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Razer Soma Chroma: One-minute evaluate
I’ve reviewed a whole lot of gaming chairs, sat my butt on loads of seats promising one of the best of one of the best consolation, or ergonomic longevity (I am satisfied noblechairs desires my posture to final me till I am 126 years previous), and I’ve bought to say, other than probably the AndaSeat Novis, this is perhaps essentially the most comfy chair I’ve ever sat in.
A minimum of, a part of it’s. The seat base. The material, the fabric, pretty; the bottom width, nice. The backrest? Proper up my road. However the Soma is a little bit of an odd one on the subject of every thing else it is making an attempt to do. And an excellent greater challenge is its launch day price ticket.
It is $500/£500 (about $954 AUD), which is rather a lot, and sure, there’s RGB lighting on this, however Razer does not embrace an built-in battery (and even an optionally available one at checkout), does not pack a protracted sufficient cable, and does not embrace an adapter. The model does not even embrace a cushioned headrest (you need to purchase that individually). For 500 bones, frankly, that is utter insanity.
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The RGB itself (two subtle strips that run alongside the higher a part of the backrest) is forward-facing solely, and you may’t actually see it if you’re sat down. It is not like a keyboard or a mouse, which is no less than in your periphery, and needing your machine on with the cable connected individually if you happen to decide to go with no battery financial institution means you may in all probability spend about 5-10 seconds each session watching it simply mild up.
It is nice for a streamer, positive, however even then it does really feel extra like an advert slightly than one thing elegant.
I had the lighting on for a day after I first bought it for testing, then promptly unhooked the USB cable Razer graciously offered me with and by no means touched it once more. Finest gaming chair? Nicely, it will not be due to its RGB; that is for positive.
Razer Soma Chroma: Value and Availability
- Prices $500/£500 (about $954 AUD)
- Remarkably costly given what it lacks
- Single colorway and material possibility
Proper, now you’ll be able to seize the Razer Soma Chroma for $500 USD and £500 GBP (about $954 AUD). It sits roughly between the Razer Iskur V2 X (at about $350) and the usual V2 (that is $600 or so).
You’ll be able to choose certainly one of these up immediately, though there’s little in the way in which of selection. No totally different colour choices, no totally different supplies, you get what you get.
Offered individually, after all, you may also get a male-to-female USB-C extension cable, headrest, and energy supply (you may should supply your personal on the latter).
On the guarantee entrance, Razer’s bought you considerably lined with a 14-day returns coverage by way of the RazerStore, and as customary it comes with a 3-year guarantee, which upgrades to five if bought direct and registered.
Razer Soma Chroma: Specs
|
Value |
$500/£500 (about AU$954) |
|
Dimensions |
53.1 x 26.4 x 28.1in / 135 x 67 x 71.5cm |
|
Max person weight |
331lbs / 150kg |
|
Max seat top |
20.1in / 51cm |
|
Seat depth |
18.5in / 47cm |
|
Recline angle |
As much as 155° |
|
Guarantee |
3 years (free 5-year improve by way of Razer.com) |
|
Materials |
Knit material, cold-cured foam |
AndaSeat Phantom 4 Professional: Design and Aesthetics
- Daring gamer type
- Perforated channels for air (learn: particles)
- Inexperienced brand on an RGB product
The Soma Chroma is unabashedly gamer. There’s simply no two methods about it: the sharp traces, jagged polygonal design, the channelling, the RGB, the stitching — it does not precisely give off this attract of premium professionalism. That is to say I am positive 16-year-old Zak would’ve cherished it, however me, sat right here in my ‘rustic’ workplace, coping with media, shoppers, and extra on the every day, yeah it kinda stands proud like a sore thumb.
Significantly with the placing inexperienced Razer brand etched within the backrest proper behind my head, in a not-so-obscure shiny inexperienced plastic. Which once more I’ve to query. That is an RGB product, proper? Meaning you’ll be able to set that lighting (hypothetically, if you happen to use it) to any colour you want.
That is nice, however sure colours conflict with inexperienced fairly aggressively. Vivid reds, neon blue, pinks, high-saturation yellows. Principally all off limits, all as a result of the emblem’s vivid neon inexperienced. It is 2026, guys; we have had RGB merchandise for a significantly very long time now. I believed it was frequent data that you do not stick coloured accents on them.
The lighting can be awkwardly positioned. You’ll be able to’t really see it from the again of the chair, and it is solely positioned behind your head, going through ahead, so that you actually by no means see it, outdoors of the 5 to 10 seconds you go to the bathroom and sit again down once more. It is subtle, it appears good if you do handle to catch a glimpse of the stuff, and you may simply configure it in Synapse, however actually it simply looks like a little bit of a swing and a miss.
How’d you join all that? Nicely, there is a brief USB-C cable situated behind the chair that hooks as much as your battery financial institution, which you’ll then stow away in a small zip pocket within the seat base. However it’s actually brief; that cable. Should you’re imagining some retractable 6-foot factor you’ll be able to pull out if you want it, no, it isn’t that.
You are not connecting this factor to a wall plug, or something of the kind. Razer offered me with a significantly lengthy extension cable (two in actual fact) for it, however that does not come by default, annoyingly. And naturally, there is not any built-in battery, or included energy financial institution, or the choice so as to add one to your order. I used the extension cable to successfully run all the chair to the again of my PC, and it does run off USB energy. That stated, you do not have to go that route; you’ll be able to simply use a USB plug, after which let the included wi-fi dongle deal with the RGB aspect of issues.
Now I am executed wailing on the lighting; the excellent news is the end is genuinely lush, it is like a neoprene-feel soft-touch material, and it is a delight to take a seat on. I am penning this evaluate within the midst of yet one more warmth wave within the UK, and skin-on-chair contact has been genuinely pretty. Examine that to the variety of AndaSeat’s chairs I’ve reviewed not too long ago that go away me begging for AC, and properly, it is a good change that is for positive.
Okay, we have had dangerous, we have had good, now it is again to dangerous. There are channels within the chair base, and I get the idea. The concept is that it helps air flow into your, properly, again passage, to cease you heating up so rapidly, and it sort of works. However it comes with a significant caveat, and that is that it additionally holds onto all method of mud and particles.
Should you personal a canine, or cat, or have a behavior of sitting at your desk consuming once in a while, you are cooked. You will be getting the blow duster out you employ in your PC on the chair base no less than as soon as per week.
Razer Soma Chroma: Consolation and adjustability
- Tremendous comfy, broad seat base
- Beneficiant lumbar help
- Armrests and the castors are letdowns
Thankfully for the Soma, sitting on it’s a deal with. The cold-foam base is comfy as all hell, and the seat base is broad sufficient for the weirdos like me who sit cross-legged to take action in absolute bliss.
The armrests, nevertheless, are extra primary, two-dimensional affairs. There is not any four- and even three-directional setup right here such as you’d discover on virtually all of its fashionable counterparts from opponents at this value.
You’ll be able to increase them up and down and swivel them, and that is it. They’re padded and modestly squishy, however if you happen to’d put them on an Ikea chair, I would not be capable of inform that they have been Razer-designed and made.
Oh, and it does not roll. Nicely, it does, however it’s simply so frustratingly stiff it beggars perception. I wrote about this within the AndaSeat Phantom 4 Professional evaluate earlier this 12 months. It is mainly, I feel, a results of overcompliance with the EU’s EN 1335-2 security measure, which implies that in an emergency any unmanned chair should not transfer simply. I do not fairly perceive the logic behind that, however right here we’re.
And it frustrates me as a result of I can not roll up and down my desk, or if I must flippantly transfer it to place my footwear on, or I simply need to get extra comfy at my setup, it is a minor battle. And sure, I do know that is a first-world downside, however it’s $500/£500 for this factor, from a significantly respected model.
One closing flag from me earlier than I transfer on. There is not any headrest cushion included both. Razer will promote you a headrest, however it’s at further value. Eugh. No magnetic freebie for you, no sir. Not even a strapped one.
Razer Soma Chroma: Meeting
- Seamless, customary construct
- Lacking shear bolt on recline
- Large guide
So far as constructing the factor goes, the Soma Chroma is genuinely clean. Should you’ve constructed one gaming chair earlier than, you may get together with this one simply nice. It’s kind of heavy; Razer recommends you may want two individuals to construct it, however it’s greater than straightforward sufficient to do solo.
Plus the guide is huge, and printed onto a large sheet of card, which feels a bit overkill (a e-book would’ve been nice; I am not that previous, I can learn).
The one trigger for concern is that you just do should be a contact cautious putting in the backrest, as there is not any security bolt sitting between you and the lean angle arm. So if you happen to do hit that lever too aggressively, there’s an opportunity the bracket can snap ahead. So do bear that in thoughts.
Ought to You Purchase The Razer Soma Chroma?
Purchase it if…
Do not buy it if…
Additionally contemplate…
Be certain to contemplate these alternate options as properly.
| Row 0 – Cell 0 |
Razer Soma Chroma |
Secretlab Titan Evo 2022 |
Razer Iskur V2 |
|
Value |
$500 / £500 (about AU$954) |
$519 / £414 / AU$724 |
$650 / £600 (or round AU$1,128) |
|
Dimensions |
53.1 x 26.4 x 28.1in / 135 x 67 x 71.5cm |
54.3–58.3 x 27.6 x 27.6in / 138–148 x 70 x 70 cm |
51.0–54.7 x 27.2 x 27.2in / 129.5–139 x 69 x 69cm |
|
Max person weight |
331lbs / 150kg |
285lbs / 130kg |
300lbs / 136kg |
|
Max seat top |
20.1in / 51cm |
21.9in / 55.5cm |
21.1in / 53.5cm |
|
Seat depth |
18.5in / 47cm |
20.9in / 53cm |
17.7in / 45cm |
|
Recline angle |
As much as 155° |
85–165° |
85–153.5° |
|
Guarantee |
3 years (5 direct) |
5-Years (prolonged guarantee) |
3-Years |
|
Materials |
Knit material, cold-cured foam |
NEO Hybrid Leatherette, SoftWeave Plus Cloth, Napa Leather-based |
EPU Leatherette, Cloth |
How I examined the Razer Soma Chroma
- Used for over a month
- Totally constructed by hand solo
- Arrange in all method of configurations
I spent properly over a month with the Razer Soma Chroma, testing the ins and outs of the way it held up underneath critical utilization. Working from dwelling, it endured the hardships of a continuing 9-5 “workplace” job, together with late night gaming periods, by regular working circumstances and heatwaves abound.
I’ve spent years testing gaming chairs from all method of producers, and I in contrast this one on to a slew of merchandise from AndaSeat, Noblechairs, and Secretlab as properly. I additionally totally examined the Synapse and WiFi dongle, and tracked the real-world utilization and really feel of it all through the month, documenting any second the place I believed “ahh that is good” or “ahh not so good”.
I additionally bought my five-foot-five associate to take a seat in and supply me along with her direct suggestions as properly, together with a number of shut mates to get their ideas and emotions on it, which straight feeds the opinions you see right here as properly. I questioned them intensely on the consolation, the texture, and the construct high quality of the Soma Chroma to get a broad image of opinions on it.
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First reviewed August 2026