Desk lamps are on the way out, and monitor light bars are on the way in. They provide full-coverage lighting for your desk without taking up any extra space on your desktop. By mounting to your monitor, these light bars stay out of your way and can connect to your monitor's USB ports for a seamless experience. BenQ makes some of the best light bars out there, and the company had the idea of making one specifically for laptops. It might seem like a strange idea, but BenQ's LaptopBar is a simplistic, feature-rich, and portable way to add light to your mobile workstation. It's easy to recommend for people who need good lighting to be productive — as long as you can stomach the $140 price tag.

About this review: BenQ sent me a LaptopBar for review. The company did not have input in this article, and did not see its contents before publishing.

Pricing and availability

BenQ's LaptopBar retails for $140 and is available from Amazon as well as the company's official website. The LaptopBar can be purchased in either black or white colorways, though the white unit I reviewed has a partially silver metal finish to it and a cream-colored body. Included with the LaptopBar is a fabric sleeve for travel and two magnetic patches, and these are needed to mount the LaptopBar on your laptop. Since these patches — which are essentially just magnetic stickers — are used to mount the LaptopBar, it'll work with just about any great laptop.

Specs

What I like

LaptopBar is easy to install, adjust, and detach while using it on the go

Unlike a typical monitor light bar, you obviously can't leave the LaptopBar installed on your laptop all the time. Instead, there are two main pieces to the LaptopBar: the dual-color LED bar and the magnetic battery pack. There are three pins on the light bar that connect to matching contacts on the magnetic battery pack. BenQ includes two "magnetic patches," which are basically just stickers, in the box. You put them on your laptop of choice — an M2 MacBook Air in my case — and the magnetic battery pack snaps on with ease. The LaptopBar's design seems incredibly thought-out, and it makes for great form and function.

The cool part about the LaptopBar is that the magnetic battery pack has an extendable arm that can be used to move the light bar both upward and outward. This is preferred if you'd like to illuminate your entire desktop workspace rather than just your laptop's display and keyboard. BenQ also includes a fabric, almost canvas-style carrying case for the LaptopBar. It's essential for transporting the LaptopBar, because it keeps everything safe and in one place. When you need to deploy it, the LaptopBar takes less than a minute to set up. The whole thing is sturdier than you'd probably expect, too.

The LaptopBar adds the perfect amount of light to a mobile workspace

The LaptopBar is useful as a light, which matters above all else. It uses a dual-color LED strip that allows for color temperature adjustments. There aren't any buttons or knobs on the LaptopBar, but the controls are intuitive enough that you can learn them without a manual. The LaptopBar also has a feature called personalized auto-dimming, which uses an ambient light sensor to adjust color temperature and brightness based on your surroundings. The light not only illuminates your workspace, but fills the area around your laptop with light. This limits the amount of visual contrast between your laptop's bright display and your environment.

I prefer to use the manual controls, however. There's a slider that lets you adjust the brightness and color temperature of the LaptopBar, and tapping a sensor atop the bar switches between the two controls. I used the warm color option, which has a yellow-ish hue, and it makes the blue light coming from your laptop's screen less uncomfortable. But my favorite part of the LaptopBar is how much surface area it can illuminate. It supports a central brightness of 700lx, and more importantly a 300lx brightness spread across an area up to 19.7 inches x 11.8 inches.

What I don't like

The magnetic sticker is required, and the LaptopBar is another thing to carry

Personally, I think that the LaptopBar is a near-perfect accessory. However, there are some things that users might not like about this product. For starters, it requires you to place a magnetic sticker on your laptop, which some users might not be comfortable with. In my testing, placing the sticker on a laptop case rather than your laptop was a viable alternative. Still, it's something to keep in mind. If you need more than the two single-use stickers that are included, you'll have to purchase those separately.

It's also another thing to carry, albeit a small one. The LaptopBar is about the size of a long pencil case when it's stowed away, meaning that it'll fit in nearly all bags. However, it won't fit in smaller laptop sleeves and messenger bags. If you don't think you'll be able to carry the LaptopBar with you most of the time, you shouldn't buy it. The LaptopBar is only useful if you have it with you.

Should you buy the BenQ LaptopBar?

You should buy the BenQ LaptopBar if:

• You want to add lighting to your laptop and mobile workspace
• You value features like color temperature adjustments and portability
• You're willing to spend a lot on a laptop light bar

You should NOT buy the BenQ LaptopBar if:

• You aren't willing to carry the LaptopBar around with you due to the added bulk
• You don't like the idea of placing a magnetic sticker on your laptop
• The LaptopBar's $140 price is outside your budget

For me, good lighting is one of the biggest factors that can increase my productivity. An environment with poor lighting can make it harder to focus and concentrate, and one with excellent lighting can have the opposite effect. With the BenQ LaptopBar, you can control the lighting of your remote workspace completely. If you're someone that appreciates the benefits that come from a well-lit workspace, the functionality that the LaptopBar provides is hard to put a price on. Others might be satisfied completely with their laptop's backlit keyboard and display. Those that are in the former group could find that the LaptopBar is a game-changer for their portable workstation.