Purple Mattress Review

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

At NapLab, we put each mattress to the test.

We test 9 different factors that impact the comfort and feel of the mattress. Testing categories include:

Test	Rating
Cooling	Exceptional
Sinkage	Moderate
Motion Transfer	Extremely Low
Response Time	Extremely Fast
Bounce	Very High
Edge Support	Poor
Sex	Very Good
Pressure Relief	Excellent
Off-Gassing	Excellent
Company	Excellent

The cooling on the Purple mattress was exceptional. Our objective data measured a maximum temperature of 89.2°F.

This is 1.8° cooler than the average maximum temperature across all mattresses we’ve tested to date, which is 91.0°F. The heat dissipation curve was equally as impressive.

• 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

Within 1 minute after getting off the mattress the temperature was reduced from 89.2 to 85.8°F. This is a decrease of 3.4°, which continued to a final temperature of 84.0° (after 5 minutes).

The top layer of Purple GelFlex grid (a hyper-elastic polymer) is constructed in such a way that it allows for an incredible level of airflow. The grid supports sleepers, provides comfort, and contours to shape, all while still offering large pockets of air.

The grid design enables better airflow and very clearly is having a significant impact on the cooling performance.

Heat Dissipation Over Time

Our subjective experience followed what we measured with our objective data. During the cooling tests, the mattress was extremely cool.

There was a notable difference in cooling performance on the Purple mattress compared to the vast majority of other mattresses we’ve tested to date.

We measured a 2.24” level of sinkage depth on the Purple mattress. This is within the expected range for a medium-firm mattress. Across all mattresses we’ve tested to date, on average the sinkage depth is 2.18” in our pressure point test.

A sinkage depth of around 2’ish inches is sufficient to help relieve pressure and provide a nice contouring around the body.

The level of sinkage is documented in the image below.

Sinkage while lying on the side of the body, or for heavier sleepers (really any weights 180 above) does get fairly substantial. There isn’t much pushback in the top layer of Purple hyper-elastic polymer material.

As a result, it can create significant sinkage. If you’re a side sleeper or more moderate-weight back and stomach sleeper, this is most likely a non-issue.

However, other sleepers and body types are more likely to be less-than-in-love. We discuss more on the support impacts a bit further down.

Motion transfer was low. In our accelerometer tests, we measured an acceleration range of 2.23 m/s². This is significantly better than the average acceleration range across all mattresses we’ve tested to date, which is 8.33 m/s².

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

While the total acceleration range was low, the duration of motion on the mattress was high. This seems to be a product of the top layer of Purple hyper-elastic polymer.

The grid design works as a complete system, which is great when you’re talking about contour and hug, but less so on motion transfer. So while the total motion is low, the motion does persist for longer across the mattress.

Below we have our graph of the motion (visualized your our accelerometer data). You can see there is a high level of motion up until 0.3 seconds, with a moderate level of motion continuing up to 0.8 seconds.

While motion transfer on the Purple mattress is excellent, it’s not quite as good as the very best-performing mattresses we’ve tested. All-foam mattresses that perform well on motion transfer like the Nectar Premier Copper (1.88 m/s²), Leesa (2.06 m/s²), and BedInABox Tranquillium (2.39 m/s²), will perform better on motion transfer.

However, mattresses that have more total motion, but a shorter duration, are still likely going to perform worse for motion performance. 

The response time was lightning-fast. Within 0.2 seconds the Purple mattress is mostly recovered and by 0.3 seconds the materials have fully rebounded to their original shape.

The level of responsiveness is documented in the video below.

The Purple elastic grid polymer springs back to shape nearly instantaneously. As a result, there is little concern for sleepers feeling entrapped or stuck within slow-responding materials.

The total bounce height on the Purple mattress was high. In our tests, we measured a total bounce height of 12.79”.

This is notably more than the average across all of our mattress tests, which is 9.62”.

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

Despite the differential compared to the average, 12.79” is not an unreasonable or crazy level of bounce.

For many sleepers, this level of bounce will feel more similar to a traditional coil mattress. In addition, the high level of bounce is a positive factor for sex on the mattress (discussed more below).

There is just no sugarcoating it, edge support isn’t good. While sitting directly on the edge of the mattress we measured a compression depth of 7.75”.

This is the most of any mattress we’ve tested to date and considerably deeper than the average we’ve measured to date, which is 4.82”.

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.

The experience while lying on the edge of the mattress wasn’t much better. I did not feel well supported at the edge of the mattress in any position.

It feels like the mattress is trying to roll me out of bed. While the Purple elastic polymer is ideal for creating easy contour for sleepers in the middle of the mattress, when it comes to the edge this material characteristic results in non-ideal edge support performance.

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	60%	10	Very High
Edge Support	20%	7.6	Poor
Noise	10%	10	Minimal
Pressure Relief	5%	9.5	Excellent
Cooling	5%	10	Exceptional

For the Original Purple mattress, these individual factors generated a sex score of 9.5.

The sex score for the Purple is good, but it’s not without issue. Bounce, noise, and cooling are all fantastic—perfect 10s. The surface is engaging and active with high bounce and a fast response time.

Noise is also non-existent since there are no coils in this mattress. The grid keeps the sleeping surface nice and cool, which is also beneficial for sex.

So what is the problem?

The biggest problem with the Purple is the edge support—it’s really lacking. We measured almost 8″ in sinkage from the top surface of the mattress to the level of deepest sinkage.

As a result, using of the edge of the mattress for amorous activities will leave much to be desired for both parties.

I found pressure relief to be excellent on the Purple mattress. The elastic polymer doesn’t require significant weight before it engages and contours to shape.

As a result, it’s able to contour around light and heavy sections of the body with ease, providing pressure relief. My only major concern with pressure relief is for heavier-weight sleepers.

The larger your body the more pressure you’ll put on the mattress. The more pressure, the more likely you are going to simply sink through the Purple polymer grid material and into the more dense support foam.

These foams, while firm and supportive, won’t provide much in the way of pressure relief. 

The off-gassing smell on the Purple mattress was pretty typical of what we see from these types of mattresses.

Out of the box, the smell was strong and it lingered in the room for about four days.

What’s The Average?

Most mattresses we’ve tested to date smell for 2-4 days. The average duration is 2.72 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
Trial Period	100 nights
Warranty	10 years
Shipping	Free
Returns	Free
Country of Origin	USA

As a company, Purple has a pretty good record of positive consumer policies and terms. They offer a 100-night trial period and 10-year warranty.

Shipping is free and so are returns. They do require a 21-night break-in period, which gives your body some time to get used to the mattress.

In this time period, you cannot initiate a return. But returns are fair game between day 21 and day 100.

As for manufacturing, all Purple mattresses are produced in various factories and production centers across the state of Utah.

The Original Purple comes in around a 5 out of 10 on the firmness scale, where 10 is the most firm.

It is still a medium, but notably softer than the other Purple mattress models. It doesn’t take much to create a significant level of contour and hug around sleepers.

The other Purple mattresses have more pushback and greater firmness (though they are still within the medium to medium-firm range).

Being a 5 out of 10, the Purple mattress is still considered suitable for a wide range of sleepers, regardless of weight or sleeping position.

We have a table, shown below, that we use to help sleepers decide if a mattress is right for them. As you can see, the Purple has widespread appeal across the sleeper spectrum.

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

Over 300 lbs? According to Purple, there is no weight limit that the Purple will support although they do recommend 300 pounds per person or 600 pounds total. That being said, exceeding this recommendation will not void the 10-year warranty.

That said, if you are over 300 pounds I would strongly recommend one of the Purple Hybrid mattresses, ideally the Purple Hybrid Premier 3 or 4. The hybrid design and thicker hyper-elastic polymer grid will both lead to better performance for heavier persons.

Design

The Purple mattress is a simple combination of foam and the patented Purple hyper-elastic polymer grid.

It is 10″ thick, which is the standard height for foam mattresses compared to higher-profile options, like the Purple Hybrid or Hybrid Premium.

Materials

Here is a complete breakdown of all of the materials from top to bottom:

• 2.0″ elastic polymer
• 3.5″ poly foam
• 4.0″ poly foam

The Cover

The cover of the Purple mattress is a knit blended material that is soft and breathable. It is designed to be light and thin, so as not to overly engage the sleeper or prevent the Purple grid below from doing its job.

The white on the top of the cover continues partially down the side before breaking into a thin purple accent and using a light gray for the lower half.

The Comfort Layer

The comfort layer on the Purple is technically 5.5″ thick, but that’s really divided up into two layers—a top layer of 2.0″ thick polymer grid and a second 3.5″ layer of poly foam.

While we technically count the poly foam as a comfort layer, it’s actually a bit more of a transitional layer. The poly foam is a little denser than a regular comfort foam and one of the big jobs of this layer is to transition between the comfort grid and the support foam below.

A transition material is important to (as the name suggests) transition pressure and weight from the comfort layer to the support layer below.

One other distinguishing material to mention is the foam perimeter. This foam is located at the edges and has two jobs. One, it contains the Purple grid—two, it provides edge support.

Unfortunately, the edge support is a hard miss for the Purple Original, but the design intent was solid.

The Support Layer

The support layer at the bottom of the mattress is a 4.0″ thick layer of high-density foam. This layer provides support for the poly foam and Purple grid above.

Product Evolution

The Purple mattress launched in 2015, under the wings of a successful Kickstarter campaign, raising a little over $170,000 and with only 320 backers.

Originally, Purple offered only the 10″ Original Purple mattress, but over the years expanded their reach with a few other options.

They had a Hybrid collection (including Hybrid, Hybrid Premier 3, and Hybrid Premier 4) which was discontinued in 2023 for the launch of their Restore Hybrid collection (including Restore, RestorePlus, and RestorePremier).

Other Mattresses to Consider

Check out these three other mattress options with similar feels, but a few differences as well.

Frequently Asked Questions

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