Zero gravity chair vs sun lounger
Updated: October 2026
You have two tabs open, both called a sun lounger with a roof, and one of them will not let you lie on your front. A zero gravity chair vs sun lounger choice is a posture choice. The canopy does not turn the chair into a bed, and the visor does not turn the bed into a supported sit. This page compares those shapes using our [Sun lounger with roof](/hub/sun-loungers/sun-lounger-with-roof) comparison and public UK descriptions of the same split. It is not a medical claim, and it is not a price ranking. The checks are in the [sun lounger with roof buying guide](/hub/sun-loungers/sun-lounger-with-roof/sub/sun-lounger-with-roof-buying-guide).
You have two tabs open, both called a sun lounger with a roof, and one of them will not let you lie on your front. A zero gravity chair vs sun lounger choice is a posture choice.
You have two tabs open, both called a sun lounger with a roof, and one of them will not let you lie on your front. A zero gravity chair vs sun lounger choice is a posture choice. The canopy does not turn the chair into a bed, and the visor does not turn the bed into a supported sit. This page compares those shapes using our Sun lounger with roof comparison and public UK descriptions of the same split. It is not a medical claim, and it is not a price ranking. The checks are in the sun lounger with roof buying guide.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Posture | Recline | Shade | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Homecall Homecall 30039 XXL lounger with sunroof | Flat bed | 5 levels | Adjustable visor | 8.2 | about £124.81 | View offer |
| Preis-Tipp |  ATORPOK ATORPOK grey chair with canopy | Zero gravity | 90–170° | Face canopy | 7.8 | about £69.99 | View offer |
| Alternative |  ATORPOK ATORPOK black chair with canopy and cushion | Zero gravity | 2 positions | Face canopy | 6.6 | about £74.99 | View offer |
On this page
What each shape does with your body
A flat sunbed is a frame you lie along. The Homecall beds are about 200 cm long and 70 cm wide, with a back the bullet says adjusts through five levels. United Kingdom reviews praise the lack of a chest bar, which is why people lie face down. The same reviews say getting fully flat is difficult, so flat means a sunbed posture, not a promise that the last notch drops the back onto the same plane as the legs. Item weights are 9.2 kg and 9.96 kg. You get on by sitting at the side and swinging your legs up.
A zero-gravity chair tips you back from sitting and lifts your feet. Which? describes that shape as closer to a recliner than to a sunbed. On ATORPOK ZGC002 the bullet says a lock from 90 to 170 degrees. Ninety degrees is upright enough to sit. One hundred and seventy is a deep tilt. It is not 180, and it is not a flat mattress. Argos supplier answers for other zero-gravity loungers, not these ASINs, say those models do not lie flat. Our chairs open around 72 to 75 cm deep and about 103 to 128 cm high. That is a tall chair, not a 200 cm bed. You change position with a foot bar. ZGC001 reviews say you need a strong push, the halfway lock bumps upright, and shorter people cannot reach the bar. These chairs are not powered medical loungers. There is no medical source for these products.
What the shade adds, and what it does not
The shade follows the posture. It does not fix it. On the Homecall bed it is a visor over the head end. The included list on 30039 names it. UK reviews say the knurled wheels loosen, the panel drops, and sun comes through the cloth. Even when it stays up, it covers your face, not your legs. On the ATORPOK chairs it is a rotating face canopy. ZGC002 reviews say it can sit back, and one says no angle blocks the sun. On ZGC001 it helps only if your head is at the top. A canopy on a tilted face still leaves your shins in the sun, because your body is in a recline, not a straight line.
None of the five listings prints a shade size. Similar UK chairs often list about 52 × 40 cm, on those other products. That scale is a face panel. It does not become body cover because the title says roof. A face-hole lounger, with a cavity so you can lie prone without turning your neck, is a third product. They are not in this comparison. If you need a hole for your face, you are outside this comparison. A visor on a flat bed is the closer match for lying prone only because the bed is long and has no chest bar. NHS advice does not change with the shape. From March to October, use shade between 11am and 3pm and at least SPF 30.
When the bed, when the chair
Choose the flat Homecall pattern when you need to lie out, including on your front, and you can accept a visor that reviews say may not stay up. The bed suits a long read in the sun, a back-tan, or anyone who hates a bar across the chest. It is the wrong object if you want your knees above your hips, a cup holder, or a frame that folds to a stated thickness. The Homecall pages claim a fold and do not give a folded size. The stated load is 150 kg, which is the seller’s figure, not a shown BS EN 581-2 report.
Choose the ATORPOK pattern when you want a locked tilt, your feet up and a side tray, and you can work the foot bar. ZGC002 is the lighter chair at 7.72 kg, with a fold claimed at 5.5 inches thick. ZGC001 adds a cushion and a larger, less happy review sample, and it has no kilogram load. Skip the chair if you are short, if the halfway lock matters, or if you came to lie flat. The canopy does not repair that. Skip the bed if you only liked the word roof, because the UK sample treats the visor as the part that fails.
One posture, one piece of furniture
The condition is simple. A straight body, including face down: the flat bed. Feet up and a tray: the chair. If you need both in one afternoon, that is two pieces of furniture. The same split, outside these listings, is zero gravity chair or sunbed. A qualifying purchase through our amazon.co.uk links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Common questions
Can you lie flat on a zero-gravity chair with a canopy?
Not in the way a sunbed lies flat. ZGC002’s bullet stops at 170 degrees, a deep recline with your feet up, not 180. Argos answers for other zero-gravity loungers say those models do not lie flat either. Those are different products, and they match the shape. The canopy shades your face in that tilt. It does not lengthen the frame into a 200 cm bed.
Can you lie on your front on the Homecall bed?
United Kingdom reviews say yes, because there is no chest bar, and they praise the width at about 70 cm. They also say fully flat is difficult, so the back may stay slightly raised. That is still a prone sunbed, which these zero-gravity chairs are not. A hole for your face is a different lounger, and it is not one of these listings.
Does the canopy make the chair into a sunbed?
No. The canopy is a face shade on whatever posture the frame already has. On the chair your hips stay bent and your feet stay up. On the bed you lie along 200 cm and the visor only covers the head end, when it stays up. A larger cloth will not give you the other posture. You have to change the frame.
Which one is better for reading?
The chair is the easier read if you want your head raised and a tray, provided the lock holds and you can work the foot bar. The bed is the easier read if you lie on your front or you want a long stretch without a bar. ZGC001 reviews mention the lock failing at the halfway tilt, which dumps you upright while you are trying to read.
Which one is easier if you are short or less strong?
The bed is the simpler motion: you sit and lie back, and the bullet describes backrest levels rather than a foot bar. ZGC001 reviews say the chair is heavy to recline, that you need a strong push, and that shorter users cannot reach the bar. ZGC002 is still a foot-bar chair, at 7.72 kg. If you cannot trust the bar, do not buy the chair and hope the canopy changes the effort.
Is a face hole the same as a roof?
No. A face hole is a gap in the bed so you can lie prone. A roof, on these listings, is a visor or a small canopy over the head. This comparison covers seats whose shade is a visor or a canopy. A face-hole bed with no roof was not the product. If prone comfort is the whole point, read the bed shape first and the cloth second.
Related pages
Sources
Sources from the research digest. Shelf prices and star lines are the figures stored for these five amazon.co.uk listings.
- NHS sunscreen and sun safety (retrieved 17 October 2026)
- NHS baby sun safety (retrieved 17 October 2026)
- GOV.UK General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 17 October 2026)
- BSI BS EN 581-2:2015 (retrieved 17 October 2026)
- BSI BS EN 581-1:2017 (retrieved 17 October 2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 11 (retrieved 17 October 2026)
- Met Office storm advice (retrieved 17 October 2026)
- Garden Tool Box, lounger and zero gravity (retrieved 17 October 2026)