Emma Shift Mattress Review

2/29/2024 Update – Emma Shift has been discontinued in both the US and Canada. It is no longer available for purchase. There is no mattress that is similar that would be considered a replacement for the Emma shift.

In This Review
Performance Tests | Firmness | Support & Sleeping Positions | Design | Materials | Comparisons | FAQs

At NapLab, we put each mattress to the test.

We test 10 different factors that impact the performance, comfort, and value of the mattress. We then take the results of that test and compare to every mattress we’ve tested to date.

All tests on the Emma Shift were conducted on the medium firmness setting.

Check out the full performance table below to see how this mattress ranks:

Factor	Emma Shift (discontinued)	Average
Overall Score	8.91	8.57
Price (Queen)	$1,205	$2,275 (Adjustable only)
Cooling – Score	9.0	8.7
Sinkage – Depth	1.69″	2.14″
Sinkage – Feel	Very Minimal	Moderate
Motion Transfer – Score	10	8.2
Motion Transfer – Acceleration	4.88 m/s²	8.78 m/s²
Response Time – Score	8.4	8.9
Response Time – Mostly Recovered	0.4 sec.	0.4 sec.
Response Time – Fully Recovered	1.2 sec.	0.9 sec.
Bounce – Height	6.09″	9.53″
Bounce – Feel	Low	Moderate
Edge Support – Score	9.5	8.6
Edge Support – Sitting	3.00″	4.04″
Edge Support – Lying	Excellent	Good
Sex – Score	7.5	8.4
Pressure Relief – Score	9.0	8.7
Comfort Layer Thickness	7.0″	4.1″
Mattress Thickness	13.5″	12.0″
Off-Gassing – Score	7.8	8.1
Off-Gassing – Smell	Strong	Strong
Off-Gassing – Days	8 days	7 days
Company – Score	8.8	8.7
Trial	365 nights	177 nights
Warranty	10 years	25% have lifetime warranties, average of other 75% of mattresses is 13 years

How is Emma Shift Different?

The Emma Shift mattress offers higher overall performance than average and a price point that is well below average—72% less than the average adjustable mattress and the most affordable adjustable mattress that we’ve tested to date.

Advantages

Other advantages include slightly better cooling performance, low levels of motion transfer, better edge support, and a thicker mattress profile (1.5″ thicker than average).

Neutral Factors

This mattress has 23% less sinkage than average and 27% less bounce than average. This gives the mattress a bit of a more floating feel with less dramatic contour or engagement.

Disadvantages

The Emma Shift has excellent cooling. During our tests, I felt no significant level of heat retention around my body. Despite the all-foam construction, the mattress breathed well and didn’t significantly retain heat. The open-cell foams look and feel high quality.

• Baseline Temperature – the temperature of the mattress before anyone lies on it
• Maximum Temperature (0 minute) – the temperature of the mattress after lying on it for 15 minutes
• Ending Temperature (5 minute) – the temperature of the mattress after being lied upon and having no one on it for 5 minutes

Heat Dissipation Over Time

In our objective temperature tests, we measured a max surface level temperature of 90.9°. After getting off the mattress the temperature declined by 5.0° F, which is 0.44 degrees cooler than average.

From minutes 0 to 5 the decline was 9.8 degrees, which is 2.74° cooler than average. While the all-foam design and lack of a cooling cover limits cooling performance, I still expect it to be sufficiently cool for most sleepers.

The Emma Shift has a very minimal level of sinkage. In our pressure point sinkage tests, we measured a sinkage depth of 1.69”. This is 0.43” less sinkage than the average of 2.12”.

Notably, there was not a dramatic difference in sinkage depth when adjusting the firmness dial on the side of the mattress. We conducted 3 different sinkage tests including softest, medium, and firmest.

Softest had the deepest sinakge at 1.70”. Firmest had the least sinkage at 1.67”. And medium in the middle of the two extremes at 1.69”.

The level of sinkage is documented in the image below.

All 3 of these sinkage depths would be classified as “very minimal” within our sinkage scale.

Despite the restrained level of sinkage, the mattress is still able to create a more dramatic body contouring hug. It has the classic feel of memory foam, including a slower material response, higher contour, high hug, and low motion transfer. 

The Emma Shift has an extremely low level of motion transfer. In our tests, we measured a total acceleration range of 4.88 m/s². This is 44.4% less motion transfer than the average of 8.78 m/s², based on all of our tests to date.

The all-foam design and inclusion of visco elastic foam create the right material conditions for incredibly low motion transfer.

The level of motion transfer is also documented in the video below.

In our motion transfer chart, which visualizes our accelerometer data, we see the highest motion from 0 to 0.14 seconds. By 0.56 seconds we have returned to near-zero levels of motion.

The motion spikes are extremely restrained and the motion duration is short. If keeping motion to a minimum is important to you then the Emma Shift is an excellent choice. 

The response time on the Emma Shift is a bit of a mixed bag. The mostly recovered responsiveness is extremely fast, but the full material recovery is a bit slower.

In our tests, the Emma Shift was able to mostly recover back to shape within 0.4 seconds, but it took 1.2 seconds to fully recover. The 1.2-second full material recovery is 0.35 seconds slower than the average of 0.85 seconds.

The level of responsiveness is documented in the video below.

While I was pleased to see the mostly recovered time come in at 0.4 seconds, it should be noted that some sleepers will find the slower 1.2-second full material recovery just is a bit too slow.

In my view, this is a case of whether you like the feel of traditional memory foam or not. Having memory foam enables great body contouring hug and low motion transfer. However, it also means the response is slower.

The Emma Shift has a low level of bounce. In our tests, we measured a total bounce height of 6.09”. This is 3.44” less bounce than the average bounce height of 9.53”.

The level of bounce is also documented in the video below.

The all-foam design and visco elastic foam within the mattress significantly reduces bounce.

The lower level of bounce negatively impacts sex, but it’s also the primary reason motion transfer is so low.

As with material responsiveness, bounce is another factor that can be accepted by those who love the feel of memory foam.

However, many sleepers who have slept on more traditional bouncier coil and hybrid mattresses may find the low bounce transition to be jarring, creating more strenuous sex and greater difficulty in moving around on the mattress. 

The Emma Shift has outstanding sitting edge support and excellent lying edge support.

In our tests, we measured a sitting sinkage compression of 3.0”. This is 1.04” less sitting sinkage than the average of 4.04”.

Ideally, I want to see 4.0” or less and the Emma Shift easily exceeded that benchmark. Lying edge support is nearly as impressive.

The level of edge support while seated is documented in the images below.

The level of edge support while lying is documented in the images below.

During our tests, I felt well-supported even when lying directly on the edge of the mattress. Despite the lack of reinforced edge support along the sides of the mattress, the Emma Shift still maintained good edge support.

Notably, we have reinforced edge support foam at the head and foot, which is great, however, there is none at the side.

As a result, this makes the mattress edge support less great for lying and sleeping, but better for lounging, watching tv, getting ready, and amorous activities, provided they take place at the head or foot of the mattress.

The best mattresses for sex have high bounce, good edge support, quiet materials, and good pressure relief and cooling.

These 5 factors make up the NapLab sex performance score.

Sex Factor	Factor Weight	Score	Rating
Bounce	65%	6.3	Low
Edge Support	20%	10	Outstanding
Noise	5%	10	Minimal
Pressure Relief	5%	9.0	Excellent
Cooling	5%	9.0	Excellent

This mattress has low levels of bounce, which is undoubtedly the biggest disadvantage (as it is worth 60% of the sex score). It also has exceptional edge support, minimal noise, and excellent pressure relief and cooling.

The Emma Shift has excellent pressure relief. During our tests, I did not feel any level of pressure point build-up.

The mattress is equipped with 7.0” of comfort material, including the topmost 2.0” memory foam layer. This combination of materials creates ample foam to alleviate pressure and create comfort for sleepers.

In addition, the ability to adjust the firmness and support dynamic further helps to improve pressure relief, as it allows sleepers to create the level of pushback that is most appropriate to their body type and preferences.

Overall, I’m pleased with the level of pressure relief performance, especially at this price point. 

Off-gassing on the Emma Shift was strong and smelled like wet paint. The odor smelled for 8 days before being fully dissipated.

Compared to average, this mattress off-gasses slightly slower than the average (7 days). Even so, at 8 days it’s not tremendously lengthy.

The off-gassing time of all mattresses we’ve tested to date ranges from 0 days up to 40 days.

The company score takes a look at factors that may influence your experience with the mattress.

Factors include length of the trial period, warranty, shipping / return costs, and country of origin.

Company Factor	Factor Weight	Score	Data
Trial Period	15%	10	365 nights
Warranty	10%	8.0	10 years
Shipping	5%	10	$0
Returns	20%	10	$0
Trust	50%	8.0	Good
Country of Origin	0%		Global

Emma offers a 365-night trial period, which is over twice as long as the 161-night trial period. The mattress also comes with a 10-year warranty.

For reference, 26% of new mattresses have lifetime warranties and the average of the other 74% of mattresses is 14 years.

Shipping and returns are both free.

The Emma Shift mattress has an adjustable firmness with a range between 5 and 7, depending on what setting you have it adjusted to.

Firmness can be adjusted on one side or both, which can be a nice feature for sleepers who have different firmness preferences.

Softest Setting

At the softest setting, the firmness was 5 out of 10, giving it a medium feel.

Medium Setting

The medium firmness was 6 out of 10, giving it a medium-firm feel.

Firmest Setting

The firmest setting has a slightly firm feel, 7 out of 10 on our firmness scale.

The Emma Shift creates excellent support. During our tests, I felt well-supported in all sleeping positions. The mattress has all of the major material and design aspects I look for.

We have a 13.5” total mattress profile with a 6.5” support layer. While the support layer is a little less than the average thickness (7.9”) that we usually see, it’s still thick enough to create sufficient support.

This layer, combined with the 5.0” poly foam and adjustable air chamber layer work well together. Naturally, being able to adjust the level of firmness and pushback is equally as beneficial for support as it is for pressure relief.

While the firmness dial isn’t quite as wide-ranging as I expected, it still provides enough variability to help dial into the ideal support dynamic for most body types. Overall, I’m pleased with the level of support Emma Shift creates.

Check out the table below to see the sleeper weights and sleeping positions that would be best suited for this mattress.

Sleeper Weight	Stomach Sleepers	Side Sleepers	Back Sleepers
Under 150 lbs.	Yes	Yes	Yes
150-250 lbs.	Yes	Yes	Yes
250-300 lbs.	Yes	Yes	Yes

Design

The Emma Shift is an adjustable mattress with an overall thickness of 13.5″ and an adjustable firmness range (between 5 and 7).

The Emma mattress lists this as a 12″ mattress, but the one we tested was notably thicker, as shown below.

Materials

Beneath the cover, there are four primary layers that make up the 13.5″ thickness.

• 2.0″ memory foam
• 5.0″ poly foam and adjustable air chambers
• 2.0″ poly foam
• 4.5″ support foam

The Cover

The cover of the Emma Shift has a thin cover that is moisture-wicking and cool to the touch. It feels seamless and provides only a thin barrier between the sleeper and the comfort layers below.

The Comfort Layer

The comfort layer includes two main parts—a 2.0″ memory foam top layer and an adjustable air chamber layer.

The air chamber is centrally located in the mattress and allows sleepers to quickly adjust the feel and firmness of the mattress with the turn of a dial.

The perimeter of the mattress has a 5.0″ poly foam to ensure consistently good edge support and mattress structure, regardless of what setting the mattress is on.

The Support Layer

Below the comfort foams and the air chamber are two layers of support material. There is a 2.0″ transitional poly foam and a 4.0″ high-density support foam.

Product Evolution

The Emma Shift mattress was released August of 2023. Since its release, there have been no major changes made to the mattress.

Other Mattresses to Consider

Not sure if the Emma Shift is the right pick for you? Check out these three other top-rated adjustable mattresses for other alternatives you may want to consider.

Frequently Asked Questions

Still have questions? Check out some of the top FAQs on the Emma Shift mattress below and get the answers you’re looking for.