Logitech Litra Beam LX review: Streaming bright

Logitech’s streaming refresh has brought with it the Litra Beam LX. Is it worth going all in on the light bar, or is it back to the ring light?

The gaming space is wildly different from what it was just a few years ago. In no capacity should Logitech be releasing a modest production light aimed at streaming. It still feels weird to unpack what is essentially a camera light and see a Streamlabs logo hidden on the photograph of the monitor.

But this is where we’re at in this style of tech, and the Litra Beam LX, Logitech’s refresh of its best-selling light, doesn’t disappoint.

Set up

Getting the Litra Beam LX going is a snap. It connects over a standard 1/4″ thread to the included arm and base, with two ports for power and USB. Unfortunately, it can’t be powered over USB, which we think could change if Logitech adapted to modern USB-C standards.

The Litra Beam LX can then be connected over your PC’s Bluetooth or controlled via USB, but we actually found the buttons on the top to be more than enough during our testing. Sure, reaching over to turn it all off might seem like a hassle, but the buttons are easily accessed and the clean design stops any random prodding.

Bluetooth

In fact, as we mainly do any kind of video production on our Mac with built-in Bluetooth, we realized that most are going to need the additional USB-C wire hooked into the PC. The cable is long enough, but we really would have expected an overly long-USB cable in its stead. Our setup has an assortment of USB docks to get around desk height to PC issues, but for those where the PC might just be out of reach, we’d opt to swap the cable over.

Design

The Litra Beam LX is perfectly bland. It doesn’t do anything with its design that isn’t expressly intended to assist with lighting your scene.

On the top is a row of buttons, with a switch to control each light independently. These buttons will let you adjust the brightness and warmth of the light. We clasped our hands in a prayer style when it slowly began to fill the room with an orange glow, as the cold white light didn’t fit our vibe.

Once on a desk, the Litra Beam LX extends upwards to elevate it above your monitors and is designed to be as out of the way as possible. It helps that the base is solid but not any bigger than it needs to be.

This is the perfect type of addition to a streaming setup, as it does precisely what you want and is out of the way. It silently does its task without the potential to fall, or interrupt your stream.

Features

One of the main features of the Litra Beam LX is that it is dual-sided. It’s not just for the gaming aesthetic we’ve come to expect, as the RGB actually works in a production way too.

Our usual style of lighting is to go anti-gamer. This means lots of warm colors and orange lights. Think of a modern speakeasy trying to chase after the nostalgic glow of those way too-low lamps from the 1940s. While the front light achieves most of this, it’s nice to have a light to plug the gaps.

RGB Light

The RGB side is dimmer, making using it only effective in darker conditions. While this not might sound ideal, the fact that it’s clearly designed to be an additional light doesn’t really bother us.

During our tests, we did find that it also helped immerse us a little bit more by connecting through the Logitech PC app. Turning off the front and having the light sync with your game is still a pretty cool feature, but we wouldn’t recommend putting this in any other setup other than a streaming one. You’d be wasting half of the light and the purpose of the device.

Front light

However, the front light is excellent. It’s this soft, long beam, making it super easy to stream or record video for long periods of time. We never felt our eyes getting tired or strained with the constant beam directed toward us.

The rounded beam shape actually works in its favor. Similar to how Elgato or other production key lights have opted for a flat surface, it provides far more coverage than say, a cheaper ring light. It also provides much more coverage itself, with our generic Amazon light not covering nearly as much of the room as the Litra Beam LX.

TrueSoft

Logitech dubs the soft style TrueSoft, which basically means that it’s not going to sear your eyes once it hits peak brightness. It also ensures that there’s no harsh glimmer off your eyes like with a ring light, bringing a more natural look to the scenes.

The arm also lets you rotate it vertically, so if you want to integrate it into any kind of setup, you have the flexibility to do so.

Should you buy it?

The Litra Beam LX is almost exclusively worth it if you’re in the business of streaming yourself or creating on-camera video content. This isn’t something you’d want to invest in for calls, or very basic streaming needs.

If, however, you’re the person who is sat at their desk all day, pumping out content to the various social platforms out there, then yes. The Litra Beam LX is a fairly flexible, well-rounded light to add to your setups.

Verdict – 4/5

For streamers or content creators of all shapes and sizes, the Litra Beam LX is going to be a handy tool regardless. While we think it’s limited in anything other than content creation, it works exceptionally well as your main key light. Streamers will find their video pops a little better with the coverage, while those pre-recording immediately have a nice, soft light to create some much-needed depth.