Emma Premium mattress review 2024

Emma Premium mattress review: Two-minute review

UPDATE: Officially, this mattress has been discontinued and replaced by an upgraded version – read about that one in our Emma NextGen Premium mattress review.

Emma is widely known for its well-crafted range of conveniently delivered boxed mattresses that provide comfort at reasonable prices. The original model sits near the top of our best mattress guide (find out more about it in our Emma Mattress review), so how does this hybrid version hold up?

The Emma Premium comes with all the benefits of the Original but with an improved structure to help support a range of body sizes. It’s a welcome addition to anyone who may be put off by the all-foam Original, as the Premium is a hybrid design that comes with a mix of memory foam and springs with better cooling properties and comfort. (If you really struggle with overheating, though, you might want to upgrade to the brand's specialist cooling model, which you can read about in our Emma Luxe Cooling mattress review.)

As we discovered in our review, it comes with a medium-firm support that feels suitably cushioned and gently adapts to your body as you move during the night to provide optimum support. It also does well to retain its shape over time. While we were very impressed with its overall offering and great-value price, we think improvements could be made in terms of edge support.

All-foam mattresses have been known to sleep warm, but the Emma Premium is a hybrid mattress, which is good news for breathability – the spring layer gives space for air to circulate. It has also been mindfully designed to combat possible overheating issues, with materials that wick away moisture and are designed to help keep the mattress fresh. Within its six-layer structure, you’ll find a double layer of Airgocell foam and Emma’s UltraDry Original cover to help keep your body cool and dry, even when it’s hot. 

To find out whether the Emma Premium matches up to its award-winning claims, we gave a double size mattress a trial for four weeks and slept on the job all in the name of research. We mounted it onto a wooden slatted bed frame and asked a panel of testers with differing weights and ages to sleep on it and provide feedback.

We tested the Emma Premium to see how well it performed overall and rated its pressure relief to see how well it supports the body and whether it can adapt to both lighter and heavier users. We also assessed the mattress on motion isolation, which is a particularly important feature should you or your partner be a restless sleeper. You can read the full review below.

Emma Premium mattress review: Materials and design

• Hybrid design with up to six layers
• Reinforced core zone with 5 Zone CarbonFlex Springs
• With moisture-wicking materials for a cool and dry sleep

What makes the Emma Premium superior to the Emma Original mattress is its six-layer structure that teams memory foam with springs. The Premium hybrid mattress combines up to six layers of foam and springs to encourage a restful night’s sleep and is a great option if you’re after one of the best hybrid mattresses. If you suffer from allergies, it’s a good idea to team this mattress with the Emma Mattress protector that is designed to protect against dust mites and allergens.

The mattress comes with a removable cover made from Emma UltraDry fabric that is built to be temperature-regulating and moisture wicking. The best bit is that it is easy to remove and wash so you can keep it looking fresh, which comes in handy if you have kids, pets or are partial to drinking hot chocolate and eating biscuits in bed. It is slightly trickier to put back on and a spare set of hands is recommended.

We found the top layer to be smooth in hand, giving the mattress a luxurious finish and making it enticing to sleep on even before the sheets were put on. Beneath this a layer of Halo memory foam that is excellent at adapting to the contours of your body - aligning your spine and providing pressure relief in places such as the hips, shoulders and knees. Our testers found this surface felt firm and robust, while feeling comfortable and even enough in its structure to support their entire body. The mattress also did well to keep them at a comfortable temperature through the night. It is worth bearing in mind, however, that how hot you sleep all depends on the room temperature and can fluctuate depending on which sheets and duvets you team with your mattress.  

Emma Premium mattress review: comfort

• Medium firm mattress with 6.5 out of 10 rating
• Six layers of foam and springs
• Includes HRX foam for optimal spinal alignment

While the Emma Premium has a 6.5 rating out of 10 in the firmness scale, it was a little firmer than what we were used to sleeping on previously and had expected from a medium-firm design. This made our first night’s sleep of the Emma Premium a little disorientating as it took a while for our body to adjust to the firm structure.

During our month-long trial, our main 145lbs tester noted that they soon began to appreciate how well this firmness worked to keep them well supported and provide pressure relief. They enjoyed the cushiony feel of the top layer combined with the overall solid form of the mattress and liked how the mattress subtly accommodated their curves when they moved from side to side. Our heavier 182lb tester also noted how well the mattress retained its shape and supported their entire body when they flopped backwards onto the mattress and slept on their back for the rest of the night alone.

If you're still reasonably happy with your existing mattress but feel it could use a comfort boost, the Emma Premium topper could make all the difference with 9cm of high-quality foam. Learn more about it in our Emma Premium topper review.

Emma Premium mattress review: support and pressure relief

• Six layers for good support
• CarbonFlex springs work independently to provide support where needed
• Adapts to body as you sleep

A mattress that provides body support in key pressure points such as the shoulders, knees and hips is integral to a comfortable night’s sleep and how you feel the next day. With this in mind we were keen to find out just how well the Emma Premium relieved key pressure points when sleeping on it.

Our testers reported that they felt evenly supported when laying on their backs. Our side sleeper who is prone to switching from side to side told us that they felt the mattress was particularly kind to their hips.

The materials in the Emma Premium are structured to ensure the best spinal alignment. As soon as we lay on it we could tell that it subtly supported the contours of our body while gently cushioning the key pressure points – in particular at the hips. Our heaviest tester was keen to point out that their body didn’t sink into the mattress either – which is something they have found to be a problem with all-foam mattresses in the past.

Aside from asking our users to comment on pressure relief we also conducted a test to assess the sinkage of the mattress. We placed a weight in the middle of the mattress and measured the shrinkage results at 1 inch. This reassured us that while the mattress has a little give, it does well to retain its shape, supporting us and limiting mattress sagging.

Emma Premium mattress review: temperature regulation

• Airgocell foam for a cool and dry sleep
• Open-pored HRX layer to enhance airflow
• Moisture wicking materials to keep you at optimum temperature

With breathable materials included in its six-layer structure, the Emma Premium is a step up from your average memory-foam mattress, which can sometimes make you feel a little too warm. To promote cooling and airflow the Premium features a number of specially designed materials. These include two layers of Airgocell foam and an UltraDry Original cover that is moisture wicking and easy to clean.

Which bedding you choose can often make a difference to how overheated you feel at night, so it’s important to choose breathable cottons in duvets and sheets. We teamed the Emma Premium with a 7.5 tog hypoallergenic duvet. While the mattress does feel quite padded, we can report that it didn’t leave us feeling too warm when sleeping in an 18 degrees room.

Emma Premium mattress review: motion transfer and edge support

• Limited motion transfer
• Firmness suits co-sleeping
• Edge and corner support could be improved

As anyone with a restless partner will tell you, minimum motion transfer is key when choosing a mattress that helps you sleep soundly all night. On the Emma website it states that the Emma Premium can provide ‘No motion transfer for out-of-this-world comfort and undisturbed sleep’. And so, we were keen to test this claim first hand by co-sleeping over the course of the month. Our main tester sleeps with a side sleeper who is in the habit of moving from their back to the sides and back again through the night. On the Emma Premium they found that while they could sense slight movement now and then, the firm nature of the mattress minimised any motion transfer.

We also conducted a test using a wine glass and a weight designed to measure motion transfer and mimic someone else in the bed moving position. We placed an empty wine glass on the mattress and dropped a 3kg weight onto it 4 inches apart, 10 inches and also 25 inches apart. While the wine glass barely moved 25 inches apart the base slightly wobbled at 10 inches and shook a little more at 4 inches. It didn’t once fall over, however, which is a good indication that the mattress is supportive and limits motion transfer. 

Good edge support is important if you want to feel supported when you get in and out of bed in the morning and limit how much you tumble out of bed. It’s also integral if you and your partner are prone to sleeping on either sides of the mattress. To test the edge support of the Emma Premium we placed a weight on each side and measured the sinkage, which we found to be just under one inch, which is reasonable give for a medium-firm mattress. When sitting on the sides of the mattress we didn’t feel that the mattress was that sturdy, however. And in particular when we sat in the corners we found ourselves easily sliding off. This is what we think lets the Emma Premium down in terms of design and structure.

Emma Premium mattress review: price and deals

• Regularly discounted up to 50% off
• Emma bundle options available

If you’re after a new hybrid mattress you can find lots of ideas in the TechRadar mattress sales. The Emma Premium is a great-value buy and a step up from the company’s flagship Emma Original mattress design, which comes up again and again in online reviews as one of the most affordable and reliable mattresses.

While the six-layered Emma Premium is Emma’s most expensive mattress offering, it’s still very competitively priced compared to similar hybrid designs. You can currently find 50% off the five-layered Eve Premium Hybrid at £549 for a double, for example, 45% off the five-layered Simba Hybrid mattress from £631.95 online, while the Nectar Premier Hybrid mattress is available online with 50% off right now, bringing the price of a double down to £750.

Emma is currently offering up to 60% in its Black Friday mattress deals with massive savings to be enjoyed. You can, in fact, regularly find items across the Emma range being discounted on its site throughout the year. Not only will you find a good range of mattress sales, but there are also discounted pillows, toppers and accessories too. At the time of writing, you can find the Emma Premium currently available for 55% off the usual price at £359.99 for a single, down from £799. You can also buy an Emma Premium Mattress Bundle, which includes a mattress, two memory foam pillows, one waterproof mattress protector, one microfiber duvet and one weight blanket from £572.76 for a single.

You can find the official pricing and sale pricing for the Emma Premium here:

• Single RRP: £799 (normally on sale for £359.55)
• Small double RRP: £949 (normally on sale for £427.05)
• Double RRP: £1,099 (normally on sale for £494.55)
• King RRP: £1,299 (normally on sale for £584.55)
• Super king RRP: £1,449 (normally on sale for £652.05)

See the Emma Premium mattress at Emma
With limited motion transfer, medium-firm support and a structure made up of six luxurious layers of memory foam and tall springs, the Emma Premium is an excellent buy. It can currently be found with prices starting at £799 for a single, but most of the time you can find it for at least 50% off; over the Black Friday weekend it was available at 55% off, bringing the price of a double down to £494.55, down from £1,099.

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Emma Premium mattress review: setup

• Arrives in a box and rolled in vacuum packaging.
• Designed to be carried up the stairs with ease 
• Mattress inflates in 2-4 hours

It took around five days for our Emma Premium to arrive – from order to delivery. It arrived in a compact box with the mattress rolled up and vacuum packed in plastic packaging inside. We found it relatively easy to haul it upstairs solely and place it onto a double bed as there was so much packaging on one end that could be grabbed hold of and easily pulled along. We placed it onto a wooden slatted bedframe and used a knife to score the plastic and release the mattress, which then took about four hours to inflate.

The Emma website states that it takes around 2-4 hours before you can sleep on the mattress but after the four hour mark it still felt a little flimsy round the edges. For this reason, we decided to give it a good few days before sleeping on it. After 48 hours we could really notice a difference in its depth as it rose up to a firm 25cm in depth. 

We kept the room windows open to gauge the strength of the off-gassing, which is that new factory smell that some products emit when you first open them. Emma states that its off-gassing is kept to a minimum as they use ‘high-grade materials’, but after three days we could still notice an undesirable scent in the air. If you can’t wait for the smell to evaporate, you can wash the Emma Premium removable mattress cover in the washing machine – although you may find the cover more difficult to put it back on than it was to take it off.  

Emma Premium mattress review: customer reviews

• ‘Great’ rating and 4 out of 5 stars on TrustPilot
• ‘Affordable, comfortable and with excellent customer service’
• Based on 32,319 TrustPilot customer reviews

We like to go in depth in our reviews here at TechRadar to help you shop for the best product. While we’re keen to test the mattresses first hand, we also look online and scour through the wide range of customer reviews to gauge just how well received the latest designs are.

Overall, you’ll find lots of positive reviews of the Emma mattress online. Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to tell if the reviews are based on the Emma Original or the Premium design. Many customers are happy with the service they have received from Emma and feel that Emma mattresses are ‘comfy and very reasonably priced’. They are also impressed with the fast delivery and fact that the box and rolled up mattresses are easy to manoeuvre.

Should you buy the Emma Premium mattress?

If you’re in need of a comfortable mattress that is reasonably priced and you can easily share with your partner, we think the Emma Premium is worth consideration. With six layers of breathable, moisture wicking memory foam and extra-tall springs, it’s a mattress that has been well-realised to provide optimum spinal alignment and limit overheating at an affordable price. While its edge and corner support could be improved, we think the overall structure of the medium-firm mattress is impressive. 

We are also very pleased by its ability to limit motion transfer, which is a bonus if you or your partner are particularly fidgety sleepers. And while it’s reasonably priced all year round, if you happen to find an Emma Premium on offer in the Black Friday sale you’ll have even more reason to sleep soundly.