This Emma Premium mattress upgraded my single bed beyond my wildest dreams

The Emma Premium is a re-brand of the Emma Original Hybrid. It's nothing new, but they have launched it in a single-size so it would have been rude to not call this in to try it out for size, and the hype.

I've tested various mattresses over the years, so I was keen to compare this hybrid mattress. It's already an award-winner and it has some bold claims which we're interested to find out more about. We've been testing the single Premium mattress for a few months, as a spare bed in our three-bed home. It gets used at least once a week when our toddler decides that she wants to break our sleep cycle by refusing to go back to sleep unless she is with one of us. It's a must-have for us right now. 

Here's how the mattress is aiding our sleep – and where it sits amongst our best mattress round-up.

Emma Premium specifications: 

• Tension: medium / firm
• Type: hybrid
• Sizes: single, double, king and super king

Who will the Emma Premium suit?

Memory foam fans; you enjoy that comforting sinking feeling, but with more bounce and support.

Edge-of-the-bed sleepers; all the layers run to either side of the bed so there's no risk of lack of support where you need it most.

Hot sleepers; the temperature-regulating cover and sleep tech helps to keep you cool.

Delivery and unboxing

As with all Emma mattresses, the Emma Premium arrived rolled up and in a box. This made it super easy to drag through the hallway and push up the stairs. I would recommend that you get help to move the box if you can, though. It is heavy, regardless of the size of mattress you have ordered. The box is also tall and narrow so carrying it is rather cumbersome.

Once the box was in the bedroom and I has assembled the Emma Platform bed, I opened up the box and pulled out the mattress. The mattress was tightly rolled in a gigantic plastic wrapping and it was bursting at the seams. It didn't take much effort to free the mattress from the plastic. I tore it with my hands but scissors would also do the trick, and save your hands.

There is a lot of force behind the mattress so it quickly unravels. I was expecting to have to wait several hours for the mattress to 'puff' up and be ready to use but it was ready in no more than one hour. I couldn't resist to stretch out on it as soon as the hour was up and, first impressions, it was supportive in all the right ways.

What's it like to sleep on?

There is no sinking feeling, nor is it a hard plateau. I got the sense that I was floating. Without the sheets on. the cover felt soft, too, although I was dubious with how breathable it would be since the material is something which doesn't feel breathable. Anyway, I was encouraged that I was going to sleep well on this mattress.

Since we were reviewing this mattress in the single size it meant that it could only be one of us at a time in the bed. I am a side-sleeper – always have been, and probably always will be – but I also tried out sleeping on my back and front, to experience it from all angles.

On my side I found that the pressure points on my shoulders and hips were well supported. I didn't wake with a bad neck or back, either, which suggests that I was lying in a comfortable positioned with the best pillow supporting my head. When sleeping on my back I equally felt supported and didn't feel like I was sinking. It was in this position (on my back) that I realised that the support of the mattress extends well from one side of the mattress to the other, so I didn't have a leg which was resting any lower than the rest of my body. And on my front my body sunk into the mattress in all the right spots so all those six layers of the mattress (more on this later) were doing as they were supposed to.

Testing firmness
The Emma Premium is being advertised as a medium/firm mattress and I agree with this. We do much prefer a mattress with this tension because, being side sleepers, this does tend to suit us better. However, if you are a front or back sleeper then this is a mattress which I feel will suit you, too.

I asked my husband how he found sleeping on the mattress when it was his turn to try it out. The words he used was 'good' and 'soft and supportive', and he's a larger build than I at 6ft 4in.

To test the tension and weight distribution I hauled my trusty 56lb/4 stone weight up onto the bed. It sank by 4cm when positioned in the middle of the bed. This shows that there is some sinking into the mattress but only into the foam since the weight (and you) are supported by the five-zone CarbonFlex technology (springs) which you directly benefit from during any motion.

I also put the weight as close to the edge as possible to show how good the edge-to-edge support is. It (the weight) dipped down to 5cm the closer to the edge it got. If it had gotten any closer it would have fallen off. This (I assume) would be at the edge of the zonal support – who wants to sleep at the edge of the bed anyway?

Since it was only me or my husband in the bed at one given time, the only thing that I can say about motion transfer is that I didn't wake each time I rolled over. That was for other reasons. As I've said, I tried sleeping on my side, front and back throughout the night and all was a pleasant experience. I am quite the fidget in bed and I didn't wake myself, so it score highly for me.

I didn't find that I got too hot sleeping on the mattress either. I was pleasantly surprised since the breathability and temperature-regulation of the mattress cover was something I was questioning. I used a cotton mattress protector on the mattress to ensure that it could breathe through this, too.

Design

This hybrid mattress is made of up six layers to enhance support and comfort. Although you don't feel the layers as individual layers, as it is a combined base of everything you could every dream of.

The Emma UltraDry cover is the first layer. It's breathable and temperature-regulating, and can be removed for machine washing. It is always recommended to use the best mattress protector you can find, but should any little accidents happen, a removable cover will help to keep the mattress in tip-top condition.

Underneath the cover is Halo Memory Foam. This innovative foam adapts to your body shape for targeted spine alignment and pressure relief. It's mega comfortable, too. This layer is set upon Point Elastic Airgocell to offer more temperature-regulation and breathability by absorbing and then evaporating sweat. There once used to be a stigma about foam mattresses causing overheating but with mattress tech like this there is absolutely no cause for concern about getting too hot during the night. Emma is making doubly sure that you don't overheat in your sleep by adding a second layer of the Point Elastic Airgocell for increased airflow, and support.

The wonder of hybrid mattresses is that they combine foam with springs, so for the fifth layer in the Emma Premium mattress design is 5 Zone CarbonFlex technology. Each of the five zones are packed with coiled springs which adapt to your sleeping position. This is what makes this mattress ideal for any sleep position – it gives personalised support to your body.

All the above resides on the sixth and final layer; Emma HRX Supreme Foam. This layer enhances the durability of the mattress, prevents sag and evenly distributes your body weight. 

What do you get for your money?

You get an amazing 200 night trial with the Premium mattress, and all other mattresses in the range. This is one of the best trials around for a mattress with many other brands offering 100 nights. Considering it takes 30 days or so for your body to fully adjust to sleeping on a new mattress, you'll have plenty of time (nine months to be precise) to be 'trying it out' for size. If you don't like, Emma will arrange to collect the mattress for free. No quibbles.

The 10-year-guarantee is equally as amazing. Emma guarantee their new mattress purchases against manufacturing defects for this time frame from the date of delivery. If there's any damage caused that is not your fault or the product has a manufacturing default then you are to contact the support team with a clear explanation for a refund or exchange.

Ordering and delivery

It's dispatched within one to three working days from the Emma website. You'll get free delivery and you can choose your preferred time slot, once you've received notification of delivery.

The courier will deliver it to your doorstep. They may lift it into your hallway, as they did with me, but they were still airing on the side of caution with Covid restrictions.

How does it compare to other Emma mattresses?

The Emma Premium is a re-do of the Emma Hybrid. The brand has only ever had two mattresses – the Hybrid and Original – and they still only have two. They changed it last year (2021) to supe it up with five zones of coiled springs, rather than use the original micro-coils. This makes the Premium a much firmer mattress. They've also introduced it in a single-size, which wasn't previously available in the Hybrid.

Compared to the Emma Original mattress, the Premium is the one with the springs. It also has an additional layer of the Point Elastic Airgocell for increased airflow and support. If you know you just want a foam mattress then our Emma Original mattress review would be worth a read. It continues to be a firm favourite amongst our readers, and is one of the UK's most awarded and best-selling mattresses. 

Real Homes verdict: should I buy the Emma Premium mattress?

The Emma Premium mattress has everything that you could ever dream for in a mattress. It's a hybrid. And a very good hybrid mattress indeed. While it does come with a premium price tag to boot, sleep is something which we all want to get right so investing in it would be a wise move. It offers support in all the right places, and from one edge of the bed to the other. There's plenty of cushioning and bounce without over-doing it, and no motion transfer between sleep positions to be a rude awakening.

There's only a couple of negatives I have to say about the Emma Premium, one of them being that it is heavy. Mattresses aren't supposed to be moved around (much anyway) but since it arrives in a box you will be needing to haul it around a little to get it into the room and position you want. I noticed that the cover is also looking a little saggy, but this doesn't affect the actual sleep experience and I only notice it when changing the sheets.