Emma vs Simba: Which hybrid mattress is best?

First things first, this mattress – which first hit the market in 2016 and comes from a British brand entirely dedicated to hybrid mattresses – arrives vacuum packed in a box to your door, making it a doddle to move around, although the box was big and heavy enough to take two of us to get it up a large flight of stairs.

There are five layers altogether. On the top is a breathable sleep surface, which is followed by an open-cell cooling foam layer. Then comes a patented sprung layer with up to 3,000 patented light, fine and durable springs made from titanium. Fourth is a high-definition foam with edge support and finally, there’s a foam support base with zoning for pressure relief.

The result is a mattress that we’d say feels on the slightly firmer side of medium and is instantly restful, giving a cloud-like balance of comfort and support right up to the edges and is a particular joy to sleep on for side and front sleepers. And that goes for people of any shape or size. If you’re prone to waking up with aches and pains, especially in your back, you’ll really notice the spinal support. The sinkage is spot on too – you don’t feel like you’re descending into the mattress itself, as is the case with some pure foam mattresses.

The temperature regulation should get a special mention. Even in summer, you’ll find this keeps sweat at bay, thanks to pretty much every layer having been designed to promote air flow and cooling – something you won’t find in mattresses made purely of foam. Even the base layer has flexible zones for heat to escape. And because the sleep surface is hypoallergenic, this mattress is also a good choice for allergy sufferers.

It’s super-stable and pretty good at shock absorption so your partner shouldn’t be too disturbed even if you move around a lot in the night, although we’d suggest avoiding it if he or she is hyper sensitive as they are likely to feel some movement.

Like all Simba mattresses, it doesn’t sag, even in the long term, and you don’t have to flip it, although you do have to rotate it 180 degrees once a month for the first three months, then every three to six months after that. It’s a quick enough job, though, thanks to the grips and fact that at 26kg, it’s lighter than a lot of mattresses we’ve tested over the years.

Read the full Simba hybrid review

Released in 2017 – a year after the Simba – this one comes from a German brand and is another corker of a hybrid mattress that arrives tightly rolled in a box. At just 1kg heavier than the Simba, it also remains on the lighter end of bed-in-a-box mattresses.

Whereas the Simba has five layers, this has four – the bottom one is a HRX foam (a type of foam that’s specially made to support your heavier body parts), then comes a visco-elastic memory foam, which contours to your body and distributes pressure. Third is the breathable pocket sprung layer, which has 2,000 springs (1,000 less than the Simba, so not quite as luxurious) and, finally, there’s the top patented foam layer that absorbs moisture and keeps airflow. On the top, there’s a washable, moisture wicking cover – a nice touch that’s lacking in the Simba mattress and helps keep things ultra-hygienic.

We found it noticeably softer and bouncier than the Simba – that doesn’t make it any better but is something to bear in mind if that’s your preference (Emma claims most Brits prefer softer mattresses, but it would, wouldn’t it?). With some soft mattresses, that means having to compromise on support – which can in turn play havoc with your spinal alignment – but that is definitely not the case here.

It is, in other words, no blancmange, and, what’s more, it not only suits side and front sleepers but those who sleep on their backs, which is no mean feat, as the latter are notoriously difficult to cater for. But while the Simba suits people of all shapes and sizes, we’d say this is better suited to lighter people, especially when it comes to people who sleep on their backs.

Your sleeping partner can rest easy that they won’t have to huff and puff if you are prone to moving around a lot – the mattress seems to absorb even more movement than the Simba, so they can focus on getting their shut-eye. While we were impressed with the durability of the Simba mattress, you should find this one lasts even longer. But although it’s nice and breathable, we felt the Simba had the edge when it comes to keeping cool even on very warm nights.

Both the Simba and the Emma excel when it comes to zoning to allow for targeted pressure relief in areas such as shoulders for side sleepers – that’s great news for your spine as it can otherwise bend in uncomfortable positions. We also thought they were both on par when it comes to edge-to-edge support and stability. Neither one nor the other is easier to turn, but with this one, you have to do it less (every six months).

Read the full Emma hybrid mattress review