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Geek Review: Razer Enki Pro

Here’s the thing about tech products – brands love to launch the regular version, as well as a souped-up Pro version. Phones, tablets, computers, home appliances, even cars, have received the Pro treatment, and you can now add Razer’s ergonomic gaming chair to that long list. 

This new Pro model is of their Razer Enki, which was originally released in October last year. With some upgrades tucked here, and revealed there, the Enki Pro is proof that Razer is serious about making a mark in the gaming chair market, along with dominating the gaming industry across all spectrums of products, from peripherals such as mice and headsets, to laptops and keyboards. 

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At first glance, one can already tell that the Enki Pro is bigger and wider than its predecessor, making it more suitable for folks who love the real estate. At the widest point, the seat on the Enki Pro measures about 55cm, whilst the Enki measures at about 54cm. The widest portion of the shoulder for the Enki Pro broadly measures 55cm, whilst the Enki is only at 50cm.

You might think ‘it’s only a few centimetres difference’, but wait until you see how differently shaped the seats are. The Enki has a much more streamlined design that starts slim and then gets wider the further it gets from your spine. The Enki Pro, however, has a broad, almost bucket-like rectangle-shaped seat. If you’ve been shopping around for a while, you would realise that wide bases with bucket seats are in right now, and whilst the Enki Pro isn’t exactly what we consider a full bucket seat, it is a fairly good attempt when you compare it to Razer’s previous chairs. 

The Enki Pro’s seat is consistent in shape and cups your behind comfortably. If you have a habit of sitting cross-legged on your chair the Enki Pro has enough space to let you do that, whilst the Enki does not. Therefore, despite the very little difference in size, the few extra centimetres and the way the seat is shaped do make an impact on the experience, especially for people with broader shoulders and/or bigger bodies. 

Unfortunately, the Enki Pro still holds the same limitations as the Enki. The new chair can hold a recommended weight of no more than 136kg and a recommended height of 166 – 204cm, so if you happen to weigh heavier than the recommended weight, this chair may not be able to support you. 

Aside from the seat, the upper half of the chair still features the same design as the previous model. The backrest features Razer’s diamond-pleated padding with a long line that goes down the middle of the chair and the same headrest design. The Enki Pro also features Razer’s snake logo on the headrest and has the same green stitching down the sides of the chair to add some pizazz to the all-black chair. Just like the Enki, the Enki Pro also comes with built-in lumbar support. 

Continuing on the topic of backs, the Enki Pro also has a reactive seat tilt so you can lean back effortlessly into the seat up to 152 degrees recline. The chair also features a weight-adjusted tilting mechanism that ensures you won’t embarrassingly fall back when you lean back. This mechanism keeps you in your favourite gaming position. All these are consistent with the Enki model released last year.

Similarly, the Enki Pro also features 4D armrests that offer full customised positioning. They can be raised and lowered, brought in towards your body, moved further away and even twisted diagonally. This way, you’re able to sit and place your arms however you’d like, whether you like your forearms rested on top of the rests or have it comfortably tucked behind your elbow. Either way, you’ll figure out what works best for you. 

However, don’t let the similarities fool you. Despite having the same design, the Enki Pro backrest and seat have been upholstered with Alcantara and Premium Sustainable Leatherette. Alcantara is a soft, suede-like microfibre that is a common substitute for leather and vinyl in car seats, so it basically feels like you’re sitting in a car. The material is plush and supple so if we’re talking about comfort, the Enki Pro is far superior. 

The thicker-textured outer edges of the chair are also now swapped out for Premium Eco-Sustainable Leatherette, which is even more durable than the typical EPU in the market. If you need a quick reminder, the Enki is fitted with eco-friendly dual-textured synthetic leather, so the Pro is just a premium version of such. 

Although it reclines to the same angle, the Enki Pro comes with a new recline dial as compared to a recline lever as seen in Razer’s (and frankly many other brands’) chairs. The dial gives you more control with angles and allows you to recline smoothly as compared to a lever that awkwardly and quite frequently, violently, reclines or juts you up. Using the dial is a little bit of a learning curve though, but there’s no denying that it moves smoothly and gives you more control once you have the hang of it. 

Another noticeable difference is that the Enki Pro comes with a magnetic memory foam head cushion. The memory foam head, also available with the Enki and Iskur model, conforms to your head shape and cradles your head when you lean back on it. Our complaint with the previous model is that the pillow uses a dual elastic band system that wraps the pillow around the headrest, thus not giving much flexibility or leeway to users who are short and may need the pillow to be positioned lower. Well, the new head cushion is now magnetically attached to the chair. 

Truth be told, all the pain points we had with the Enki are addressed with the Enki Pro. With the added bonus and features that make the chair a whole lot more enticing and comfortable such as the all-new Alcantara material, recline dial and magnetic head cushion. Razer’s chairs are known for back support, which seeing how the Enki Pro works just the same as the Enki, is a feature the brand already has in the bag. 

All in all, there’s no denying that the Enki Pro is the superior of the very small lot of Razer chairs, but here’s the big shocker… the Enki Pro costs S$1,499 (US$999). Yes, that’s a whole lot of dough. At S$1,499, this puts the Enki Pro at the higher end of the spectrum not just for Razer chairs, but other gaming chairs in the market too. 

Although the chair is great, there are plenty of other chairs that can provide a similar level of comfort (sans the back support) for a much cheaper price. At this price, the Enki Pro is likely to appeal to fans of the brand, as well as the main star of the chair, the Alcantara upholstery. It does provide an extremely premium look and seating experience that is far more comfortable than a regular leather or synthetic chair. 

If the Razer Enki Pro is well within your means and budget, go for it. If you’re on a tighter budget but would like to still experience the tech Razer has to offer, you can always check out the Razer Enki or Razer Iskur

GEEK REVIEW SCORE

Summary

Serving durability, comfort and style, the Razer Enki Pro is a premium gaming chair that provides subtle yet worthy upgrades to last year’s Enki model.

Overall
7.9/10
7.9/10
  • Aesthetics - 8/10
    8/10
  • Build Quality - 9/10
    9/10
  • Performance - 8/10
    8/10
  • Value - 6.5/10
    6.5/10
  • Geek Satisfaction - 8/10
    8/10