Spent some time picking a desk lamp that integrates with Home Assistant and found a few things that aren't obvious upfront:
CRI matters more than most people think. Most smart lamps are CRI 80–85 — fine for ambient light but noticeably flat for desk work. The Mijia Desk Lamp 2 is RA97 which is a meaningful difference if you're staring at it for hours.
Form factor affects usability. T-shaped monitor bar style means the light comes from above rather than the side — no shadows on your keyboard, no glare on the screen. 60cm panel distributes light evenly across the whole desk.
Control placement matters. A lot of lamps have touch controls on the base — awkward to reach. This one has controls on the top panel itself, easy to tap without moving your hand far.
The HA integration side: works through Xiaomi Home, color temperature range is 2700–5100K (not the widest, worth knowing). Did illuminance measurements at different color temps if anyone's curious about actual lux numbers.
Full review + HA integration walkthrough here: https://youtu.be/X1OcUT4fqL0
What are others using for desk lighting? Curious if anyone's found something with wider color temp range that still integrates cleanly.