SONGMICS OBG077BH20 Gaming Chair Review 2026 UK

Four weeks of back-to-back testing tells you more about a chair than any spec sheet ever will. I've been putting the SONGMICS OBG077BH20 through its paces across full working days and evening gaming sessions, and by now I have a clear, honest picture of where it earns its keep and where it falls short. That's what this review is about.

The budget gaming chair market in the UK is absolutely stuffed right now. You can spend anywhere from sixty quid to well over a thousand, and the gap in quality between those extremes is enormous. SONGMICS sits firmly in the budget tier, and that context matters. I'm not comparing this to a Herman Miller or a Secretlab Titan. I'm comparing it to what else you can realistically buy at this price point, and asking whether the ergonomic claims on the box hold up when you're actually sitting in it for eight or nine hours straight.

SONGMICS as a brand has been quietly building a presence in the UK home-office and gaming furniture space for several years. Their products tend to land on Amazon with decent review counts and middling-to-good ratings, and this chair is no exception, sitting at 4.4 stars from 237 at the time of writing. But aggregate ratings don't tell you whether your lower back will thank you after a long Friday session. That's my job. So here's what I found.

The frame is steel, the base is a five-point nylon construction, and the castors are standard dual-wheel PU rollers. The upholstery is PU faux leather throughout, which is the norm at this price bracket. Overall dimensions put the seat width at around 52 cm and the backrest height at approximately 85 cm, making this a fairly standard-sized racing-style bucket seat. It's not a wide-seat chair, and it's not designed for particularly tall users, but I'll get into that properly in the Size and Fit section.

One thing worth flagging upfront: the spec sheet lists this as an "ergonomic design" chair, and SONGMICS do use that word prominently in the product name. I'd describe it as ergonomic-adjacent. It has ergonomic features, specifically the adjustable headrest and the lumbar pillow, but the underlying seat shape is still a racing bucket, which by its nature prioritises a certain aesthetic over truly neutral spinal positioning. That's not a dealbreaker at this price, but it's an honest framing that I think buyers deserve before they click add to basket.

In practice, I found the lumbar pillow reasonably effective for the first few hours of a session. It's firm enough to actually provide some support rather than just sitting there doing nothing, which is more than I can say for some pillows I've tested at this price. The issue is that after about four or five hours, I started to notice it shifting slightly, particularly when I reclined and came back upright. The strap holds it in place well enough during static sitting, but dynamic movement loosens things over time. If you're the type who shifts around a lot in your chair, and most people are during long sessions, you'll probably find yourself reaching back to reposition it every couple of hours.

The adjustable headrest pillow is a similar story. It attaches to the top of the backrest via a strap and can be positioned at different heights to support your neck. For someone around 5'9" to 5'11", it sits in a pretty natural position for upright gaming. I'm 5'10" and found it comfortable for the first hour or two. But I'll be honest: I ended up removing it for most of my testing because I found it pushed my head slightly forward when I was sitting fully upright, which is the opposite of what you want for cervical spine health. The cervical spine should ideally be in a neutral position, not pushed into flexion. Whether the headrest works for you will depend a lot on your sitting posture and your height. It's a nice inclusion, but it's not a substitute for a proper adjustable headrest mechanism.

The seat itself has a fairly pronounced bucket shape with raised side bolsters. These look great in product photos and they do keep you centred in the seat, but they can create pressure on the outer thighs for anyone with wider hips. I didn't find this a problem personally, but it's something to be aware of. The seat pan isn't adjustable for depth, which is a real limitation if you're on the shorter or taller end of the recommended range. Proper seat depth adjustment, where you can slide the seat pan forward or back relative to the backrest, is one of the most important ergonomic features a chair can have, and it's almost never present at this price point. This chair is no exception.

The seat-to-floor height, once you factor in the gas lift range, sits somewhere between approximately 44 cm and 52 cm. That's a reasonable range for most adults, and it means the chair should work at a standard desk without your knees ending up at an awkward angle. If you're shorter than about 5'4", you might find the seat height a bit high even at its lowest setting, which would mean your feet aren't fully flat on the floor. That matters for circulation and for reducing pressure under the thighs. A footrest under the desk would solve it, and the chair does include its own retractable footrest for reclined positions, but that's not the same thing.

The seat width of around 52 cm is fairly standard for a racing-style chair. It's not a wide-body seat. If you have broader hips or a larger frame, the raised side bolsters will press against your thighs and hips, which becomes uncomfortable fairly quickly. I tested this chair alongside a colleague who is broader-framed than me, and he found the bolsters noticeably restrictive after about an hour. That's not a flaw exactly, it's just the nature of the bucket seat design, but it's worth knowing before you buy. The footprint of the chair is also fairly typical: the base extends to roughly 65 to 70 cm across, so you'll need a reasonable amount of floor space around your desk.

Width adjustment is limited. You can angle the armrests slightly inward or outward, which helps if you want them closer to your body for typing or further out for gaming with a controller. But the range of movement is small, maybe two or three centimetres either way. It's enough to make a difference, but don't expect the kind of wide-range width adjustment you'd get on a mid-range office chair. The pivot function lets you rotate the pad surface slightly, which can help if you want the armrest angled to match the natural position of your forearm. Again, the range is limited, but it's better than nothing.

The armrest pads themselves are hard plastic with a thin layer of foam padding on top. They're not the worst I've tested at this price, but they're not going to win any awards for comfort either. After a few hours, I did notice the padding wasn't doing much to cushion my forearms during extended mouse use. If you spend a lot of time with your arms resting on the pads, you might want to pick up a pair of aftermarket armrest pads. They're cheap and make a noticeable difference. The armrests don't fold up or out of the way, which is a minor annoyance if you want to push the chair under a desk, but it's not a dealbreaker.

By hour five or six, though, the picture changes a bit. I started to notice more pressure under my sit bones (the ischial tuberosities, if you want to get technical), which is a sign that the foam is compressing under sustained load. This is normal for budget foam, and it's not unique to SONGMICS. But it does mean that if you're regularly doing eight-plus hour sessions, you'll feel it by the end of the day. I wouldn't describe it as painful, more like a gradual awareness that you've been sitting for a long time. Standing up and moving around every hour, which you should be doing anyway for your health, largely mitigates this.

Hot spots are another thing I watch for during long sessions. The raised bolsters on the seat sides created mild pressure on my outer thighs after about four hours, particularly on the left side where I tend to sit slightly off-centre. The backrest bolsters were less of an issue because I'm not particularly broad-shouldered, but again, this will vary by body type. The lumbar pillow, as I mentioned earlier, needs repositioning periodically. And the headrest, if you keep it on, can start to feel like it's pushing your head forward rather than supporting it. None of these are catastrophic issues, but they add up over a long day. This is a chair that's comfortable for moderate sessions. For truly long daily use, you'd want to spend more.

The retractable footrest is a nice touch for gaming in a reclined position. It extends out from under the seat and provides a reasonable platform for your feet when you're leaned back at 120 degrees or so. I used it during some evening gaming sessions and found it comfortable for an hour or two of relaxed play. It's not something I'd use during work hours, but for winding down with a game it's a genuinely useful feature that adds practical value at this price point.

I tested this chair through some unseasonably warm days in early May, and by mid-afternoon the seat surface was noticeably warm and slightly tacky. It's not unbearable, but it's not pleasant either. If you run warm, game in a room without air conditioning, or live somewhere that gets genuinely hot in summer, this will be a real issue. The only real solution at this price point is to use a breathable seat cover or a cooling pad, neither of which should be necessary on a chair you've just bought, but there it is. Mesh-backed gaming chairs do exist at similar prices and offer significantly better airflow, so if breathability is a priority for you, it's worth considering those alternatives.

In terms of durability, PU leather has a mixed track record. Good quality PU can last several years without peeling or cracking. Lower quality PU starts to flake within twelve to eighteen months, especially at stress points like the seat edges and the areas where the upholstery folds around the frame. I can't give you a definitive verdict on long-term durability after just a month of testing, but the material on this chair feels mid-grade rather than premium. The stitching looks tidy and the seams are well-finished, which is a reasonable indicator of quality control. I'd expect it to hold up for two to three years with normal use, but I wouldn't bet on five. The polyurethane coating on budget chairs tends to degrade faster when exposed to UV light and sweat, so keeping it out of direct sunlight and wiping it down regularly will extend its life.

The rocking function, where the whole seat tilts rather than just the backrest, is present and can be locked out if you prefer a static seat. I tend to lock it out during work hours because I find rocking distracting, but I left it unlocked during gaming sessions and found it comfortable for leaning back slightly while watching cutscenes. The range of the rock is modest, maybe five to eight degrees forward and back, which is about right. You don't want a chair that rocks like a rocking horse.

At full 135-degree recline with the footrest extended, the chair becomes something close to a lounger. It's not fully flat, so you can't sleep in it (not that you should be sleeping in your gaming chair, but some people do), but it's a genuinely relaxed position for watching films or taking a break. The transition between positions is smooth enough, and the gas lift holds its height reliably without sinking during the testing period. One thing I noticed: when reclining past about 110 degrees, the lumbar pillow tends to slide down slightly because the strap tension changes as the backrest angle changes. It's a minor annoyance but worth knowing.

The nylon base is the standard choice at this price point. Aluminium bases are stronger and look better, but they add cost. The nylon base on this chair feels adequately stiff and shows no sign of flex under normal use. The five-point star design distributes weight well, and the castors roll smoothly on both hard floors and carpet. They're not the quietest castors I've tested, there's a faint rolling noise on hard floors, but nothing that would be described as disruptive. If you're on a hard floor and noise is a concern, aftermarket soft-wheel castors are a cheap upgrade.

The gas lift is a Class 3 unit, which is the standard for office and gaming chairs. Class 3 gas lifts are rated for continuous use and should hold their height reliably for several years under normal loads. I had no issues with height sinking during my testing period. The mechanism engages and releases cleanly, and the height range is adequate for most desk setups. The overall assembly of the chair feels tight rather than rattly, which is a good sign. Budget chairs sometimes have loose tolerances that result in a wobbly feel, but this one held together well throughout the testing period.

The backrest-to-seat connection is the fiddliest part. You need to align the bolt holes while holding the backrest in position, which is awkward solo. A second pair of hands would make this step much easier. I managed it alone by propping the backrest against the wall while I started the bolts, but it took a couple of attempts to get everything lined up properly. Once the bolts were started it was straightforward. The armrests bolt on simply and the headrest and lumbar pillows just strap on, so those are quick.

The tools you need are included in the box: an Allen key and a spanner. You don't need anything from your own toolkit, which is always a plus. The quality of the included Allen key is basic, as it always is with flat-pack furniture, so if you have your own hex keys I'd use those instead for better grip and torque. Overall, assembly is a one-person job that most people will get through without frustration. I've assembled far more confusing chairs at higher price points, so SONGMICS deserve credit for keeping this straightforward.

The Dowinx LS-666801F is probably the most direct competitor. It also features a pillow-based lumbar system, a similar recline range, and PU leather upholstery. Where it differs is in the armrests: the Dowinx uses simpler 1D armrests (height only) compared to the SONGMICS's 3D setup. The SONGMICS wins on armrest adjustability, which is a meaningful ergonomic advantage. The Dowinx does tend to have slightly denser seat foam in my experience, which holds up a bit better over very long sessions, but the difference isn't dramatic. Both chairs have the same breathability limitations.

The Homall S-Racer is the budget end of the budget tier. It's cheaper, it shows. The build quality is noticeably less solid, the foam is softer and compresses faster, and the lumbar pillow is basically decorative. I mention it because it's a popular search result and people do buy it thinking they're getting a similar product for less money. They're not. The SONGMICS is meaningfully better than the Homall in almost every practical respect. If you're choosing between those two, the SONGMICS is the right call without much hesitation.

But let's be clear about what it isn't. It isn't a chair that will look after your back through eight-hour working days indefinitely. The pillow-based lumbar support is a compromise, not a solution. The PU leather will make you warm in summer. The seat foam will compress over time. These are the realities of the budget tier, and the SONGMICS doesn't escape them. What it does is deliver those compromises in a package that's better assembled, better specified, and better value than most of what's competing with it at the same price.

If you're a student, a casual gamer, or someone who needs a secondary chair for occasional use, this is a sensible buy. If you're working from home full-time and spending eight or more hours a day in your chair, I'd genuinely encourage you to stretch your budget toward one of the best gaming chairs available, or a proper ergonomic office chair. Something like a used Herman Miller Aeron or a Humanscale alternative will do more for your long-term spinal health than any gaming chair at this price point. The NHS guidance on sitting posture is worth a read if you're spending serious hours at a desk, because no chair, however well-designed, compensates for poor posture habits.

For what it is and what it costs, I'm giving the SONGMICS OBG077BH20 a 6.5 out of 10. It's a competent budget chair that punches slightly above its weight on features, but it's still a budget chair with budget chair limitations. Buy it with clear eyes and it won't disappoint you. Buy it expecting it to solve your back problems and you'll be let down.