Anda Seat Navi review - "Premium comfort, garish aesthetics"

We've reviewed a fair few Anda Seat gaming chairs here at Pocket Gamer, and they've always been well-received, regardless of which of our writers has put them through their paces. By which I mean sitting down and working or playing games for a while and thinking about how comfortable they are at any given moment. But they've earned good scores for a good reason. Anda Seat knows how to make a damn good chair.

So when the Anda Seat Navi turned up on my doorstep, I was pretty excited to see how it compared to my current chair. I've been impressed by what the BraZen Emperor XXX Elite Esports chair offers, but the Navi costs £100 more at £399.99 – though you can currently grab one for £369.99. So I was intrigued to find out what that extra cash translated to once I'd sat down in the chair itself.

Some tricky assemble required

Before that, though, I had to put it together and let me tell you, it was quite the battle. The gaps in the base's DuraXtraAD+ Leather covering didn't align perfectly with the various holes I needed to screw in to attach the armrests, meaning I spent a lot of time fumbling around trying to get them to line up. Eventually, though, I managed to assemble the chair and took a step back to admire my work.

I wasn't a fan of what greeted me. The Anda Seat Navi comes in two varieties: yellow or black. For this review, I received the yellow variant and it is not the best looking chair I've ever seen. I generally prefer understated designs, so a bright yellow office chair is not something I'd ordinarily pick. On top of that, the random text and shapes scrawled across the front and back give the whole ensemble an even more garish vibe. The black version is a more pleasant sight, though the white gridlines that dominate the design aren't to my taste either.

But, as the old cliché makes clear, 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder', and I imagine the Anda Seat Navi's target audience is younger, more flamboyant gamers than myself who want something that steps outside the norm and makes a true statement. Or, if you happen to be a fan of the Ukrainian esports organisation Navi, with whom the chair has been made in partnership. Regardless, If you're looking for a chair to become the room's centrepiece, you can't go far wrong with this chair.

Premium sitting experience

But, looks aside, the function of a chair is, of course, to be sat in and provide comfort, which is where the Anda Seat Navi excels. The DuraXtraAD+ Leather feels extremely premium and remains comfortable even for extended periods of sitting in front of a computer screen or tapping away on my phone.

How you choose to sit is also highly customisable. The back of the seat can recline from 90-160 degrees, while the armrests can be moved in four different directions to find the most pleasant position. Unlike the BraZen Emperor XXX Elite Esports chair, the Anda Seat Navi's armrests don't become irritating after long periods, and I found myself using them a lot more than I otherwise would as a result.

If you can get past or even enjoy the aesthetic of the Anda Seat Navi, it's easy to recommend since it offers a premium sitting experience that bests most chairs I've tried in my time. However, if, like myself, you're dissuaded by the gaudy design choices, there are other chairs with more understated designs available that will support your back and stave off numb bum without offending your eyes.