Emma Premium mattress review 2022

Emma Premium mattress review in brief

The Emma Premium mattress is the brand's best-selling mattress, a hybrid design that has a lot to offer. Its breathable layers and body-supporting structure is designed to complement your sleep and allow for a restful, restorative slumber. We were eager to sleep on an Emma Premium to see how it ranks among the best mattresses on the market.

This excellent-value mattress can often be found discounted to around  £359.55 for a single. and comes in five size options from single to super king (three EU sizes are also available). It comes with a 10-year guarantee, a 200-night trial and free delivery. The best bit is that you needn’t have to wait too many sleeps for delivery either, as it can be dispatched in just five days. It comes vacuum-packed and rolled up ready for you to unpack and enjoy. 

An improvement on the all-foam Emma Original, the Emma Premium is a hybrid foam and spring design that is equally impressive in price. (You can read our Emma Original mattress review to see how we got on with that one.). The Emma Premium is designed to be durable, hold its shape and prevent any sag over time. So how did it fare for us when our testing panel slept on it?

We slept on a double Emma Premium mattress for a month and found that while it felt quite firm to sleep on, it also had a comfortable and subtle bounce to it, cushioning our joints in the right places and leaving us feeling nicely rested after a night’s sleep. The combination of tall springs and foam in the Emma Premium is not only designed to retain shape, but to limit motion-transfer between sleeping partners. The materials inside are breathable and designed to help regulate your temperature by absorbing moisture too.

Its medium-firm support is crafted to suit all body shapes and sizes and while its firmness took us a little by surprise at first, we found it to be super supportive and comfortable as we slept on it over the course of a month. Our panel of testers were so impressed with this latest offering from Emma that they are happy to recommend the Emma Premium as a great-value hybrid boxed mattress option for most sleepers. Read our complete Emma Premium mattress review below...

See the Emma Premium mattress from £359.55 at Emma
Black Friday mattress sales slash 55% off the Emma Premium, now from £359.55 for a single (was £799) and £494.55 for a double (was £1,099). This hybrid design combines both foam and springs for excellent comfort and support no matter your sleep style. It comes with a 10-year warranty and a 200-night trial to decide whether it's right for you. 

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Emma Premium mattress review: materials

• A 6-layer mattress with 5 ergonomic zones
• Made of three types of foam plus hundreds of springs
• Removable moisture-wicking top cover is also washable

With a structure made up of six layers, the 25cm Emma Premium mattress includes Emma HRX (High Resiliency Extra) Supreme foam and 5 Zone CarbonFlex with extra tall springs. Its 3cm visco-elastic memory foam layer is designed to relieve pressure while the 16cm layer of cold foam serves as the foundation and support for the mattress. On top is a removable (and washable) moisture-wicking cover.

The Emma Premium mattress dynamically adapts to your body as you change sleep positions – providing the ideal support for your back, hips and shoulders in particular. Its reinforced core zone also makes sure your spine is correctly aligned, which is such an important part of gaining a restful night’s sleep and waking up feeling refreshed the next day. (It'll also save you from back pain.)

The Emma Premium mattress is crafted with breathability in mind, so you don’t feel too hot while you sleep, which is sometimes where all-foam mattresses such as the Emma Original can fall short. If you’re a hot sleeper you may prefer to invest in one of the best hybrid mattresses such as the Emma Premium as it has improved temperature-regulating properties, while offering comfort and support.

Emma Premium mattress review: price and deals

• Emma's top-line hybrid with a £799 starting RRP
• Often undercuts rivals Eve and Simba 
• Includes a 200-night trial and 10-year guarantee

Emma’s top-line mattress has a starting RRP of £799. However, it's often discounted in Emma mattress sales, and its current promotion cuts 55% off, dropping prices to as low as £359.55 for a single. 

Here's the ‘official’ pricing and the sale pricing for the Emma Premium mattress:

• RRP Single: £799 (now priced £359.55)
• RRP EU single: £869 (now priced £391.05)
• RRP Small double: £949 (now priced £427.05)
• RRP Double: £1,099 (now priced £494.55)
• RRP EU double: £1,159 (now priced £521.55)
• RRP King: £1,299 (usually now £584.55)
• RRP EU queen: £1,409 (now priced £634.05)
• RRP Super king: £1,449  (now priced £652.05)

This is very competitive with companies offering similar boxed mattress hybrids, but Emma often comes up top on price. By comparison, you can find the five-layered Eve Premium Hybrid mattress priced as low as £549 in a double when on sale, but keep in mind that the Eve is available in a much smaller range of sizes. (Read our Eve Premium Hybrid mattress review for our thoughts on that model.)

Meanwhile, the Simba Hybrid mattress is closer in price after markdowns, dropping to £411.95 for a single during its most recent sales. We'd recommend this one for side or back sleepers who also need superb edge support; our Simba Hybrid mattress review has more details.

The Emma Premium Hybrid costs up to £450 more than its stablemate, the Emma Original. However, hybrid mattresses generally use a wider range of materials than their foam-exclusive counterparts, which makes them a more expensive option. But no matter which Emma mattress you choose, you'll avail of some fantastic saving – along with a 200-night trial plus a 10-year guarantee.

For even further saving you can bundle your Emma Premium mattress with a sheets set, mattress protector and one of Emma's bed frames. This is a sound decision if you want the full Emma sleep experience – we recently reviewed an Emma Divan Bed ourselves.

Emma Premium mattress review: firmness and comfort

• A medium-firm mattress with a 6.5 out of 10 rating
• Adapts to your body as you change positions 
• Lighter side sleepers may need time to break it in

All Emma mattresses have been crafted in the medium firmness range to provide the best spinal alignment for most sleepers, which is why the Emma Premium has been crafted with a 6.5 firmness rating (out of 10). Comfort is obviously subjective, however, so we asked a few different testers to try out the Emma Premium mattress.

On first try of the mattress, we were surprised at how firm it felt compared to other hybrid mattresses we’d recently reviewed such as the Brooke & Wilde Lux. Our main tester (who weighs 145lbs) pointed out that while the mattress felt noticeably firm when they first lay on it, they quickly got used to it. However, despite its firmness there was quite a nice cushiony bounce to it and we felt very supported as we moved around from side to side. 

Meanwhile, our older, heavier (182lb) tester said they could instantly feel the mattress gently moulding to their body shape – particularly when side sleeping. They thought it supported their hips and the sides of their legs effectively. We also asked a 165lb front sleeper to give it a go and they liked how the mattress felt underneath when they were laying on their stomach, and they felt particularly supported around the hips. 

On average, it takes about three weeks for your body to adjust to a new bed. Fortunately, Emma offers 200 nights to test its mattress at home. If you can't get on with it, you'll be able to return it for a full refund within the trial period at no extra charge,

Emma Premium mattress review: performance

• Superior pressure relief in all sleep positions
• Low motion transfer will suit co-sleepers
• Middling edge support and potent off-gassing

To test the performance of the Emma Premium, we slept on a double size mattress for a month, which was mounted onto a wooded slatted bed frame. We used our Tom’s Guide mattress testing methodology to rate the mattress to find out how well it did with pressure relief, motion isolation, edge support, cooling and ease of set up. 

We also assembled a group of testers with varying body shapes, ages, and sleep preferences to make sure we got a fair and diverse range of opinions. To supplement our relatively small sample size, we analysed Emma Premium mattress user reviews to see what customers think. Here’s what we discovered:

Set-up

Score: 4 out of 5  

The Emma Premium arrived vacuum-packed in plastic packaging and inside an Emma-branded cardboard box with a welcome booklet. The mattress can be left in the box for up to four weeks before it needs to be opened, but we were keen to give it a try as soon as it arrived. Once we’d got it out of the box, hauling it up the stairs while still in the plastic was relatively easy as there was so much surplus packaging on one side that we could use to pull it up.  

The double is 28.5kg but as it was rolled up so tightly, it didn’t feel particularly heavy to carry onto the bed frame. It looked so small at first we thought it may have been a single, but once we had knifed open the plastic the mattress unfolded and unravelled to reveal a double. It took under five minutes to unwrap the mattress from the plastic, which we then popped into the recycling bin. We would have liked to see less packaging and/or a note on how the plastic was sourced.

The Emma website states that it takes around 2-6 hours for the mattress to fully inflate, but it can take a few days for it to reach its desired depth. For this reason, we gave the mattress a little more time to inflate before sleeping on it. Once we had positioned it on our slatted bed frame and taken it out of its vacuum packaging, we left it for three days before dressing it with an Emma mattress protector and sheets. 

Off-gassing

Score: 3 out of 5 

All new mattresses will smell a bit depending on what they are made from, how long they have been left in the box and what type you buy. Emma warns that there will be a ‘slight smell’ when you first open your Emma Premium mattress but claims that this would only be temporary due to the high-grade materials they use. Mattress off-gassing is generally harmless, but not particularly pleasant. 

To give us a good idea of the off-gassing we were dealing with, we left the windows closed and opened the mattress. There was a definite off-gassing smell in the air and this lasted at least a couple of days. When we put our nose to the mattress after five days we could still notice a slight ‘factory’ smell, which is why we’ve marked Emma Premium down in our score ratings. 

This is nothing that can’t be resolved by washing the removable cover, however. And if you still notice a smell after an extended period, Emma gives you the option to return it. You can rest assured that Emma mattresses are fire retardant and are UKFR certified.

Pressure relief

Score: 5 out of 5 

Pressure relief is an important consideration when choosing a mattress. A good mattress will alleviate key pressure points such as the hips, shoulders, glutes and back to increase comfort and reduce pain. The efficacy of pressure relief will indicate how comfortable and supportive the mattress will be for your body. 

While it took a few days for our body to get used to the firmness of the Emma Premium, we appreciated how supportive it felt around our main joints and back, gently moulding to the contours of our body. It matched other hybrid mattresses such as the equally-firm Otty Pure Hybrid Bamboo & Charcoal mattress in terms of comfort. 

One of our testers who is usually a side sleeper and prone from switching between sides during the night reported how less frequently they needed to change position to maintain comfort. Another tester who tends to sleep on their back reported that the back of their hips and glutes were nicely positioned when they lay on the mattress for an extended period of time. While they usually put a pillow under their knees to sleep they didn’t feel the need to do this when sleeping on the Emma Premium. 

As well as assessing pressure relief on human bodies, we evaluated the sinkage of the mattress by placing a 5kg weight in the middle. We measured it sinking by 1 inch, which we feel is reasonable for a hybrid mattress of this build (and a sign of how well it'll support an individual sleeper).      

Motion transfer

Score: 4.5 out of 5 

If you have a sleeping partner, motion transfer is key to a good night’s sleep. Regardless of whether you or the other person are a particularly restless sleeper, if two people are sleeping alongside of each other, a mattress with low motion transfer will ensure limited disturbance. The testers in our review who slept alongside a partner reported that motion transfer felt minimal and luckily there was no dip in the middle of the mattress on either side.  

To further evaluate how well the Emma Premium fared in terms of motion transfer we conducted a drop test to mimic someone else in the bed moving position. We placed an empty wine glass on the mattress and dropped a 3kg weight from 4, 10 and then 25 inches away. 

We were suitably impressed with the results. At 25 inches apart the wine glass didn’t move, while at 10 inches away it merely swayed. At 4 inches apart the base of the glass wobbled slightly, but not enough to knock it off entirely. This proved to us just how well the structure of the Emma Premium holds together. 

Temperature regulation 

Score: 4 out of 5 

The Emma Premium is packed with ultra-breathable layers to wick away moisture as you sleep and keep you at the optimum temperature. The top layer features a temperature-regulating Emma UltraDry original cover that can be easily zipped off and removed to make it easy to clean. Our panel of testers found it smooth and tactile in hand and therefore enticing to sleep on. (Still, we recommend wrapping it in a mattress protector to keep it safe from spills and stains.)

Directly below the cover is the Halo memory foam that adapts to your body shape and provides body hugging comfort. Beneath this are two layers of Airgocell foam that is highly breathable and absorbs sweat as you sleep to keep you at optimum temperature. Then there’s the 5 Zone CarbonFlex Springs with zones packed with hundreds of coil springs to give that nicely balanced and cushioned feel to the mattress and encourage air flow.  

During our test we used a 7.5 tog duvet and teamed it with pure Egyptian cotton sheets to enhance circulation. The temperature in our room measured a little on the low side at a cool 18 degrees, which we found agreeable and optimum for sleep. 

While the Emma Premium can feel a little too snug if you stay in the same position for a long period of time, we didn’t find ourselves having to kick the covers off or feel overheated in any way.  

Edge support

Score: 3 out of 5 

Good edge support will help you get in and out of bed so it’s something to be aware of when buying a mattress. Not to mention, if you're one to gravitate towards the edges while you sleep, you won't want to worry about falling out of bed.

While we were impressed with the overall comfort of the Emma Premium when laying on it, we were less than impressed with the edge support. The sides felt relatively robust, but each time we sat on one of the corners of the Emma Premium mattress we found ourselves slipping off. The corners also took a while to retain their shape. 

We also used a 5kg weight to further test the sinkage of each side of the mattress and measured it at just under 1 inch, which is acceptable but could be improved. 

Durability

Score: 4.5 out of 5

After a month of testing, we were pleased to see that the mattress looks as good as new and retained its shape. What we love most about the Emma Premium is its removable cover, which makes it very easy to keep clean and maintain freshness. 

A removable and washable cover is a bonus for anyone who is prone to night sweats or is toilet training their kids. If we’re being picky, we would like to see the zip covered more securely or less easily accessible to kids who may be tempted to play around with it and pick at the interior memory foam on wash day. We also tried to wash it once and while it was quite easy to remove putting it back on again was a two-man job. 

You don’t need to flip the Emma Premium, but it is recommended that you rotate the mattress every now and then to keep it in optimum condition. You can see our guide on how often your should rotate your mattress for more details. 

To give you an indication of how long this mattress will last, Emma includes a 10-year guarantee that covers ‘dimensional stability and durability of the core materials'. We recommend reading the terms and conditions of your mattress warranty carefully to know what's covered in the event of a mishap.

Emma Premium mattress review: user reviews

When it comes to mattresses, online customer reviews can be invaluable. As well as giving the latest hybrid mattresses an in-depth review with the help of our testing panel, we also scour through the user feedback online so we can gauge trends among a broader range of verified customers.

On the Emma website, the Emma Premium mattress has a user rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars from over 1,500 reviews (November 2022). A whopping 84% of those reviews are a flawless 5 stars. Fans of the Emma Premium like that it's comfortable and supportive while praising its high-quality materials and overall value for money. Emma's customer service is also deemed excellent by a wide range of consumers.

Among the more critical feedback for the Emma Premium, several customers say it's too firm for their liking. Also, similar to our experience some users noticed a potent off-gassing smell that took days to dissipate.

Should you buy the Emma Premium mattress?

Our first impressions of the Emma Premium were that it looked very similar to your average boxed mattress in terms of style and finish. But once we had slept on it for a week or so, we noticed a difference from the Emma Original and were able to appreciate the Premium’s more supportive feel and upgraded temperature-regulating properties. It may feel firmer than you're used to, but over time you should start to feel settled into it. (And if not, you can return it risk-free within 200 days.)

With the ability to easily remove the breathable cover to wash it, this is a mattress that is easy to keep clean and fresh. Its mix of spring and foam ensures it can provide pressure relief where you need it the most and offer optimum support for your back. The moisture-wicking, breathable materials used throughout are designed to ensure you never get too hot either and we found our body temperature felt suitably stable throughout the night. If you are prone to overheating at night, it’s worth checking that you have a breathable duvet on top to complement your setup.

The fact that the main body of the mattress impressed our testers so well makes it easy to overlook the fact that the mattress doesn’t have the best edge support. That is, of course, something to bear in mind should you and your partner be prone to sleeping right up against the sides of the mattress or have mobility issues. Thus, if edge support is key to you, you may want to spend a little more and buy the Brook + Wilde Lux (from £699), which excels in this area. There's also the issue of off-gassing, but that should subside within a few days; washing the removable cover will help mitigate that.

Overall, we were suitably impressed at how aligned and comfortable we felt when laying on the Emma Premium mattress. In particular, it did well in our motion transfer test, where we saw minimal movement from the wine glass when we dropped our weight into the mix. For this reason the Emma Premium is an excellent choice for anyone who sleeps with a restless partner and doesn’t want to be interrupted by their every move. 

In short, for a good-quality mattress without the high-end price tag, we think the Emma Premium is definitely one to consider for most types of sleepers. 

Emma Premium mattress review: Alternatives to consider

Otty Original Hybrid
One alternative worth considering is the original Otty mattress. It's pretty similar to the Emma Premium – both are springs-and-foam hybrids and they have a similar firmness rating, with light cushioning a slight bounce. Neither have particularly great edge support. If you snag a good Otty deal, that'll probably be the more wallet-friendly option, but we'd say the Emma has a slightly more luxurious feel, and comes with a longer trial. too. Head to our Otty Original mattress review for more info. 

Nectar Premier Hybrid Mattress
Another elevated option from a major sleep brand, the Nectar will usually cost more than the Emma (although that depends on what deals are running when you need to buy). In our Nectar Premier Hybrid mattress review. It delivers more of that contouring, traditional memory foam feel, and although officially it has a similar firmness rating to the Emma, we found the Nectar a better choice for side sleepers, while the Emma would deliver more support to back/stomach sleepers.