Should I buy the Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid mattress?

Update: we've tested this out properly now. Head straight to our Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid mattress review. 

The Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid is one of this Arizona-based brand's core models. At full price it sits in the upper mid-range category, but regular deals take it down into mid-range. Fairly unusually for a model in this price bracket, it's available in a choice of three firmness options, so you can pick the option that suits your particular sleep style.  

The design includes foams and coils, as well as an optional pillow top, and it's available in an extensive range of sizes. The range is somewhat confusing, but the Signature Hybrid seems to be the cheapest of the flagship range, sitting below a cooling model (which you can read about in our Aurora Luxe Cooling mattress review), and the luxurious Sedona Elite. 

Our sleep editor had a chance to check out the medium feel option, in both the pillow top and regular variations, during a private tour of the Brooklyn Bedding mattress factory and showroom. We were able to inspect the build quality, lie down on it, and run our usual tests to assess pressure relief, motion transfer, and edge support. 

You'll find details below, alongside a summary of other customers' experiences, based on existing user reviews. So how might it compare to the rest of today's best mattresses? Let's find out...

Should I buy the Brooklyn Signature Hybrid mattress?

You'll find an in-depth look at the Brooklyn Signature Hybrid mattress below, but if you're in a hurry and just want the quick version, here's who we would, and would not, recommend this model to:

Buy it if...

✅ You're a combination sleeper: We found the Signature Hybrid comfortable in all sleep positions, and the responsive sleep surface means it's easy to change position on. 

✅ You don't like the sink-in feel of memory foam: The Signature Hybrid has a softer top layer, which provides comfortable cushioning with none of the sink-in feel of memory foam. A firmer lower level (which you can feel if you press down on the mattress surface) provides plenty of support and stops your hips dropping too low. 

✅ You sleep hot: Opt for the Cloud Pillow Top upgrade and there's a GlacioTex cover, which we have tested on other models and find very effective at keeping the sleeper cool at night. This is also a hybrid, with the coil layer helping boost breathability. 

Don't buy it if...

❌ You want a memory foam hug feel: The Brooklyn Signature Hybrid has a springy upper level, with none of the slow-moving, sink-in feel of memory foam. If that's your preference, check out something like the Helix Midnight instead.

❌ You need an ultra-firm mattress: There is a 'firm' option here, but it's rated at a not-that-firm 7/10 and still has that softer upper layer. If you need a sleep surface with minimal cushioning, this probably isn't it.

❌ You want a more luxurious option: The Signature Hybrid feels pretty luxe – especially if you opt for the Cloud Pillow Top – but the Aurora Luxe Hybrid is the brand's upgraded version. It has a similar interior design, but is 1.5 inches thicker and the GlacioTex cover is included as standard. Be aware that it doesn't isolate movements as well as the Signature model though. 

Brooklyn Signature Hybrid: Price

• Regular deals knock 25% off
• Upper mid-range at full price, mid-range when discounted

At MSRP, the Brooklyn Signature Hybrid is an upper mid-range mattress. As with the majority of other bed brands, though, mattress sales happen pretty much constantly, so you should be able to pick one up with 25% off, which takes it down into the mid-range bracket. There's a surprising number of customization options for  this kind of price, as we'll get into in the Design section. 

Here's a rundown of the list prices for each size of the Brooklyn Signature Hybrid mattress, and the discounted prices you can expect to actually pay:

• Twin size: MSRP $665 (usually on sale for $499)
• Full size: MSRP $999 (usually on sale for $749)
• Queen size: MSRP $1,332 (usually on sale for $999)
• King size: MSRP $1,599 (usually on sale for $1,199)

Some brands bump up their discounts slightly over major holidays, so if one of these is due to happen when you need to buy, it might be worth holding off to see if a better price appears. The Black Friday mattress deals can be an especially good time to buy, or events like the Presidents' Day mattress sales or Memorial Day mattress sales.

Brooklyn Signature Hybrid: Design

The Brooklyn Signature Hybrid is an 11.5" tall hybrid mattress that's available in a few variations. You can choose your firmness level (soft, medium, firm) as well as adding an optional cloud pillow top (for an extra $300). Also, as well as being available in the usual range of sizes (queen size, king size and so on), the Brooklyn Signature Hybrid is available in a couple of RV mattress sizes.

If you opt for the pillow top upgrade, you get a chunkier top design that's covered with the same slippery, cooling GlacioTex fabric you'll find on the Helix Midnight if you opt for the cover upgrade. If you haven't gone for that version, you'll  just get a soft-touch fabric top, still with plenty of cushioning. On both versions, this sits on top of a 1.5" layer of 'CopperFlex' – a patented foam with phase-change properties designed to draw excess heat away from the body and keep the sleeper at a comfortable temperature. The copper is there for its antibacterial properties.

Next up you'll find a 2" tier of comfort foam (this will be 'soft', 'medium' or 'firm' as per the option you've chosen) and a 1" layer of gel swirl memory foam (for pressure relief). This sits on top of the coil layer. As is the case with all the best hybrid mattresses they're individually encased, to help isolate movements within the mattress. A thin layer of high-density base foam completed the design. 

Brooklyn Signature Hybrid: Comfort & pressure relief

• We tested the medium option, in pillow-top and regular versions
• Springy, responsive surface that's soft on top with a firmer tier beneath
• More supportive than the rating would suggest, suitable for all positions

The Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid mattress is available in three firmness options. We tested the Medium, in both regular and pillow-top versions. 

The regular version has a pleasant soft-touch fabric cover, and feels plush on top, with a soft upper layer and a firmer tier that you can feel just beneath it. It's responsive, rather than slow moving – so not much of a memory foam feel. There's also a bit of bounce.

The pillow top version is fairly similar – it's still a responsive, springy top layer with a firmer level underneath – except the top feels more 'stuffed', with the quilting creating an undulating sleep surface. Another big difference is that the pillow-top has a cover made from GlacioTex fabric rather. We've come across this fabric before and it's very effective at keeping the sleeper cool, but it does make the mattress surface slippery. Pick this option if you sleep hot or want a more luxurious sleep feel.

To objectively assess pressure relief, we placed a 15lb weight in the middle of the mattress, and measured how far it sank in. On the Signature Hybrid, it sank around 3 inches on both the pillow-top and standard versions – this is in our 'soft' bracket for sinkage.

We also lay on the mattress on our front, side and back, to get a rough idea of how comfortable it might be. We found both versions comfortable in all positions, and more supportive than we were expecting based on the firmness rating. Our hips felt supported when lying on our stomach and back, and it was easy to change position on, with none of that sinking feeling. 

Here's Brooklyn's ratings, and who they're officially recommended for:

Firmness ratings can be confusing because different brands measure these things in different ways. Our experience is that the ratings of 3Z Brands (the parent company of Brooklyn Bedding) are a little out of line with how we'd rate mattress firmness.

A rule of thumb is that the heavier you are, the firmer your mattress should be. Within that, the best mattresses for side sleepers tend to be on the softer side, to prevent pressure build-up in the shoulders and hips in this position. Stomach and back sleepers tend to require a slightly firmer model to keep their spines aligned in these positions. 

Brooklyn Signature Hybrid: Motion isolation

Motion isolation refers to how effectively the mattress absorbs movements. This is especially important if you share a bed and/or are you yourself a restless sleeper who's prone to tossing and turning at night. 

To test the motion transfer levels on the Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid mattress, we placed an empty wine glass on the sleep surface, then dropped a 15lb weight at distances of 4, 10 and 25 inches away from it. Nothing happened at 25 inches, it wobbled at 10 and fell over at 4. 

We also roped in another sleep journalist to climb in and out of the bed and change position. We felt a tiny bit of motion transfer, but nothing significant. Overall, this mattress would be a good recommendation to restless sleepers or couples. 

Brooklyn Signature Hybrid: Edge support

Edge support refers to how sturdy the perimeter of the mattress is. Sturdy edge support means you'll can confidently use the full sleep surface without fear of rolling off, as well as making it possible to sit comfortably on the edge of the mattress.

We tested edge support by placing our 15lb weight on the side and end edges of the mattress and measuring how far it sank in. It sank 2.7" on both versions. That's slightly less than the centre measurement (3") which is an indication of good edge support. Sitting and lying on the edges of the bed, we felt firmly supported and never in danger of rolling off. 

Brooklyn Signature Hybrid: Delivery & extras

The Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid is a bed in a box mattress model, which means it comes vacuum-packed and rolled for more convenient maneuvering. The brand says most decompressing will happen within a few minutes of unboxing, but to reach full size could take up to 24 hours, and recommends leaving it 3-5 hours before sleeping on it. Shipping is free, but only to your doorstep, and there's no option to upgrade to white glove delivery or bundle in old mattress removal.

There's a 120-night sleep trial period, which is on the shorter side within the wider market but fine for the price. As is fairly common, you're required to sleep on the mattress for 30 days before returning it. There's a $99 pickup fee for returns, and Brooklyn says it'll try to donate the mattress to a local charity or recycling partner, but in some cases returned models will need to be junked. Those seeking to swap to a new model will need to place a separate order. 

Brooklyn Bedding mattresses can also be purchased via Amazon, but be aware that this will affect the extras you're eligible for. Figuring out how to return a mattress to Amazon is confusing at the best of times, but it's not entirely clear if you'll even get a trial period if you don't buy from Brooklyn Direct (the FAQ page says, "Any order placed through Amazon.com for any of our mattresses that are not fulfilled through Brooklyn Bedding or Amazon Prime are not covered under the Brooklyn Bedding Warranty or Trial Policy.")

 The warranty is 10 years (although really, you should be replacing your mattress every 7-10 years.)

Brooklyn Signature Hybrid: Customer reviews

Because we haven't had a chance to sleep on the Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid, and because mattress comfort is such a subjective thing, we also scoured through existing customer comments to see if any recurring themes become apparent. This model has a 4.7 our of 5 average over ~10k reviews (May 2023), so clearly most people who purchase it are impressed.

Of those less-than-perfect reviews, some customers found that the edge support was weak (although there are also a handful that specifically praise how sturdy the edges are), and there are also a few complaints of motion transfer across the bed. Most of those who didn't get on with their purchase commented that the mattress was either too soft or too firm. These are split pretty evenly, which suggests it's more to do with individual customer expectation than a mis-labelling on Brooklyn Bedding's part.