Emma Comfort Mattress review

[UPDATE (May 2024): The price of this product in all sizes has changed, so we've edited the price section to reflect that change. We have also edited parts of the original review in relation to this change.]

German company Emma Sleep has become quite popular in Australia in the last few years, offering a decent mattress range that offers both bang for buck and quality. However, the company has had some bad press for its pricing strategy, and we think it's best to shop Emma Sleep when its products are discounted down to half price or more, but it's still hard to fault most of its mattresses.

Late in 2023, Emma Sleep started updating some of its mattresses, launching the second generation of the Emma Comfort and the Emma Diamond Hybrid. That said, it seems the company is still offering its older Emma Comfort, which is now the cheapest option in the range. 

While the Emma Comfort Adapt is now a hybrid mattress with springs, the older Emma Comfort reviewed here is an all-foam option. Whether the older Emma Comfort will be phased out soon is yet to be confirmed but, in the meantime, it’s not a bad foam mattress to consider when shopped during a sale.

Emma Comfort Mattress review in brief

• All-foam construction
• Medium firmness
• Dampens motion transfer but lacks edge support

Choosing a mattress that’s right for you isn’t easy — sleeping on one for a night or two just isn't enough to determine if it will support you well in the long term. In fact, at Tom’s Guide, we usually test a mattress for a minimum of 30 days before we share our thoughts in our reviews. However, we slept on the Emma Comfort mattress for 70 nights that straddled two different seasons (cool as well as warm, humid nights) before coming to a conclusion on whether it’s worth considering.

And the short answer is yes, it is worth considering, but there are some caveats to keep in mind, particularly since everyone’s sleeping needs and habits are as different as the individual. 

The Emma Comfort mattress, in our opinion, is a decent all-rounder — its foam build is supportive, it handles temperature regulation decently well and, while there’s some movement transfer, partner disturbance isn’t too bad. The flip side to this list of positives is that it’s supportive for people of average build and who don’t have existing back or neck problems, it can build up a lot of heat if you’re a hot sleeper (but that tends to dissipate very quickly the moment you shift a little), and there’s no edge support. 

So if you don’t necessarily need multiple zones of support for your hip, shoulders and back, the Emma Comfort would be an excellent choice — there’s just enough here for the average sleeper for a good night’s sleep. In terms of heat build-up, that will also depend from person to person. For the most part, the Emma Comfort is, well, comfortable. Hot sleepers, however, will find the spot they’re on heating up rapidly to become uncomfortable, but the moment you shift even a little bit, the heat dissipates just as quickly. Still, this is something to keep in mind.

The most glaring omission here is the lack of edge support. A good two inches of the mattress edge sinks quite a bit and that means if you purchase a double mattress, the net sleep area you’re getting is closer to a king single. That said, most affordable mattresses don’t offer edge support, so you can’t quite fault Emma for that, although it’s another feature to consider when purchasing any mattress — the last thing you want is the feeling of rolling off your bed when you’ve ventured too close to the edge in your sleep.

We explain all this and more in detail below, so read on to find out how the Emma Comfort mattress fared in our tests.

Emma Comfort mattress review: price and deals

• Prices have increased in 2024
• Discounts of up to 55% available often
• 100-night trial and 10-year warranty

The Emma Comfort is the cheapest option in the Emma Sleep mattress range, with prices starting from just AU$889 for the single. This is a steep AU$300 markup over the AU$580 RRP that the single Emma Comfort previously cost.

The most you’ll pay for an Emma Comfort mattress is AU$1,399 for the king size which, while being reasonable for an all-rounder like this one, is AU$539 more than what it previously cost. When we first reviewed this mattress, we said it represented good value as you could get a king or a queen size for under a grand, but the higher prices are a little hard to justify. 

Below are the current prices for the Emma lineup (including the Comfort) in all the different sizes available:

For comparison, the Koala Sleep Easy, which is also an all-foam affair, has a starting price of AU$650 for the single, going up to AU$1,150 for the king, making the better budget offering at the bigger sizes.

Compared to the hybrid Ecosa Mattress, with prices starting at AU$800 for a single and going up to AU$1,350 for the king, the Emma Comfort again becomes the slightly more expensive option unless you pick it up during one of the many Emma Sleep sales. Interestingly, Ecosa offers a super king as well, which will set you back AU$1,650.

However, the Emma Comfort happens to be slightly cheaper than the new Emma Comfort Adapt, which is a hybrid option made from both foam and pocket springs. Prices for second-generation mattress start at AU$959 for the single and top out at AU$1,349 for the king.

Long story short, the Emma Comfort no longer offers the value for money it used to, unless you shop during a sale when you can get the mattress for close to its previous prices, when we would think it's good bang for buck. If not, we think the Emma Comfort Adapt, which is an innerspring alternative and quite a bit more comfortable than its predecessor might be the better alternative.

View the Emma Comfort Mattress at Emma Sleep

It might be phased out at some point in the future considering Emma Sleep has introduced the Emma Comfort Adapt to the Australian market, but the new model is a hybrid. If you’re after an all-foam mattress that won’t cost the earth, the Emma Comfort is still a decent option to consider.

View Deal

Emma Sleep gives you a 100-night trial to test the mattress for yourself in your own home. That’s over three months to sleep on it and decide if it’s worth your money. If you think it isn’t, you can get in touch with Emma Sleep’s customer service and organise a free pick-up and get a full refund. 

You also get a 10-year warranty for the mattress, which covers sags and dips of more than 2.5cm that occur even after you’ve been using the mattress correctly (meaning you rotate it regularly to avoid said sagging).

Emma Comfort Mattress review: Design and materials

• Two foam layers
• Removable and washable polyester cover
• 25cm thickness

Using a combination of two different foams, Emma Sleep has managed to construct a mattress that offers decent comfort and support for a good night’s sleep. 

The topmost layer under the fabric cover is the Airgocell foam that’s been designed to dampen motion transfer if you happen to be sleeping beside a restless partner. While this layer does what it says on the tin, it’s not 100% and some movement can be felt. However, it’s minimal and unless you’re a light sleeper, you likely won’t be disturbed.

The underlying layer is HRX (or High Resiliency Extra) foam that provides firmness to a mattress so you don’t sink too much. It's not just a monolithic slab of foam, and has variable depth valleys carved from the surface that create zoned support areas that are firmer or softer. Overall, the Emma Comfort has just enough firmness to keep you stable, but heavier-built people will find they're sinking more than is comfortable.

The layers are wrapped in a polyester cover that has a little bit of elastane in it to give it a slight stretch. This makes it easy to remove for washing — it’s machine washable and fast drying too — and put back. The cover also has a pair of fabric handles on two sides that are quite sturdy, so moving the mattress around is easier. The polyester also makes the cover breathable — it tends to absorb heat quickly if you’re a hot sleeper though, but dissipates that heat just as quickly.

Emma Comfort Mattress review: firmness and comfort

• Firmness rated as medium (5.3) by manufacturer
• Tom’s Guide firmness rating of 7 out of 10
• Comfortable and supportive for the average person

According to the product listing for this mattress on the Emma Sleep website, the Emma Comfort is rated for a medium firmness of 5.3 out of 10. After having tested the mattress for a lengthy period of time, we’d have to disagree and say it’s firmer than that and rate it at 7 out of 10 after it was broken into.

We’ll put it down to the quality and combination of the Airgocell and HRX foam layers, both of which add a decent amount of firmness. That’s not to say there’s no sinking — if you’re on the heavier side, you’ll feel it more, but for the average user, the amount the mattress sinks will be less, thus keeping your spine aligned while you sleep. 

During our testing we had two reviewers with different body types try the mattress and found that the Emma Comfort began to sink more after a few hours of use for the heavier user. For the most part we found that even with this little bit of sinking, the mattress was quite comfortable through the night, but our heavier reviewer woke up with mild discomfort occasionally. The lighter reviewer, on the other hand, found the mattress quite firm and comfortable.

While we found this level of firmness quite comfortable, it may be too firm for some users, particularly if you’ve never slept on a firm mattress before. Moreover, comfort levels are subjective. That said, if you are big built and would like a firm sleep surface, Emma’s more expensive mattresses might be right for you — in our Emma Diamond Hybrid mattress review, we said it had a firmness rating of 8.5 and wouldn’t be for everyone, but we think it might be a good alternative if you have existing back issues and would prefer a bit more support.

Emma Comfort Mattress review: Performance

• Good back alignment for the average user
• Effective dampening of motion
• No edge support

While comfort and support are subjective, there are a few mattress metrics that are a little more standard, like testing motion dampening and temperature regulation. Even these aren’t precise measurements — for example, we might say the Emma Comfort is good at dampening motion transfer but if you are a light sleeper, you might disagree with us. But they can give you a better idea of how a mattress will perform in the long term and whether it's worth dropping some money on.

The only way to test a mattress' performance well is to take full advantage of the company's trail period. We suggest that you don’t judge a mattress for the first week — give it time to break in, then sleep on it for a minimum of eight weeks to determine whether it’s indeed what you need. After having tested a few mattresses here on Tom’s Guide, we’ve found that some aspects become apparent only after a few weeks of use and you'll find the details of the Emma Comfort's performance after about nine weeks listed below.

Setup

Score: 4.5 / 5

Most mattress companies in Australia make it quite easy to order their products online, although with Emma Sleep, there are some annoying pop-ups to deal with before your final order goes through. That done, you’ll be sent an initial email confirming your order, followed by another a day or two later letting you know your order has left the warehouse and providing you with a delivery date — next-day delivery is available for customers living in metropolitan areas.

As with most mattresses-in-a-box, the Emma Comfort is quite easy to set up, especially since it arrives in a single box. However, depending on what size you purchase, you might need help getting the shrink-wrapped mattress out of the box and placed on your bed base.

Ensure that the dark grey part of the mattress is the lower layer and then cut away the plastic wrapping. The rolled-up mattress will begin to unfurl on its own, and there are a pair of fabric handles on either side to help you adjust it if needed. In our review sample, we found these handles to be quite well stitched and sturdy.

Leave the mattress uncovered and unused on the bed base for a few hours before you put on the sheets.

Off-gassing

Score: 4.5 / 5

This is the only all-foam mattress that Emma sells in Australia and that means there’s a distinct odour that you’ll get as soon as the Emma Comfort has been opened up on your bed base. However, that smell is minimal and dissipates within an hour or two if you ensure the room is well ventilated.

This process, called off-gassing, allows volatile gases to escape and it starts as soon as the plastic is removed. It can take a few hours for the whole process to finish, and it’s recommended that you allow at least 4-5 hours for off-gassing to take place before you put the sheets on and start using the mattress.

One of the gases that are released by new furniture and mattresses is formaldehyde, and there are some air purifiers that can measure the amount of this gas in the air. At the time we received the Emma Comfort, we also had the Dyson Purifier Big+Quiet Formaldehyde in our test space for review on sister site TechRadar, and were able to check if any formaldehyde was released. We are glad to report that the air purifier registered nothing despite being just a couple of feet away from the new mattress.

While this only proves there’s no formaldehyde in the Emma Comfort, the company promises no other toxic substances are used to make the mattress. Emma Sleep only lists one certification on its site for the Emma Comfort — the OKEO-TEX Standard 100 - Class 1 certificate which it has also earned for its other mattresses. This certifies that the product meets the strictest standards and is safe for babies.

Pressure relief

Score: 3.5 / 5

The Emma Comfort has three support zones which, for the most part, are enough to keep most people comfortable through the night. However, side sleepers might find that their hips begin to sink ever so slightly after a few hours in one position. This is exacerbated if you’re a heavier person. Back and stomach sleepers, however, will find a bit more support here as the body weight is distributed a little more evenly across a larger surface area of the mattress, preventing it from sinking too much. 

It’s important to note that the sinkage isn’t a lot, but it may be enough for some users to feel discomfort on waking up. It really depends on your body size and sleeping style — this mattress is the epitome of one size not fitting all.

If you’re of average build, chances are this mattress will suit you perfectly, but heavier sleepers might want to consider a slightly firmer mattress that won’t sink as much, and thus keep the spine better aligned through the night.

Temperature regulation

Score: 4 / 5

Emma says the cover of the mattress is breathable and offers good temperature regulation, which is true for the most part. However, during our testing we found that spending a few hours in one spot on the mattress if you are a hot sleeper can build up heat, even under a thin, summer blanket. Interestingly, though, a slight shift of the body and the mattress cools down almost immediately.

We tested temperature regulation without a mattress protector first, and followed it up with a quilted protector. While temperature regulation was similar in both cases, heat build-up took longer without a mattress protector. So keep in mind that temperature regulation can vary depending on the kind of protector you use — there are some that offer this feature that might be a good option to consider if you are a hot sleeper.

Our reviewer, who is a hot sleeper, found the Emma Comfort to getting uncomfortably warm even during winter, but the heat dissipated the moment she shifted a little away from that spot. This heat buildup was enough to become uncomfortable and our reviewer found she was woken up because of it a few times throughout the testing period. As we’ve mentioned, however, a slight adjustment is all it takes for the mattress to cool down again. 

If you’re someone who finds it hard to go back to sleep once woken up, this mattress may not be right for you.

Our reviewer found the Emma Comfort performing better than the Emma Diamond Hybrid which, ironically, was designed for superior temperature regulation.

Motion transfer

Score: 4 / 5

All-foam mattresses are typically quite good at reducing motion transfer and the Emma Comfort is no different. While it’s not quite zero-disturbance, motion dampening is quite good here. We conducted two tests to determine how well motion transfer is handled here.

Our first test was placing a glass of red wine in the middle of the mattress and the reviewer — slowly and carefully — getting into the mattress to recline beside the glass. There was a little wobble, but no topple. The second test was to place a cup of tea in the same spot and the reviewer got into the same position, but without being too careful. Again, the cup wobbled, albeit a bit more aggressively than the wine glass and the tea threatened to spill out (it wasn’t full to the brim, thankfully), but the cup remained upright.

That goes to show there will be some motion transfer, but most users will likely sleep through the night beside a restless partner. Light sleepers, however, might feel some disturbance, and there’s really not a lot that can be done about sheets and blankets shifting.

Edge support

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Score: 3 / 5

Most all-foam mattresses don’t offer good edge support, even when designed to do so — case in point is the Koala Calm As mattress that, despite design elements that offer a stiffer edge, don’t quite fulfil the promise. So you really can’t expect much in this area from more affordable options like the Emma Comfort, which has no edge support to speak of.

The moment you sit down on the edge of the mattress, you’ll find yourself sinking quite a bit, although you won’t slip off. This can be a little disconcerting since the rest of the mattress is relatively firm.

As we’ve mentioned briefly above, there’s about two inches around the perimeter that sinks significantly, reducing the overall supportive sleep surface you get — something that you will need to keep in mind when purchasing this mattress.

Durability

Score: 3.5 / 5

It’s difficult to judge whether a mattress will go the distance without using it for a few years, but we can extrapolate based on our testing. With the Emma Comfort, we used it for over two months and, in that period, decided we wouldn’t rotate the mattress to see how the foam held up with daily use.

During our testing, we found that constant pressure in one spot can soften the foam, but there was no visible sagging. If that spot was not used for two or three days, the foam regained its firmness and it felt like new.

That means the Emma Comfort mattress might do well for a few years with regular rotation, although we’re doubtful it will do well through the 10 years of the warranty period, and you may need to request a replacement if the company’s customer service is satisfied you’ve done your best in maintaining the mattress. Or you’ll need to look elsewhere for a more durable mattress.

Emma Comfort Mattress: user reviews

As we’ve mentioned in most of our mattress reviews, the best option for you is as unique as the sleeper — what we might find to be a good mattress may not be the case for you. So in case you don't want to take our word for it, we went through a ton of user reviews to see what other people had to say about the Emma Comfort.

While the reviews posted on the Emma Sleep website are all glowing, with five-star ratings, they’re all from Australia’s most popular consumer opinion site, Product Review.com.au. At the time of writing, there are a staggering 8,494 user reviews on Product Review for the Emma Comfort mattress, with an average rating of 4.6. 

A whopping 7,852 users (or 92%) have left a positive review, giving kudos to the mattress for value for money, something we agree on. Several users found the mattress comfortable, although over 615 users disagreed, saying it caused discomfort.

Most of the users who left a 1- or 2-star review mainly complained about how firm the mattress is, some calling it “rock hard”. Others found that the mattress started to sag after 6 months, some had issues with sagging after a year. That said, these are few and far between, with 6,611 users leaving a 5-star rating.

This led to the Emma Comfort winning a 2023 ProductReview.com.au Award in the Mattresses category for being comfortable, supportive and offering great value for money. Surely, that’s saying something.

Should you buy the Emma Comfort Mattress?

If you don’t have any pre-existing back issues, we think the Emma Comfort mattress is a good option. People of average build and weight should find the mattress comfortable and supportive, although people with bigger body sizes might want to consider an alternative as the Emma Comfort can sink uncomfortably for select users.

Its overall performance is quite good, although it lacks edge support, which is something you’ll be hard pressed to find at this price point in other foam mattresses as well. Its motion dampening is good and temperature regulation, while a strange one, is not too bad either. 

Our one concern would be its durability as we think the foam could start to soften after prolonged use and it may not go the distance.

It’s also lost its status as offering good value for money since Emma Sleep hiked up the prices, but it's still the cheapest in the company's range. But it's usually easy to get it for a significant discount, which would make it worth considering if you're on a tight budget.