Manish Bakshi on BenQ’s Smart Lighting Evolution
In an era when the modern workplace is as focused on wellbeing as it is on productivity, BenQ is reinventing the way we think about technology at our desks. For over 24 years, BenQ has been recognized for its leadership in display innovation. Now, it is focusing on a more subtle and often forgotten aspect of the workday: light. BenQ’s newest ScreenBar models, the ScreenBar Pro and ScreenBar Halo 2, bring a human-centric approach to workplace illumination, combining smart lighting with eye-care technology to create a healthier, more comfortable environment for long-term screen use.
Having already sold over 1.1 million ScreenBars worldwide, BenQ is expanding its expertise beyond displays and interactive panels to lighting solutions designed to minimise eye strain and improve attention.
In this interview, we have Manish Bakshi, Managing Director of BenQ Middle East, highlighting how the new ScreenBar fits into its larger ecosystem, about developing its worldwide smart lighting plan, and responding to the growing desire for workspaces that value human health alongside performance.
How does this product, the Screenbar, align with BenQ’s broader ecosystem of professional displays and workplace environments?
We have consistently introduced ourselves as a leader in display technology. Our portfolio includes interactive flat panels, monitors, and projectors, all of which rely heavily on advanced display technology. We have been a dominant brand across these categories for more than 24 years.
In line with this legacy, we wanted to introduce a product that is more caring for users. Eye care is something BenQ coined many years ago, and in sync with that philosophy, we introduced BenQ Smart Monitor solutions back in 2017.
This time, we are introducing our latest two models — the ScreenBar Pro, available in black and silver, and the ScreenBar Halo 2. These products are designed with a strong human-centric approach. Both ScreenBar models come with built-in smart lighting solutions that provide illumination only in the required working area, without affecting the user’s eyes.
They use BenQ’s proprietary asymmetrical light optic technology. With an 18-degree illumination angle, the light focuses only on the reading area, significantly reducing eye fatigue. At the same time, it prevents screen glare from affecting the eyes. Since the eyes are one of the most important parts of the human body, this technology helps reduce health hazards. Overall, this product is designed in a caring way for users, helping reduce eye strain.
What does this launch represent for BenQ’s global Smart Lighting roadmap?
We introduced this category in 2015, but it was in 2017 that we officially launched the ScreenBar. Globally, we have sold close to 2 million lamps across this category, and the ScreenBar alone has crossed nearly 1.1 million units.
This clearly shows that the product is widely accepted and that end users strongly connect with BenQ’s technology and our focus on eye care. It reflects a human-centric approach where users actively care about their eye health.
Going forward, our focus is to ensure that this product category penetrates the Middle East market more strongly. We want people to be more aware of which lighting solutions are best suited for prolonged screen usage, so they can safeguard their health while working.
How does this launch align with the growing conversation around healthier, human-centric workplaces?
Eye care has been an integral part of our product journey for a long time. We began this journey with monitors by introducing low blue light technology, followed by flicker-free displays and improved brightness levels.
We then extended these features to our interactive flat panels, where we also introduced ionizers, low blue light, flicker-free technology, and germ-resistant properties. This launch is a continuation of the same philosophy, now extended to our smart lighting solutions.
By integrating this technology across BenQ Smart Lighting, we are building a complete ecosystem across our products. Eye care remains a core governance principle and a key objective for our company. Through this, we aim to bring meaningful, health-focused technology to users and create more human-centric workplace environments.
