Emma Premium mattress review: an impressive hybrid with great support

In this Emma Premium mattress review, I’ve made sure to sleep on the job to fully test out this high quality luxurious mattress from the popular Emma brand.

The Emma Premium is Emma’s luxury offering, with a significant jump in price from T3's favourite, Emma Original. The Emma Premium mattress was initially called the Emma Original Hybrid on release but given that the Emma Hybrid was the name of the first of the company’s products, Emma has clearly decided to make things significantly simpler and renamed accordingly.

The big difference between the Emma Original (which tops our best memory foam mattress guide and sits high on our best UK mattress guide too) and the Emma Premium is the addition of a layer of 12.5cm pocket springs. These springs add significant extra support – an issue we found in our review of the Emma Hybrid (which has since been discontinued but can be found at select retailers). This is what makes the Emma Premium a hybrid mattress and gives it the authority to compete with the likes of its strong competitor, the Simba Hybrid Pro Mattress.

• See how the Emma Premium compares in our Emma vs Simba showdown 

The Emma Premium comes in single, double, king size, and super king and in one firmness across the board. Emma states that the Emma Premium has a medium to firm mattress for a comfortable slumber for all types of sleepers, and we’d agree with this. Helpfully, they also promise a nice bonus of a free comfort layer of either firm or soft if you’re finding your mattress isn’t quite hitting that Goldilocks sweet spot.

Price wise, the Emma Premium isn’t quite as expensive as something like the luxury hybrid Brooke + Wilde Elite mattress but is around the middle of the market. Importantly, Emma runs regular offers – check our Emma mattress discount codes page for the latest offers, and if you're not fixed on Emma yet, you might want to also check out our general cheap mattress deals roundup.

For now though, let’s find out if this is the right mattress for you in this Emma Premium mattress review.

• View the Emma Premium mattress

Emma Premium mattress review: design and comfort 

Where the Emma Original has three layers of different types of memory foam, stepping up to the Emma Premium means four layers of memory foam and that all-important layer of 12.5cm pocket springs.

Breaking it down, the top layer of the Emma Premium is a layer of Airgocell memory foam to absorb moisture, the next one down is pressure relieving viscoelastic foam, then there’s more Airgocell apparently for additional support for shoulders and hips, then the layer of extra-tall 12.5cm springs, and finally, a layer of High Resiliency Extra foam or ‘HRX’ that’s also the bottom layer of the Emma Original.

But how does it all feel? In short: exceptionally comfortable. That layer of pocket springs feels like a real game changer, especially for those who sleep on their back. Lie on this and you’ll immediately feel your spine realigning in the best possible way. But that doesn’t rule out side sleeping. Whether it’s that extra layer of Airgocell or not, you’ll truly feel equally supported on your side.

Initially the mattress takes about a week to settle in – at least for me. I found it exceptionally firm at first before it became both comfortable and supportive.

Memory foam's detractors often cite that sinking feeling but the support here is exceptional, whether you’re lying in the middle of the bed or much closer to the edge. There’s a firm bounce here that feels like you are sleeping on something solid but supportive to your body, regardless of your positioning on the bed. Whether you’re star fishing or sleeping next to someone, the Emma Premium constantly made me get actively excited about going to bed.

While the top cover is cited as temperature regulating and that top layer of memory foam is meant to draw away heat, I did find that the Emma Premium sleeps a little warm on hot nights. It was only noticeable on exceptionally warm nights but those who regularly sleep hot might want to err on the side of the slightly cooler Simba Hybrid.

Handily, where other mattresses often require an additional protector, the Emma Premium has a removable cover that can be easily unzipped from the mattress itself for popping into the washing machine. It’s a nice bonus as some covers can become an uncomfortable extra layer to deal with. There are also handles on the side but you won’t really need to use them as this is a no flip mattress.

Emma Premium mattress review: delivery and small print 

Like the Emma Original and Simba and co, the Emma Premium is a bed-in-a-box mattress delivered by Emma’s courier. This means if you’re going for a king size at 33kg or a super king at 40kg, you might need some help getting it to your room of choice. Unboxing is remarkably easy though: slice open the surrounding plastic and the Emma Premium instantly starts expanding.

While others recommend hours of expansion, the Premium will be ready in under an hour but will continue to expand. The handles on the side of the mattress make it easy to pull into place but I recommend unfurling directly onto your bed base so you don’t have too many problems.

The only slight issue initially is that new mattress smell. It’s entirely dependent on the mattress but the king size for this review did have a slightly chemically scent for almost four days. It evaporated after that time though and wasn’t particularly unpleasant even on the first day.

In terms of the small print, the Emma Premium has the same 10 year guarantee as the Emma Original and that all-important 200 night trial. This is a great time period for testing the mattress and double the previous 100 day period. Emma says it’s fully risk free and will give the mattress proper time to adjust to your body which can take up to six weeks. It’s a nice bonus when the Premium is also premium in price.

Emma Premium mattress review: price 

The Emma Premium mattress sits in the middle of the hybrid mattress market. At full price, the single costs £799, double £1,099, king size £1,299, and the super king will set you back £1,449. As it's been succeeded by the Emma NextGen Premium, you might find it hard to find on the Emma website, but it should be available at select retailers, like Amazon.

Remember though that despite the RRP, all of the mattress companies are constantly competitive and reducing prices. Just check out our Emma mattress deals to make sure you’re getting the best price.

Emma Premium mattress review: verdict

This is an exceptionally comfortable mattress that makes sleep, quite literally, a dream. The medium to firm nature of the Emma Premium means it won't suit those looking for a softer sleep but for everyone else, there's a perfect balance of memory foam and springs here. It's a little warm on very hot nights but that shouldn't bother most UK sleepers.

Competitively priced amidst a sea of hybrid mattresses, the Emma Premium holds it's own and supports all sleep positions. Even at its regular retail price, it's worth the investment but find a deal and this makes for an irresistible night's sleep.

Emma Premium mattress review: Alternatives to consider

The best alternative to the Emma Premium mattress is the Simba Hybrid Mattress. If you're an Emma mattress fan, we'd encourage you to choose the Emma Original but if you like hybrid mattresses, the Emma Premium and Simba Hybrid are extremely close, in terms of filling, depth and other makeup.

To put this into context, the Emma Premium has a mix of memory foam, an added 12.5cm layer of pocket springs and an overall depth is still 25cm. Similarly, the Simba Hybrid is 25cm deep, medium-firm (like the Emma Premium) and combines Simbatex memory foam with pocket springs, plus it has seven areas of zoned support.

Emma is a strong brand within the sleep and wellness community, so to help you find the best mattress brand, we've put Emma through its paces against its fiercest competitors. See Emma vs Casper, Emma vs Nectar and Emma vs Otty for more.