This 18-inch ring light is perfect for content creators and makeup artists — but there’s one thing missing

After testing my fair share of ring lights, I know what to look for to make sure I have a lighting solution that I can rely on. The best ring lights need to be fast and easy to set up, yet still offer lots of adjustment in color and brightness. Being affordable doesn’t hurt, either.

The Neewer RL-18 isn’t ideal for anyone needing lots of adjustment, as it only has two color temperature settings. The temperature is altered by using plastic clips over the LED lights, which are pretty fiddly to swap out. But that doesn’t mean it’s one to count out.

It’s incredibly easy to set up, and with a Bluetooth remote control, you can take pictures or shoot video without having to rely on a pesky 10-second countdown timer. There is a lot of brightness control with a stepless dial, and the accessories, like the phone holder and cold shoe mount, make getting the perfect setup a breeze.

You can read more about the ring light in this full Neewer RL-18 review.

Neewer RL-18 Review: Cheat Sheet

• What is it? An 18-inch ring light that’s perfect for content creation or detail-heavy activities like makeup or tattoo artistry.
• What does it cost? The Neewer RL-18 is available at Amazon U.S. for $159 and from Amazon U.K. for £95.
• Who is it for? Anyone needing to improve lighting for a production or beauty setup.
• What do we like? The light is easy to set up and fold away, offers lots of brightness control, and the included accessories prove extremely useful.
• What don’t we like? There are only two color temperature settings. The color filters are difficult to change over, and the orange filter appears red-toned.

Neewer RL-18 Review: Specs

Neewer RL-18 Review: Price & Availability

The Neewer RL-18 ring light is available for $159 at Amazon U.S. and £95 at Amazon U.K., and it comes with a one-year warranty. If you’d like an extra year of protection, you can purchase the light directly from Neewer and sign up to their newsletter, but then the light will cost you $139 in the U.S. and £119 in the U.K. Neewer has noted that due to the impact of tariffs and logistics, the costs of their lights vary by location.

I recently tested the Godox LR120 ring light, which is an 18-inch ring light that’s far more affordable. The Godox costs $59/£44 and offers more control over color adjustment and brightness. Given the choice of the two, I would get the Godox, as you get a lot more control for your money.

Neewer RL-18 Review: Design

The Neewer RL-18 looks clunkier than other Neewer ring lights I’ve tested. But while the design isn’t the sleekest, the ring light is very effective.

The light has 240 LEDs in the 18-inch ring, and these can be diffused with the plastic covers that come with the light. These are in four sections that clip onto the light. There’s an orange option and a white option, and this is the only way to change the color temperature of the light.

The light can reach a brightness of 5500Lux/0.5m, and this can be altered from 0% to 100% with the twisting dial at the base of the ring. For a light with more options that stand at a similar height, you should consider the Neewer RP19PH ($149), which has more settings for customization in both light brightness and color temperature.

The tripod that accompanies the ring light can extend to a height of 59 inches or be lowered to 19 inches, depending on the subject or use of the light. The tripod stand is very sturdy when locked in place and is made of aluminum alloy. The four adjustable sections are tightened with knobs, and when finished, it folds away to a height of 30 inches for easy storage.

Changing the color temperature filter is a little tricky, but the rest of the setup is a breeze. The tripod folds out easily, and the head of the ring light fits securely with a screw at the base. Then it’s just a matter of setting up the power.

The head of the ring light can also tilt 180º. This means it can be used to light objects that are lower down or create an overhead lighting effect. There is a soft tub to help angle the light, but I think ‘soft’ is the wrong word to describe it. It took three of us in the office to get the rod to bend slightly, but that does mean that once it is in shape, it’s very sturdy and won’t move.

There is a mount in the centre of the light that can be used with the included phone holder or with one of the best cameras. The clamp on the phone holder is compatible with any smartphone between 2.6 inches and 3.7 inches. This was great for my iPhone 14, but the clamp is a little stiff. There is a 360º hall head on the cold shoe mount so that the camera can be angled perfectly.

There’s a power cable with a plug for the ring light, so you have to be near a plug socket to operate the light. This is unlike the Neewer Basics R06 7-inch Round Light ($35), which is powered by USB, making it fully portable. The light also comes with a carry bag, which made it very easy to move around with me wherever I needed it.

Neewer RL-18 Review: Controls

The Neewer RL-18 is just as easy to use as it is to set up, with a stepless dial to control the brightness of the light on the underside of the ring. This alters the lighting from 0 – 100%. There is no control to alter the temperature of the light though, as this is fixed to 5500K, but can be reduced to 3200K through changing the included filters by hand, which is a little time-consuming. You can change the color temperature of the Goxox LR120 or the Neewer RP19H with the simple click of a button, making them far more user-friendly.

The ring light comes with a Bluetooth remote control, which makes it easy to take pictures hands-free without having to set a timer on the camera. It’s simple to connect and works instantly with no lag between clicking the button and the picture being taken.

Neewer RL-18 Review: Performance

Neewer says that the RL-18 ring light is recommended for everything from professional portrait photography to tattooing and beauty treatments. The ring light may be easy to use, but beyond the stepless lighting adjustment, there’s not much adjustment on offer.

I didn’t find it as effective for replicating real-world color on camera as other lights I have used, even though it has a CRI of 95 (which theoretically means very accurate replication). The Neewer BR60 5-inch Ring Light ($21) is the best real-world color replication I have achieved with a ring light, and this is thanks to the varying color temperature options. However, the RL-18 only has the default 5500K white color temperature or the 3200K temperature with the orange filter attached.

I set up the RL-18 to take some selfies, as I do when I test any ring light, and was impressed with how they came out when using the 5500K color temperature, as the image was detailed and not at all washed out despite the brightness. However, when using the 3200K color temperature orange filter, everything became red-toned, and it even makes my white t-shirt appear pink. For achieving a more natural look with a warmer temperature, I recommend the Godox LR120 18-inch ring light ($59), as it replicates real-world color far better.

The Neewer RL-18 has a maximum illumination of 5500Lux/0.5mm, and it is bright. I wouldn’t look directly into it at maximum illumination. But since it is so bright, it shows every little detail, making it perfect not just for photography, but also for focused work like tattooing or makeup artistry.

Neewer RL-18 Review: Verdict

The Neewer RL-18 ring light is a powerhouse, but it won’t be for everyone. If you want a lot of color adjustment as well as brightness adjustment, you’d be barking up the wrong tree with this one.

The ring light is very easy to set up and pack away, and it comes with useful accessories like the phone stand and attachments for cameras. I found the Bluetooth remote to be especially helpful, and there is also a lot of control over the brightness of the light.

But when it comes to altering the temperature of the light, that’s where you may encounter some issues. There are only two temperature settings: white or orange. And changing these is slightly tricky, as they are plastic panels. The orange filter also casts more red, particularly affecting white areas of the image. While this is a powerful and reliable ring light for the 5500K color temperature, for more adjustment at the same size, I’d recommend the Godox LR120.

The Neewer RL-18 is a perfectly decent ring light, but for the price, I don’t want to be fiddling with plastic color filters to get my perfect shot.