Note: This review includes affiliate links
Today I’m sharing my thoughts on the BenQ eReading Desk Lamp, which I received for free from from the manufacturers, BenQ Corporation, in exchange for a review. I was contacted about a potential collaboration in August 2021 and received my lamp on September 20th. The model I received was the Silver Swing Arm Desk Lamp, which you can get on Amazon for $229.00. In today’s BenQ eReader Lamp review, I’m going to introduce the lamp to readers and then provide my honest review. This BenQ eReader Desk Lamp review is based on my experience testing the lamp as a reader and writer.
What is the BenQ eReading Desk Lamp?
The BenQ eReading Desk Lamp, alternately known as the WiT, is a lamp designed to make your reading and writing experience better through thoughtfully designed illumination. The WiT has readers and writers in mind. Manufactured by BenQ, this light is a must for anyone bookish. Indeed, whether you read books or write them yourself (or both!), this is the lamp for you. The lamp is available in blue, silver, gold, or pink. I’ll go into more detail about the specs below, but you can find the complete details on the manufacturer’s website.
How the BenQ eReading Desk Lamp/WiT Helps My Writing
This BenQ eReading Lamp review is from the perspective of me, a writer and reader. The WiT is definitely a lamp to have if you’re a writer. It’s so important to have full visibility when you’re reading and, especially, when you’re writing. I have historically gotten eye strain from spending hours writing, even on my MacBook Pro with state-of-the-art Retina display. With the WiT, I can adjust the light temperature and reading mode to work with my laptop, so I have a healthy glow coming down from up top shining on my screen. The WiT extends my writing energy by making my writing hours better illuminated. I noticed that I had more energy after working on my MacBook Pro beneath the BenQ’s trademark “Smile Curve Technology” lamp vs. writing in dim or overly bright lighting. I didn’t get exhausted fast as I usually do if I’m doing a marathon writing session.
BenQ Desk Lamp Light: The Pro’s
Here are the positives about the BenQ Desk Lamp:
- Wide light coverage: I love a lot of light while I’m reading. In general, I like to see as much as possible. That’s why I always get glasses with huge lenses in the frames, so I don’t ever have to worry about seeing up or down or side to side. and that’s why I chose the bigger MacBook Pro display. I appreciated the wide light coverage with the BenQ lamp, which has a “smile” design at 90 cm range. Even though the lamp itself is narrow, it provides a wide sheath of light that brightens up what you’re reading and makes it easier to see.
- Efficient design: The light is efficiently designed, without clunky extra bells and whistles cluttering up the product.
- Easy to use: You don’t need a manual to figure out how to use it, and it is not overly complicated to get ready and get reading right away.
- Adjustments to light strength are intuitive: One of the great things about this light is how simple it is to adjust to your reading comfort. The dial to tweak your settings for brighter or dimmer is intuitively located at the top of the lamp. You can tune the lamp back and forth until you get to lighting that works for you.
- Change light temperature: A really cool and useful feature of the BenQ eReading Light is the ability to switch between cool and warm light, whatever your preference may be. The manufacturer claims warmer light is for reading and relaxing while the cooler lighting helps increase concentration and uses academic studies to back it up.
- Works for both paper and e-Reading: Like its name, the BenQ eReading Lamp works for making eReading easy and comfortable through an eReader, a tablet, or a laptop. Or you can also benefit from the lamp if you’re reading on paper.
- Two ways to get the light: When you’re in reading mode, benefit from wide, balanced light throughout the “smile.” When you’re working on a screen, just switch to eReading and watch the light dim in the middle with non-reflective illumination. Meanwhile, the brighter light glows at the edges of the smile.
- Reduces glare: If you’re reading on an eReader, tablet, or laptop, the BenQ eReading WiT Lamp reduces glare and eye strain.
- Environmentally friendly materials: The lamp is made of over 90% recyclable materials, aluminum alloy, and uses 6% less plastics than competitors. The LED light is long lasting.
- Long-lasting: The LED light is calculated to last for 50,000 hours or 17 years at the rate of 8 hours a day.
- Smart Mode: In Smart Mode, the lamp automatically adjusts its strength and temperature to your current environment.
BenQ Desk Lamp Light: The Con’s
Here are the drawbacks about the WiT/BenQ eReading Desk Lamp:
- Awkward design: Although efficient, the light has an awkward design to it. The light sticks out into your personal space, and you have to maneuver around it when getting in and out of your reading seat. It’s hard not to smack into it when you’re getting int to and out of your chair. It would have been a better design to have the light fold up into itself, so then it wouldn’t be protruding into your reading space and room.
- Sturdiness could be improved (the cat test): Even though the lamp is well-constructed, it’s not very sturdy. If you caught the lamp on your sweater or accidentally knocked into it or your cat runs into it while trying to get petted, the lamp is likely going to topple over. However, you can buy a separate clamp manufactured by BenQ to secure it to your table.
Final Verdict and Takeaways
Now let’s recap the big picture in this BenQ eReading Lamp review. There are some drawbacks to the design; it’s an awkward construction that sticks out into space, and it’s a little odd to try to maneuver in and out of your reading space.
I wish I could have reviewed the floor lamp, as most of my reading light comes from above. I bet that model would be even better than the desk version.
Overall, I endorse the BenQ eReading Lamp/WiT. If you do a lot of reading, you know how important quality light is to your bookish experience, and the BenQ eReading Lamp is undoubtedly designed to be an intuitive, user-friendly light for readers.
How you can buy the BenQ eReading Lamp
And that’s my BenQ eReading Lamp review! To learn more about the BenQ eReading Lamp, a.k.a. the WiT, visit the manufacturer’s website. You can purchase the lamp on Amazon.
