Mavix is a company that focuses on premium gaming chairs with a minimalist, Herman Miller-like design. Their chairs are smaller and lighter than conventional gaming chairs, with skeletal structures that typically use the suspended materials’ tension instead of foam padding. Mavix chairs also tend to be expensive, with their previous entry-level model, the Editors’ Choice-winning M5, costing $555. Mavix now offers an even more affordable chair in the $444 M4. The gaming chair uses some arguably inferior materials compared with the M5, and has slightly fewer adjustment points, but it’s still a very comfortable chair, and a good alternative to consider if the M5 is a bit too pricey for you.
Simple Assembly
Putting together the M4 is basically the same process as assembling the M5. Insert the casters and gas cylinder into the base. Bolt the bottom bracket onto the underside of the seat. Screw the armrests onto the underside of the seat. Insert the bottom of the backrest into the slot on the back of the seat, and secure it with more bolts. Finally, attach the head rest to the top of the back. The chair is assembled!
Less Expensive Materials, Scaled-Back Design
Fully assembled, the M4 features a padded, mesh fabric-covered seat and a seat back that features suspended mesh over a plastic frames, with individual parts for the lumbar support, upper back, and headrest. Each M4 model is black, but Mavix lets you select a black, blue, green, or red chair back.
The chair attaches to the base via a standard gas cylinder that raises and lowers the chair’s height when you pull the lever on the seat’s underside. The base itself is disappointingly hard black plastic, not metal like the bases of AndaSeat’s, Razer’s, and SecretLab’s chairs. That said, the M5, M7, and even the high-end M9 all use the same base, so it’s not a downgrade. Like the M5’s casters, the M4’s casters have fairly plain, black plastic wheels (the M7 and M9 have wider M-Wheels). Fortunately, each wheel has a locking lever so you can keep the chair in place with a few shoves of your feet.
Like other Mavix chairs (and most mesh gaming chairs), the M4 doesn’t let you recline the back by pulling a lever on the side of the chair. Instead, if you unlock the reclining function by slightly pulling out the height lever, you can simply lean back. The chair back will bend back with you, providing pleasantly springy tension and popping back to the upright position when you sit up. Unlike the M5, you can’t lock the chair back at whatever angle you want; it will spring back up when you move whether the left is pushed in or out.
The foam seat and all-mesh back highlight the M4’s low-tier status in Mavix’s lineup. The M5 features faux leather for the headrest and lumbar support, while the M7 and M9 use Mavix’s M-Breeze and A.T.R. fabrics, which are softer than the standard mesh. The M5 and M7 use suspended mesh instead of regular padding for their seats, while the M9 uses a mix of foam and cooling gel. The M4’s back also lacks the vertical adjustment found in the other Mavix chairs, though it’s quite rare on any other gaming chair. All Mavix models have a flexible “dynamic variable lumbar (DVL)” support, an extension below the upper back rest mounted on a spring hinge, which naturally bends back to provide comfortable support to your lower back.
The armrests feature the M4’s last material compromise. They’re firm, molded black foam just like the armrests on Mavix’s other chairs, but only their height can be adjusted. The M5’s armrests can move up and down and forward and backward, and the M7 and M9’s armrests can also pivot left and right.
The Mavix M4 has a weight limit of 250 pounds, 50 pounds less than the M5 and M7, and 100 pounds less than the M9. I’m a bit over the M4’s weight limit, but didn’t experience any issues with the chair. Still, it’s a potential risk to go past that limit.
It’s Still Comfortable
Even with ostensibly inferior materials, the M4 is comfortable and sturdy, comparable with the M5. I enjoyed sitting in it, both leaning forward to type and reclining back to relax. The tilting motion is smooth, and while it would have been nice to be able to lock the chair at a tilted position, it didn’t feel like a significant loss. The difference between the M4’s mesh and the M5’s faux leather on the lumbar support and headrest seem like more a matter of taste than material quality (I actually prefer the mesh). The M7 and M9 use better fabric, but those two chairs are also much more expensive.
Stylish Minimalism for Less Than $500
The Mavix M4 is an excellent option if you want a streamlined, Herman Miller-style gaming chair instead of a conventional, overbuilt one. It’s still a bit pricey for what it offers, though, which is why the $319 Respawn Specter remains an Editors’ Choice pick; it offers a similar M4 and M5 experience for less money. If you want the best materials you should check out the $999 Mavix M9 or $1,495 Herman Miller X Logitech G Embody, but those chairs come with big price tags. If you’re a larger gamer, consider the $555 M5 with its optional wide seat, but otherwise the M4 offers a better value. Meanwhile, if you want a conventional gaming chair, our top pick remains the $429 Secretlab Titan EVO for its excellent build quality, materials, and overall feel.
