My Monitor Light Bar, video analysis
Led monitor lamps have become more and more popular in recent months. A solution that allows you to use the computer in low light situations without having to strain your eyes so much, especially if you also want to take some notes, read or know which keys you are going to press on your keyboard. But that is the theory and surely many wonder how they behave later in practice, if they are worth it or not compared to the traditional flexo that has accompanied us for years and even today it is still the default solution of almost any desk.
Well, let me tell you, because for a month I have been using the Xiaomi Mi Computer Monitor Light Bar. So I tell you all about the lamp itself and also the experience. So that you can be much clearer if this is an interesting option or not for you.
An elegant and well-built monitor lamp
I am not going to reveal to anyone the good work of Xiaomi when it comes to designing and manufacturing its products, especially those that are not the mobile phones for which the vast majority know the Chinese manufacturer.
The My Computer Monitor Light Bar It is very elegant, minimalist and with a very good build quality. Much more if we take into account the price compared to other proposals that are also very well valued, but which is practically worth double.
The lamp itself is as you can see in the pictures, a dark gray almost black cylindrical tube and made of metal. This gives it a robustness and a very high quality feel. Although it is not only the LED tube that shapes the lamp, but also the support itself that is used to be able to adapt to practically any monitor.
This offers a system very similar to the one you can see on many webcams, a kind of clamp that in turn acts as a counterweight so that the camera does not fall forward of the screen and remains in the position that you have placed it. In addition, that same counterweight has a rubbery part so that it does not slip and the lamp is always perfectly positioned.
In my case, a 25-inch Dell screen that is neither excessively thick nor thin is perfect. Even when I move the shade with my arm to another position, the lamp remains. And be careful, because the fixing system of the lamp to said base is magnetic.
For the rest, the lamp includes a wireless remote control that in a circular shape is very convenient to use. Although we will talk about that experience and how it works below. Now a brief review of the main technical data.
- Lamp Dimensions: 17 ” wide and 2.3cm diameter
- Remote control dimensions: 3.4 cm high and 26.5 cm in diameter
- 5W rated power
- It is powered via USB C connection and requires 5V and 1A power
- Color temperature of the LEDs between 2,700 and 6,500 Kelvin
The content of the package is, therefore, the one we have mentioned before: lamp, base, remote control, USB C to USB A cable and instruction manual.
Save space and improve your desk lighting
Let’s talk about the user experience, about my experience after having gone through different types of solutions when working for many hours in front of the computer and doing all kinds of tasks, from simple text writing to editing photos and videos.
The main advantage you find in the use of this type of monitor lamps is that your desk is perfectly lit and saves space. This may seem silly, but on small tables or where there are other accessories and devices it can be a big change.
In addition, unless you seek to illuminate indirectly with the intention of generating a specific lighting environment, the way this Xiaomi proposal does it is very correct. Because what lights up is only the desk, not the light is not reflected on the screen and that is important. Something that with the flexos does not usually happen unless you play with the position of the same and in the same way you may not get exactly what you need.
Another interesting detail is that thanks to this magnetic system the LED lamp can oscillate about 25º and that still gives more control over the area to be illuminated on the desk and that is right in front of you. In case the keyboard, book you are consulting or notebook where you take notes is more or less close to the screen.
Then there is the issue of control. The Remote control uses the 2.4 Ghz frequency to connect with the lamp and is powered by two triple A batteries. Otherwise, It is very simple to use:
- A short press turns the light on and another turns it off
- If you turn the wheel to the right you increase the intensity level and to the left it reduces it
- If you hold down and turn to the right, you go to a cold color temperature and if you do it to the left, it is warm. You know, between 2,700 and 6,500 degrees kelvin
- Long press activates team modes
All this plus a Ra95 color rendering index means that even when you use it for photo or video editing tasks it does not affect what you are seeing on the screen. Because it does not ink the image, it does not affect the colors you see, so it is not a problem for tasks that require more precision. Although, there will always be personal preferences about how to do these jobs here.
A highly recommended solution
After all these days testing the Xiaomi monitor lamp, I have to say that the use of the gooseneck still seems interesting and very comfortable in many situations, but these proposals provide interesting advantages.
Being a lamp that allows to regulate the temperature it is much easier to achieve a more pleasant lighting environment depending on the moment, situation and activity. Also the wireless control of this model makes it much more comfortable, because you can place it where it is easier for you to access it.
The support system for the screen is good and although for a laptop it would not be the idea, you could always resort to a possible shelf that you have together where you can usually work with it. Here it depends on each one, but there are solutions.
For the rest, looking at possible alternatives, I think that although there are cheaper ones, for one thing or another they are not worth much because you sacrifice design or comfort. Like solutions like BenQ’s it can be attractive, but its higher cost means that if you are not sure of its benefits it does not compensate.
In summary, that if you spend a lot of time working in front of the computer, you want to do it in all kinds of situations and comfortably with a light that accompanies while saving space, it is a great solution and it is justified why many users are exchanging his lamps for a monitor lamp. In addition, it can give you a lot of play even to achieve very attractive lighting when taking product photography or even recording the odd video.
