Emma Elite mattress review: an overheater’s dream night sleep

In T3’s Emma Elite Mattress, I put this cooling mattress to the test to see if Emma has improved its temperature regulation issues. It’s safe to say that the brand has come on leaps and bounds and can officially say that its mattresses and other sleep products can keep you cool and comfortable throughout the night.

As one of the UK’s best mattress manufacturers, Emma is known for its hybrid mattresses, using a mix of high quality memory foam and springs. This year, Emma has given its mattresses a refresh, and its new Emma Elite Mattress is designed with overheaters in mind, promising to offer better heat control and pressure relief than its predecessors.

I’ve tried my fair share of Emma mattresses, and I happily gave the Elite Mattress to find out if it lived up to its promises. Read my full review to find out if it succeeded.

• Buy the Emma Zero Gravity mattress at Emma

Emma Elite mattress review: unboxing

The Emma Elite arrived in a big cardboard in airtight packaging, similar to how the best bed in a box mattresses get delivered. Once I’d cut carefully through the wrapping, the Emma Zero Gravity Mattress sprung to life and took hardly any time to come back to its original shape and size.

I tried out a king size and was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to move it around into place in my bedroom. This was a welcome relief after trying the Emma NextGen Premium mattress, which is a brilliant 5-star mattress but is incredibly heavy to maneuver.

Emma Elite mattress review: design

As a hybrid mattress, the Emma Elite Mattress is made up of six layers of foam and springs. The construction consists of a base of HRX foam which has a layer of three-zone pocket springs that adjust to the body and movement. Further up the mattress are three individual layers of Emma’s specially designed foam, including the AirGrid foam layer and Point Elastic Airgocell technology. The mattress is finished off with a cover that’s soft to the touch and can be removed and machine washed for freshness.

The AirGrid foam layer is a new hyper-elastic technology created by Emma. It’s designed to adapt to the shape of your body and absorb its movement to provide a more comfortable night’s sleep that isn’t interrupted by motion by you or your bed partner. The AirGrid technology cradles and moulds to the body like the best memory foam mattresses but the medium firmness ensures you don’t sink too far in and feel supported while you sleep, particularly around the hips and back.

With cooling in mind, the Emma Elite uses a gel material that feels cold to the touch to help with temperature control and heat regulation. The Gel Frid layer also has large air channels for maximum airflow and stops the mattress from retaining heat, so you don’t wake up feeling sweaty, overheated or uncomfortable.

Emma Elite mattress review: performance

Like most Emma mattresses, the Emma Elite Mattress has a medium-soft firmness and is described as a 7.5 mattress on a scale from 1 (firm) to 10 (soft). I’m not sure I totally agree with this, as I found the Emma Elite Mattress to be quite firm. I enjoy a firm mattress so this didn’t bother me at all but it might make a few customers pause, especially if they enjoy that memory foam sinking feeling.

After sleeping on the Emma Elite Mattress for over a month, I found it to be incredibly comfortable with unrivalled support for the entire body. I didn’t experience any aches or pains while sleeping and nor did my partner, who sometimes wakes up with a sore neck on other mattresses we’ve tried.

Before I talk about the star of the show (the cooling technology), I have to take a moment to champion the motion isolation. As someone who tosses and turns a lot when she sleeps, I often wake myself up to do so but this barely happened when sleeping on the Emma Elite Mattress. It feels sturdy and the mattress stayed in place at all times, including on the bed base and when I moved around. The edge support is also impressive and I enjoyed how the mattress absorbed all of my and my partner’s movement during the night. I definitely experienced less sleep disruptions with the Emma Elite Mattress.

As the Emma Elite Mattress promises, it has impressive temperature control. Previously, I tried the Emma Diamond Degree Topper and while I found it luxurious and cosy, I often found myself waking up in the night feeling hot and bothered. But Emma seems to have solved its temperature problem as the Emma Elite Mattress was deliciously cooling. It doesn’t run hot and feels nice and cool so if you’re an overheater, the Emma Elite Mattress could be the solution for you.

Emma Elite mattress review: price

As the newest model from Emma, the Emma Elite Mattress has a higher price tag than its predecessors. Available to buy at Emma, the single size is £749, the double is £1,109, the king is £1,237 and the super king is £1,349.

Emma runs regular sales and discounts on its products so make sure to check out these Emma mattress deals to save extra money on your orders.

Emma Elite mattress review: verdict

I’ve made it no secret that Emma is one of my favourite mattress brands, and the Emma Elite is another reason why I’ll always recommend Emma to anyone who’s looking for a new mattress.

The Emma Elite Mattress offers medium firm comfort, and its motion isolation and edge support is incredibly impressive. The new cooling foam and technology is an overheaters’ dream and proves that Emma has stepped up its temperature regulation and control. While the price is high and the firmness might not be for everyone, the Emma Elite Mattress is a 5 star mattress that will appeal to many.

Emma Elite mattress review: alternatives to consider

A good alternative to the Emma Elite Mattress is the Emma NextGen Premium. The NextGen Premium is more affordable than the Elite Mattress and while it might be a bit firmer and heavy to move around, its support and heat control is just as impressive as the Emma Elite Mattress.

If you’re looking for a different cooling mattress, another alternative is the Nectar Memory Foam mattress. In our best mattress guide, we gave the Nectar Memory Foam mattress the award for best cooling technology as it’s breathable, has a comfortable surface and will become your favourite mattress for hot summer nights.