The Best Desk Lamps

The BenQ e-Reading lamp is built for people who spend long days at a computer. Its wide head spreads light across the whole desk, so you get even light over your keyboard, notes and paperwork instead of one bright spot. Tom's Guide names it its best desk lamp overall, and it's the one we'd pick for most home offices.

BenQ rates it at 500 lux across a 90 cm (about 35 in) wide area, with a color temperature you can adjust from warm 2700K to cool 5700K. CRI is listed at over 95, so paper and colors look natural, and the LEDs are flicker-free, certified to IEEE 1789. A built-in ambient light sensor can adjust the light for you, and a single knob handles brightness and color.

It's a big lamp, about 59 cm wide and 62.5 cm tall, and BenQ lists it at 4.8 kg, so it needs a roomy desk. There's no USB port, and it costs much more than basic lamps. For comfortable, even light through a long workday, it's worth it. Check the current price of the BenQ e-Reading Desk Lamp on Amazon.

The BenQ ScreenBar is the easy answer for a small desk. It clips on top of your monitor and lights the desk in front of it, with no base or arm taking up space. BenQ designs its optics to aim the light down at the desk, so it doesn't bounce off the screen or shine in your eyes.

BenQ rates it at 930 lux at the center and 500 lux over a 60 by 30 cm area. You get 15 brightness levels and 8 color temperatures from 2700K to 6500K, a CRI of 95 or higher and flicker-free LEDs. An ambient sensor can top up the light to about 500 lux. It runs on USB power (5V, 1A), so you can plug it into your monitor or computer, and it fits monitors 1 to 3 cm thick, including many curved screens.

The lit area is smaller than a full lamp's, so it's less suited to spreading out papers. If you keep a webcam on top of your monitor, check how the two will share the space. For screen work, it's hard to beat. check the current price of the BenQ ScreenBar LED Monitor Light Bar on Amazon.

The BenQ ScreenBar Halo 2 is the upgrade pick for people who work late. Along with a front light for the desk, it adds a backlight behind the monitor, which softens the contrast between a bright screen and a dark room. A wireless, rechargeable controller handles quick changes.

BenQ rates it at over 1,000 lux at the center and 500 lux across an 85 by 50 cm area, much wider than the original ScreenBar. Color temperature runs from 2700K to 6500K, CRI is 95 or higher, and BenQ says it passes the IEEE PAR 1789 flicker test. A motion sensor can switch it off after you walk away, and auto-dimming targets 500 lux. It fits flat or curved monitors from 0.43 to 6 cm thick.

It costs much more than the original ScreenBar. It also needs a USB-C source that supplies 5V at up to 3A, which some monitor ports can't. If you want the best light bar BenQ makes, this is it. check the current price of the BenQ ScreenBar Halo 2 Monitor Light Bar on Amazon.

The EppieBasic architect lamp is made for wide setups. Its 31.5 in light bar sits on a flexible neck and clamps to the edge of your desk, so it can stretch across two monitors and light the whole work surface without taking up any desk space.

EppieBasic lists it at 24W and 1,100 lumens. Color temperature adjusts from about 3000K to 6500K, and an auto-dimming sensor can adjust the light to the room. The listing also describes a memory function that brings back your last setting and a 30-minute auto-off timer.

The clamp needs a desk edge it can grip, and the listing gives a max of about 1.8 to 2 in thick, so measure first. CRI claims vary between 85 and 90-plus depending on the source, which is lower than the BenQ models. There's no USB port. For lighting a big desk on a modest budget, it's a strong choice. check the current price of the EppieBasic 24W Architect Clamp LED Desk Lamp (31.5 in, Black) on Amazon.

The Quntis monitor light bar gives you the light-bar idea for less than BenQ charges. It's one of the most popular light bars on Amazon, and it covers the basics well for people who mostly work on a screen.

The 40 cm bar adjusts from 3000K to 6500K with stepless touch dimming, and an ambient sensor can set the brightness automatically. Quntis claims a CRI of 98 and flicker-free LEDs. Like the ScreenBar, it runs on USB power, though there's no wall adapter in the box. A weighted clip holds it on top of the monitor.

The clip is made for flat-top monitors, so curved screens or thick bezels may not fit well. Quntis doesn't publish lux or coverage figures the way BenQ does, and it lights the desk rather than the room. If you want a light bar on a budget, it's the one to try. check the current price of the Quntis Computer Monitor Light Bar (40 cm) on Amazon.