u/baitlyn

Gateron Jupiter Bananas

Keychron Acoustic Upgrade

I may upgrade to some GMK keycaps eventually but this has been a workhorse for me!

I’m a Sales Engineer and I require equipment that will help me get through the day, whether it’s presentations, deep work, or reading. That’s why I initially purchased the BenQ Screenbar Halo a few years back.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to check out the Screenbar Halo 2 and I definitely have noticed improvements of its previous iteration.  

Upon initial use I noticed that the control puck was USB-C powered instead of using AAA batteries which was an improvement.  When putting this on my primary monitor. (I have a dual monitor setup) I noticed that BenQ improved the clamp you used to put the light on top the monitor.  

One click and BOOM!  The light comes on and illuminates a wider field of view that its predecessor which was much appreciated.  The backlight of this model was also improved illuminating more bias light.  Even though I use Philips Hue lights for additional backlighting, the additional lighting was needed. 

Like the original Screenbar Halo, there's no monitor glare. The Halo 2 can be plugged into its own USB-C adapter or into your monitor, but if you do the later it may not guarantee full power to the unit so I opted for the adapter. I would also like to mention that the Halo 2 is cool to the touch so no heating compared to the first one.

For one, the controls offer more granularity in terms of how you can control the primary light and the backlight.  Just like the previous model, you can select between 2700 - 6500K, but even at 1% illumination it offers amazing light.  The previous model didn’t let you go that low.  Turning off all the other lights and cranking this at 2700K and setting it at 15% gives me a cozy setup for when I want to go down a Reddit rabbit hole or if I want to watch a few YouTube videos.

At night time when I’m doing something at the computer I keep it around 60 - 70% at 2700K

I really like the motion detector.  It not only is a “green” option as in energy saving, it makes me feel like my workstation is coming alive with me as I walk in and the light comes on.

Having a Screenbar light was a major improvement in my setup in reducing eye strain, being able to comfortably stay at my desk for hours on end, and an overall better workstation experience. Having the Screenbar Halo 2 takes it to another level and it has definitely found a permanent home in my collection.