartphone already in hand early every morning, I don’t have to feel around for where the power button is on top. And during the day, going away and forgetting the light’s still on is a thing of the past.
Quality in every detail
The BenQ screen bar has a high-quality appearance – for example, take the rotary remote control switch with its touch surface and small display. The ring youturn to make adjustments is made from a heavy metal. Operating the device feels twice as good as a result.
The hinge can be adjusted for monitors with a thickness of 0.43 to 6 centimetres. It isn’t as solid as some competitor models, but still very stable. Another practical feature is that the angle of inclination for the LEDs can be easily adjusted.
The remote control has a rechargeable battery powered via USB-C. Other models usually require batteries. The lamp itself is also supplied with power via USB-C – any plug on a PC or laptop has enough power for this. BenQ also supplies a mains adapter. I simply attached the lamp to the charging dock already on my office desk.
The screen bar has a spotlight on the back, acting as a second light source. Ideally, it’ll illuminate a wall so that a discreet, indirect ambient light shines into the room. You can set whether both, none, or just one of the two are on. Both automatic systems work with any combination.
Incidentally, the LED strip is significantly bigger than many cheaper models. Most of them are around 45 centimetres, while the BenQ model is over 56 centimetres in length. This is perfect for larger monitors, but if you still have a classic 24-inch screen hanging around, the screen bar will protrude slightly on either side.
However, more width also means less space to place a webcam on the side. BenQ solves this problem with an attachment for any standard webcam. However, the lamp isn’t fully suitable for video calls, since it shines downwards and not directly into your face.
Is automatic mode too dim?
I used the Opple Light Master to measure the light parameters on my office desk.
Without any additional light source in the room other than the screen, I measured a brightness of 350 lux at the centre of my work surface in automatic mode. According to international guidelines, this is only just enough for monitor work. According to Swiss accident insurance fund SUVA, 500 lux is required in Swiss offices (page in German).
If I add my ceiling light, I get 520 lux – good enough for reading longer articles or taking notes.
You can turn the brightness up much higher manually. I measured a maximum of just over 1,200 lux across my work surface. According to SUVA, this is even sufficient for very fine mechanical work. The three affordable screen bars I tested only achieve values of 345 to 525 lux.
According to SUVA standards, the BenQ lamp isn’t bright enough in automatic mode if you don’t switch on any additional light – at least at first glance. In my test, however, I still mostly worked without a ceiling light, which felt comfortable enough. I also worked primarily on my screen, and at that height I measured 500 lux or more.
Just a pity that the automatic system can’t be calibrated. You can only increase or decrease the brightness value manually.
No flickering, good colour accuracy
In automatic mode, a colour temperature of 4,000 Kelvin is preset – a so-called neutral white. My measurements show that this value is more or less achieved despite light pollution from my screen. I measured values between 3,900 and 3,950 Kelvin in the dark. Even in daylight, the deviation is still only 5 to 10 Kelvin.
According to the manufacturer, the lamp can change its colour temperature from 2,700 Kelvin (warm white) to 6,500 Kelvin (cool white). I can reproduce these values fairly accurately in my measurements.
My measuring device can also determine the Color Rendering Index (CRI). This value gives an indication of the quality of colour reproduction. BenQ’s lamp achieves a value of 97 to 98 in automatic mode – the maximum would be 100. So, this lamp hardly changes the colours I see on-screen or on my desktop; all shades are natural and almost like daylight.
By the way, don’t worry about flickering. Measuring with my Opple Light Master in accordance with the IEEE-1789 standard revealed no risk of it happening.
Is the investment worth it?
The BenQ Helo 2 sets itself apart from the competition with its motion sensor and overall package. No screen bar I’ve tested yet offers this many options and can be customised to suit your own needs.
Whether a cheaper version is also sufficient depends very much on what you want. I’d have liked automatic mode to be individually configurable at this price.
In a nutshell
Luxury light for your office desk
The BenQ Helo 2 delivers everything you could wish for from a screen bar. It illuminates your desk perfectly, with powerful brightness and adjustable colour temperatures. The manufacturer has thought of almost everything: high-quality remote control, a holder for webcams and full automation. Its light turns on and off as required, and the system adjusts its brightness to ambient light.
However, this luxury equipment comes at a price. Hardly any competitor model is as expensive. And a few missing programming features keep it from a top score – especially at this price.
Pro
- Switches on and off automatically
- Precise controls
- High-quality manufacturing
- Very bright if required
Contra
- Automatic mode can’t be customised
- Expensive
Lorenz Keller
Senior Editor
Lorenz.Keller@digitecgalaxus.chGadgets are my passion - whether you need them for the home office, for the household, for sport and pleasure or for the smart home. Or, of course, for the big hobby next to the family, namely fishing.
These articles might also interest you
48 comments
later