BenQ’s newest innovation—the ScreenBar Halo 2—signals more than a product launch. It reflects a broader shift in how the company envisions lighting, wellness, and lifestyle converging into a singular experience. Priced at ₹17,490, the Halo 2 is designed to mount seamlessly onto any PC monitor or Apple iMac, providing precise downward illumination that avoids screen glare, reduces eye strain, and enhances productivity throughout the day. But behind this product lies a deeper philosophy and an emerging India-driven innovation strategy that is beginning to influence BenQ’s global roadmap.
To understand this transition, we spoke with JC Pan, Chief Product Designer at BenQ Smart Lighting, and Rajeev Singh, Managing Director at BenQ (India & South Asia). Their insights reveal how smart lighting is being redefined, how India is becoming central to product development, and why lighting is no longer “just about light.”
Rethinking Smart Lighting: Experience Before Technology
For decades, common desk and study lamps have been inspired by the original Anglepoise lamp, patented in 1932. While these traditional designs emphasized stability and reading comfort, they are no longer adequate for today’s digital work environments dominated by screens. BenQ’s ScreenBar series was conceived to bridge this gap. The new Halo 2 incorporates full-spectrum LEDs that minimize harmful blue light and mimic the natural tonality of sunlight—a crucial element for eye comfort and circadian rhythm support.
According to JC Pan, smart lighting is evolving into something far more immersive and personal. He emphasizes that while technology plays a role, it should never overshadow the human experience it serves.
“In smart lighting, technology is just a tool,” Pan explains. “The real focus has to be on the feeling, the comfort, and the precision of engineering that supports it. Connectivity or fancy features don’t matter if the lighting experience isn’t natural, intuitive, and supportive of what the user actually needs.”
One example he offers is auto-dimming. While the feature itself is simple—using sensors to read ambient light—the challenge lies in fine-tuning the algorithm. A desk lamp may aim for 500 lumens as a standard, but this does not necessarily work across scenarios. In darker environments, delivering the same output can cause harsh contrast and discomfort. BenQ adjusts the light dynamically, sometimes lowering brightness instead of increasing it, based on extensive user testing rather than rigid theory. The philosophy is simple: lighting must adapt to humans, not the other way around.
The Wellness Equation: Why People Are Finally Paying Attention
BenQ’s focus on vision health predates the current global conversation around digital fatigue. But Rajeev Singh acknowledges that the market wasn’t always ready for this messaging.
“Seven to eight years ago, when we spoke about eye care and lighting, people struggled to connect the dots,” he says. “Today, with widespread screen use and growing awareness of issues like dry eyes and visual fatigue, customers understand these problems firsthand. They are actively looking for solutions.”
BenQ’s internal data reflects a clear uptick in consumer demand for eye-care technologies in monitors and lighting products. The ScreenBar line fits naturally into this trend, offering a more refined approach to ergonomic workspaces. Until recently, BenQ limited the ScreenBar’s availability in India to online channels. But with the Halo 2, the company is expanding into premium retail locations across more than 50 stores. Live demos, Singh says, are an essential part of helping customers “see the difference” for themselves.
“When people see the Halo 2 in action, the understanding becomes much deeper. The lighting changes the entire workstation atmosphere, and this real-time experience builds immediate interest.”
Merging Technology and Lifestyle: How Design Thinking Shapes the Product
BenQ aims to position itself not merely as a maker of office equipment, but as a lifestyle brand—one with utility at its core. Pan emphasizes that while engineering excellence is vital, a product must also harmonize with a user’s living space.
“Monitors and projectors have size constraints, so design possibilities are limited. But products like the ScreenBar give us space to incorporate lifestyle elements. Technology alone doesn’t create a beautiful product—it must fit naturally into your home.”
To achieve this, BenQ collaborates with design houses worldwide, selecting partners based on the character of each product. For the technologically rich Halo 2, the company worked with MINIMAL, a Chicago-based studio known for its clean, modern approach. For more aesthetic products like the PianoLight, they partnered with a Polish design firm in Warsaw known for its artistic sensibilities.
“We never stick to a single design house,” Pan adds. “Every product deserves the designer that best matches its purpose.”
This design philosophy extends across BenQ’s product line—function first, followed by form. Rajeev Singh underscores this point. “We don’t compromise utility. Once we perfect that, we refine the design. Form follows function, always.”
Building for the World from India
One of the most significant developments at BenQ is the company’s increasing focus on India-specific product development. Historically, India received products from BenQ’s international portfolio. But the company has now begun building products with Indian users directly involved in the design process.
A prime example is the RD series—BenQ’s new line of coding and programming monitors. These monitors were developed with extensive feedback from Indian programmers, who highlighted what features were missing and what improvements they desired over the earlier GW series.
“This is not just a monitor for India,” Singh clarifies. “The RD series will be sold globally. But the insights came from Indian users. This is the direction we are moving towards—products developed in India, for the world.”
Another India-driven innovation currently in development is a portable presenter phone, designed after gathering input from local portable projector users. This approach marks a strategic shift in the way BenQ conceptualizes product development.
A New Era in Smart Lighting and Product Innovation
The ScreenBar Halo 2 represents a confluence of BenQ’s evolving identity—where wellness, lifestyle, engineering, and regional insights come together. The company’s focus on India as a development hub, combined with its global design partnerships and commitment to user-centric engineering, suggests a future where products feel personal, intuitive, and seamlessly integrated into everyday life.
As the boundaries between lifestyle and productivity continue to blur, BenQ is positioning itself at the center of this transformation—proving that lighting is not just about illuminating a desk, but enhancing the entire experience of working, creating, and living.
In that sense, the ScreenBar Halo 2 is more than a lamp. It is a statement about where smart lighting is headed—and how India will help shape that journey for users worldwide.
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