Amazon - amzn.to/46lo1qs Mi Store (USA) - amzn.to/3MWA1Id Banggood - bit.ly/3jOuUKF Upgraded 1S - bit.ly/3rn9msX If you find the reviews useful, please consider supporting the channel via Patreon - www.patreon.com/mrbazreviews Or by using the affiliate links on videos
Thanks so much! You can show quite a lot if 4-5 minutes, it's just many tubers pad videos out and waffle on (so they hit the 8 minute ad break allows you to put ads mid video). I like to get on with it!
Note for Apple Studio Display owners: The bracket covers the built-in camera! It can be cut to not block the camera and still sit firmly and centered. I used a Dremel tool to cut the plastic piece that sits on the monitor.
Shame this would clash with a monitor mounted webcam, which suddenly became essential kit. A light bar webcam combo device would be interesting. Especially if the bar rotated far enough to also function as a webcam light.
That's not a bad idea, would have to have it on the top part integrated, but wouldn't add much to the size. You can still put a webcam on the monitor either to the side - some with a more flexible bracket can open out more.
@@MrBazReviews I am more than happy with it even down to the waulity of the packaging could not fault it whatsoever... Still need to get used to the wireless control but overall perfect for what I want, I am a little worried that because my monitor has no plastic border at the top the clamp may eventually crack the screen ?? Maybe I'm worried about nothing I don't know
@@danhorner9908 It's not too heavy least compared to the BenQ (which is a lot heavier). I doubt you'll have a problem with it, just don't drop anything on top of it (bracket) lol
@@danhorner9908 If you are in the UK, did you have any issue with having to pay import duties/VAT buying from Banggood as the items are shipped from China, so it's basically a personal import? No one seems to mention this when reviewing items from Banggood.
It's ideal I have 2 one for desktop, larger one for unboxing stuff. Works for light or dart items, that's why I use it. You can wash it, I spilt tea on it once! lol
great review. in the video you used benq light instead of xiaomi light for the acer monitor. i have the same acer monitor and i am wondering if the xiaomi will have the same issue?
Yes it doesn't quite fit, the BenQ does it has more angle adjustment on it. The Xiaomi will work on most, but that one is just too much angle/plastic for it. It's a shame because a bit more movement it would
I show the measurement on screen, so as long as you have the depth it should work no problem. It's only the big angular back Acer monitor, that causes a problem
it works well with the Xiaomi curved gaming monitor.. :) i have both and i really like the mi light bar on my curved gaming monitor. hope this helps. :)
This looks suspiciously similar to the Yeelight pro light bar. I wouldn't be surprised if they share the same OEM. At least the BenQ ones have an unique (and frankly superior) hinge design that fits almost any monitor.
I just bought one, and honestly not happy with it. The lowest brightness setting is too bright for my liking. Even my $3 lamp can go lower in brightness. My desk is now too bright and glaring which is not good for my eyes. This is the second time Xiaomi has disappointed me. First one was their thermos.
I can't agree here, yes, I'd like a slightly lower lowest output. But it's far lower than the BenQ at it's lowest level. It's a solid product overall IMO. A tiny firefly output wouldn't be useful at all on this
Thanks for doing the comparison. I'm glad I didn't go for the much more expensive Benq even though I really wanted to! How do you feel about the build quality between the two?
The BenQ does feel a bit nicer overall in build, perhaps on the bar itself. The remote is super chunky and beefy. However, the price difference simply can't be justified IMO on the BenQ. The Xiaomi is good enough build, has a wireless controller albeit plastic (it's fine in my view), a lower lowest output, and type C port. The only serious complaint is the short cable, which I had to extend with a USB extender cable. I would absolutely buy the Xiaomi over the BenQ, the light output is very similar on both
No way to measure that, all I can say is I've not changed the Ni-MH cells I put into it since I made the video. I would expect a fairly low power drain on this. Normal cells might last longer (they discharge less voltage), they say they last ages on the spec. Again I can't test that unless I wait for a year or so!
How diffused are the LED lights on the Xiaomi? I bought the Quntis light bar from amazon and at certain angles the LED nodes shine directly into my eyes causing major discomfort. Its a deal breaker. I'm thinking about returning it and buying the Xiaomi instead.
The panel over the LED's is frosted, the BenQ isn't - hence the light is a bit more diffused. I have seen some people put paper/thin white plastic over LED's to soften the light even more. I don't find the Xiaomi harsh at all, the angle is important though. All these LED light bars are deflecting the LED's off a textured metal strip inside - so none are directly beaming the LED light down directly. LED's are very directional, hence you need to spread the light out more v normal bulbs/light sources
I agree I have found most of them to be useful, well made and a reasonable price. I think it's one reason they are popular, they make good stuff, at sensible prices
No there is no other way to control it. If for example you remove the batteries or they are gone, if you detach and re-attach the bar to the hold it goes back to the last mode used. But you can't change the output unless you have the controller. The 1S version is the same mostly, but you can control it/link it via the smart home app, so I assume you can adjust the output on that version (I've not used it myself) Hope that helps.
@@MrBazReviews thank you so much! I’ve been searching for the answer for quite some time. I’ll make sure to check out the 1S. But if not, I can buy a rechargeable AAA. Battery if all else fails. Once again, thank you so much!
@@a5rt Hi I finally figure it out, so how it works is when you turn on the 2nd light bar, press and hold the knob control on the 1st light bar until you see the 2nd light bar flash 2-3 times and then it’s paired
Hey man Im curious on the battery powered controller. How is the battery life of the wireless controller? How often do you change the batteries? because if I have to constantly spend money to replace the batteries of the controller Id rather go for the Baseus lightbar
Battery lasts ages it's a complete non issue. Also you can use a rechargeable cell frankly the cost is negligible and you get the benefit of no wires on the controller
@@MrBazReviews Hey thanks for the reply despite the video being 2 years old. Anyways thats good to hear, but out of curiosity do you remember the last time you changed the batteries? Doesnt have to be exact it could be just a guess
@@MrBazReviews Alright then thanks alot man for the constant replies, you convinced me to order the Xiaomi over the baseus You def earned a sub appreciate it
@@ren0659 I've not charged the batteries this year, so really it's not a big thing at all, unless you're constantly changing it all the time even then get rechargeable cells
I have two monitors next to each other at a slight anger. If I fit the bar on one monitor will I get a glare on the other? It looks on your video that the wall next to the monitor lights up so the light goes to the sides?
Am I the only one who thinks you shouldn't see the light source (led strip) when this sits on your monitor? It should only shine light on your desk, not into your eyes. Isn't this a problem when using these light bars on top of the monitors?
You might be able to, but it wouldn't be a good idea. LED is very directional and it would be very annoying. I would suggest just turning up the brightness and bouncing the light off the desk. If it's a dark colour, then put a piece of white paper on the desk, angle the light forward a bit more, you'll get an even diffused lighting effect much more appealing than blasting your eyes directly
I just received mine yesterday. On the remote, does your lid click in place? Mine is all lose and will fall off with little rotation :( It doesn’t click and lock.
It clicks, though some play, but it doesn't fall off. Check the 3 tabs on the base part, and make sure it's lined up with the markings on the case side (padlock with arrow)
@@MrBazReviews Hmm, ok 🤔 I got it lined up with the padlock and arrow but there’s no click. If I shake the remote, you can hear it’s all lose. The lid will also fall of if I twist the remote a little bit.. I will return it and ask for a new one. Thanks for answering!
@@danielNTBD When lined up twist is hard clockwise so that it engages, there is some play even locked, but it isn't noticeable on the desk when cells are in it
I agree I can't see the reason to buy the BenQ, but at the time it was released this one wasn't around. It is very well made, but they perform very similar.
It's considerably cheaper, but that's the only advantage it actually has over the BenQ ones. If you're not on a budget, then I see no reason to pick the cheaper option.
I only have one to test, so I have no idea. I would have assumed they would use the same frequency, for each bar/controller - I can't do a practical test with 2 because I don't have 2 Can't say if there is any way to have both on the same, if you have 2 and it's not working, then we can assume it's not possible
@@MrBazReviews I assumed the same thing, there are even versions that show 1 puc and 2 lightbars so I assumed they must be using the same frequency, I have a 3rd on its way (my room has very little natural light and I work with 2 large ultrawide monitors) so I guess I'll get to see if maybe the 3rd 1 would work with 1 of these but a little disappointed that they aren't universal, specially if someone loses one of the controllers and wants to get a new 1, the lightbars effectively become useless without the controller that came with them
@@FarFromLogic Silly question, but have you tried different controllers with different bars on their own? ie turning off the other ones. I had wondered if it's interference causing the problem. That will tell us if they are absolutely not using the same frequency!
@@MrBazReviews turned off 1, held the controller of the other and took it of power and back on, it blinked 3 times and paired with the new controller, got both working off 1 now, I was looking at other videos on how to re-pair those old rgb remotes and just tried everything, somehow it worked :)
Nope, they will do this (all brands) if the USB port can't supply enough current. I would change the port you are using to if possible a newer type USB 3.1, USB 2.0 will top out around 500mA that's not enough to power it at the highest levels
Prices have gone up on many things, can't remember the original price last year. Was a fair bit lower though. Mind you, it's still cheap compared to the BenQ
@@MrBazReviews I think it was the power from the usb from the computer port. When i connect it to a power plug it works fine.... Can a lower input powered usb damage the light bar?
I have this light and the controller stopped working. Has anyone had this happen and were you able to fix it? I am not sure if its just broken or it lost connection to the light bar
Other than trying new batteries, I only have a sample of one to comment on. If it's new and you tried changing the cells, contact the seller about it they should be able to sort it out
@@MrBazReviews How long do you use this lamp? I had this problem after a year of use. What is the warranty with aliexpress? The seller has not been on the site for a long time.
@@Alexey_12 I'm using it since July last year, every day, so far not had a problem. If I did I would make another video. I don't buy electronic stuff from aliexpress, only small things, best to stick to larger sites as they are better looking after you if there is a problem
The remote is probably the best thing about it, lol. It's the main reason why more ppl buy this instead of the BenQ Halo, which is about 5 times more expensive.
@@StardustLegacyFighter BenQ offered to send that in a few months ago for review, but I declined. Reason I didn't want to spend hours making a vide on light bar that price, that 3 people might watch (if that as there are scores of videos on it) I just don't think most people will spend that sort of money on the BenQ, and there is no reason to either.
There is a 1s you can link to other Mi devices, and they say has improved light spread. I added the link for that it's identical design, hardly worth making a new video for
I thought it was the same, there is an updated one via the links (has minor change to light spread and some mi connectivity), otherwise it looks identical to me
@@williamyeh6925I haven't got the Xiaomi one, but having a light bar does make a noticeable difference. You'll notice that is something is wrong, when you're not using it.
@@MrBazReviews same, i mainly got this to light up a keyboard, now i use it to work on electronics literally everything thats done on a desktop, this lights the work surface, im impressed by this thing especially at the pricepoint
@@308-blackout Yeah if you are working on the desk and need more light. it's useful for that soft of thing. The price is pretty reasonable, the BenQ I looked at, bit expensive for most I think.
It is quite useful, it's not a gimmicky type product I use it all the time - rarely put the main light on I just use this. So I suppose you save electricity too!
@@MrBazReviews I mean the Acer Nitro series monitors, all have that thick shape so you can't fit this Xiaomi Light bar there. Everyone pretty much with 2018-2021 models of Acers can't buy this light
I'm not surprised, you get what you pay for. 🤷 The common problem with these products is that the more popular they become, the less they are properly QC tested, as the manufacturer struggles to cope with the demand. I mean, you could go through several of these before you would have spent the same amount of money as a BenQ light bar. It's just more e-waste, sadly.