Razer Soma Chroma Gaming Chair Review: Light on adjustability, but heavy on RGBs
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I’ve reviewed several Razer gaming chairs over the years and have come to appreciate their style, adjustability, and overall comfort. Now, Razer is introducing a new line of gaming chairs that leans heavily into styling.
Meet the new Soma Chroma, a mid-range gaming chair with a racing-style design and integrated RGB lighting customizable via Razer Chroma software. The chair can be powered via a USB-C cable or a portable power bank, and it connects to your PC via an integrated Bluetooth connection or a 2.4 GHz wireless USB dongle included in the box.
But is beauty more than skin deep? Let’s take a deep look at the Soma Chroma to see if there’s more to see other than its flashy design to make it a contender among the best gaming chairs.
Razer Soma Chroma Specifications
|
Upholstery |
Black Fabric |
|
Total Height (with base) |
49.2 to 53.1 inches / 125 to 135 cm |
|
Floor to Seat Height |
16.1 to 20.1 inches / 41 to 51 cm |
|
Armrest Adjustments |
2D |
|
Recline |
Backrest adjustability 90 – 155 degrees |
|
Backrest Length (not including headrest) |
33.1 inches / 84 cm |
|
Backrest Width (Shoulder Level) |
23 inches / 58.5 cm |
|
Seating Area Width (total) |
21.5 inches / 54.5 cm |
|
Seating Area Depth |
18.5 inches / 47 cm |
|
Armrest Width |
4.1 inches / 10.4 cm |
|
Armrest Depth |
10.6 inches / 26.8 cm |
|
Armrest Height (from floor) |
23.2 to 31.1 inches / 58.9to 78.9 cm |
|
Castors |
2.4 inches / 5 cm PU |
|
Max Recommended Weight |
331 lbs / 150 kg |
|
Weight |
54 lbs / 24.5 kg |
|
Warranty |
3 years |
|
MSRP / Price at Time of Review |
$499 |
|
Release Date |
Available Now |
Assembling the Razer Soma Chroma
This is the fourth Razer gaming chair that I’ve reviewed, so I could pretty much put one together blindfolded. From the packaging to the tools/accessories included, not much has changed. Inside the box, you’ll find:
- Fabric gloves for assembly (glued to the inner flap)
- Backrest and seat base (left and right arms pre-attached)
- Metal, 5-arm base
- Casters 5x
- Gas lift, tilt mechanism
- Allen wrench, screws, and plastic covers for left/right side arms
- 2.4 GHz USB dongle (attached to assembly guide)
The chair arrived in a massive box, and the actual weight listed on the shipping label as 70 pounds. Upon opening the box, I was greeted by a familiar sight: a pair of black-and-green work gloves for assembling the chair. It’s a nice touch, but I always toss the gloves aside because I prefer to work with my bare hands for a relatively simple task like this.
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A large green cardstock assembly guide sits atop the components, with a tiny box containing the 2.4 GHz wireless USB dongle attached to it.
The seat base, seatback, and 5-arm base were all wrapped in clear plastic bags to protect the metal and fabric on the components during shipping. The first step was to insert the castors into the 5-arm base, and then to insert the gas lift cylinder into the base.
The next step was to remove the four screws that are preinstalled from the factory from the bottom of the seat base with the included Allen wrench tool. Once removed, I attached the tilt mechanism, reinserted the same four screws, and placed it on the 5-arm base. The seatback has two screws on each side that must be removed before you attach it to the seat base.
Once the seatback was attached, I reinserted the four screws and slipped on the plastic cover to hide the screws and attachment mechanism. I’ll note that on Razer Iskur chairs, the plastic cover is secured with a single screw on either side, and the screw is covered with a tiny plastic plug. The cover on the Soma Chroma simply slides and locks into place.
Once the chair is fully assembled, you’re not quite done yet. You still need to get power to the chair for the RGB lighting to work. The chair includes a relatively short USB-C cord that hangs out the back. Razer also supplied me with a 10-foot USB-C-to-USB-C extension cable, which I used to connect to my desktop PC. However, this setup is rather cumbersome and requires continually fighting the cable as you move around your workspace.
My solution was to plug the USB-C cable from the back of the chair into a portable power bank, and then tuck it into the zippered pouch at the bottom of the seatback. This worked well, and is clearly how the chair is intended to be used — however, it does not ship with a battery pack, nor does it ship with an extra-long cable (Razer sent that separately). So you’ll need to invest in a battery pack or an extension cable to use the RGB on this chair.
Razer Soma Chroma Design
The Soma Chroma introduces an entirely new design language for Razer gaming chairs. Whereas the Iskur line has a more organic design, with softer curves and radiused edges, the Soma Chroma is more angular—especially on the seatback.
The seat back and the base have recessed channels, which I assume would help to improve airflow under your buttocks and around your back. It’s an interesting design choice, though I imagine the recessed channels in the seat base will also quickly fill with dirt, dust, and food crumbs. The same design is mirrored on the back of the chair. While previous Iskur chairs have used the same material on both the front and back, the back of the Soma Chroma is constructed of hard plastic.
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You’ll find a zippered pouch at the back of the seat base, which runs the full width. It’s large enough to accommodate a portable power bank, so you don’t have to be tethered to a long extension cord to power the RGB lights.
Speaking of the RGB lights, they are controlled using Razer’s Synapse software. I installed the Synapse app on my desktop computer and then plugged in the 2.4 GHz wireless USB dongle (the chair also has integrated Bluetooth LE, if you prefer to go that route). The Soma Chroma then showed up in the app, allowing me to configure it.
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There’s a brightness slider and an option to dim the lights after a period of inactivity on the right panel. In the right panel, there are options to change the default effects pattern. You can configure more advanced effects using the Chroma Studio. As you might expect, you can sync the RGBs with your games, although the effect is not evenly remotely noticeable unless you’re in a dark room.
During the daytime, you’re not going to notice the lights at all, and the only people who will notice are your coworkers on Google Meet/Zoom/Teams calls.
Although you can control the RGB effects in software, there are also physical controls at the top of the headrest.
Razer Soma Chroma Adjustments and Comfort
The Soma Chroma features dual-density cold-cured foam for the seat cushion. It did a good job of conforming to my buttocks, as it’s specifically designed to relieve pressure points. There’s good thigh support for my 5-foot-10-inch and 161-ish-pound frame.
What you gain in RGB goodness, you lose in adjustability. There’s no adjustable lumbar support — what you see is what you get. Razer said that the lumbar curve is designed to encourage a neutral position and reduce fatigue after long-term use. That may be true in theory, but my lower back begged to differ after sitting in the chair for 6 hours straight in an upright and “ergonomically-correct” position. This was never an issue for me with the Iskur V2, with its 360-degree lumbar support — or even with the Iskur V2 X, which has no lumbar controls.
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The backrest is adjustable from its default 90-degree upright position all the way back to 155 degrees. I spent the majority of my time either fully upright or slightly reclined at about 100 degrees. Anything more than 100 degrees just doesn’t feel natural to me in any gaming chair.
The Soma Chroma features 2D armrests, which are adjustable for swivel and height. The armrests have an up/down travel of 4 inches and can swivel in or out by up to 25 degrees. They’re densely padded and were a comfortable home for my elbows during extended sessions.
The chair has a height adjustment mechanism via a handle located on the right side of the seat base. I preferred to leave the seat at its maximum height of 20.1 inches.
Bottom Line
The Razer Soma Chroma is an interesting chair for gamers who are already fully entrenched in the Chroma ecosystem. The Soma Chroma has full access to Razer’s software suite, so you can sync all your devices to suit your gaming (or other media) needs. The chair also features built-in Bluetooth LE and includes a 2.4 GHz wireless USB dongle.
The RGB integration is also well-done, with support for portable power banks and a zippered pouch on the back to discreetly hide it. You can also use a USB-C extension cord to connect the Soma Chroma to your PC, but it is a nightmare for ergonomics. Of course, the chair ships with neither a portable battery pack or an extension cord, so you’ll need to purchase these separately.
On the flip side, the Soma Chroma isn’t as adjustable as some of Razer’s other chairs, as it lacks 3D armrests and lumbar controls. I also found that I had some minor lower back pain when using the chair for hours in my preferred seating position. Of course, your mileage may vary, but I haven’t experienced this with previous Razer chairs.
And the other matter to consider is the $499 price. If you don’t need RGB wizardry, the Razer Iskur V2 X is $200 cheaper and just as good on chair fundamentals.
