Nectar Classic Memory Foam Mattress review in brief
Its predecessor, the Nectar Mattress was a mainstay in our guide to the best mattresses of the year, thanks to its high quality build and soothing memory foam feel at a mid range price. So is the new Nectar Classic Memory Foam mattress an improvement on a much-loved original? We slept on it for six weeks and subjected it to a series of performance tests to find out.
The Nectar’s Classic Memory Foam Mattress was updated in August 2024 with a new cool-to-touch cover and improved, responsive design. It’s not every day you discover a good value mattress that is supportive and comfy, which is what makes this mattress stand out from the crowd and why it's retained its top spot in our best memory foam mattress guide.
Below you'll find our in depth review of the Nectar Classic Memory Foam Mattress, where we rate its performance across all key areas including motion isolation, pressure relief and edge support. However, if you only have time for the highlights, here’s our Nectar Classic review in brief…
Type: Memory foam
Materials: memory foam, other foams
Firmness: We rate it at 7.5 out of 10
Depth: 12 inches
Weight: 70-143lbs
Sizes: Twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, Cal king, Split king
As the entry-level memory foam mattress from award-winning sleep specialist Nectar, the Classic Memory Foam Mattress is made up of five layers of OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified fabrics and CertiPUR-US certified foams. Its 12" structure has a wonderful thickness to it that gives it that luxurious look and feel — without the hefty price tag.
Nectar rate this mattress at 6.5 out of 10 for firmness, but we rate it a a much (much) firmer 7.5 out of 10, placing it in the upper end of medium-firm. It also comes in a hybrid version but we tested the memory foam version, which is the focus of this review.
There aren’t any springs included here to give it much bounce, but the mattress provides good pressure relief and offers up a tactile and balanced surface on which to sleep with a nice amount of cushioning – and this is not something that not a lot of firm memory-foam mattresses seem to get right.
Our lead tester, a side and back sleeper who shares a bed, slept on the Nectar Classic for six weeks. She and her partner were pleased with how comfortable they both felt, particularly when side sleeping as the mattress supports suitably in key areas such as hips and shoulders. They were also impressed at how well the mattress does to limit movement from side to side, making the Classic a reliable option for anyone who shares a bed,
Yes, the Classic is an improvement on the original, but it isn’t perfect. Average side support and a cover that unfortunately can’t be removed are the main drawbacks. However, its reassuring firm sleep feel makes it suitable for heavier bodies that may not normally find an all-foam design adequately supportive.
Nectar Classic Memory Foam Mattress review: Price & trial
- The Nectar Classic usually costs $649 for a queen
- Free shipping and returns
- 365-night trial and forever warranty
Nectar sells a wide range of memory foam and hybrid mattresses with the Nectar Classic Memory Foam Mattress being its entry-level design. However, that’s not to say it compromises on comfort and support, as we think it’s one of the best value memory foam mattresses we’ve tested.
The Black Friday mattress deals are live, but don't expect any great reductions on the Classic. A queen size Nectar Classic is $649 (was $1,563), thanks to an evergreen up-to 50% off sale dressed up as a new Nectar Black Friday mattress sale. However, that that does mean is that there's no immediate pressure to buy right now as this mattress is incredible value all-year round.
Here are the prices you can expect to pay for the Nectar Mattress in 2024:
- Twin: Total value: $1,063 (usually on sale for $359)
- Twin XL: Total value: $1,130 (usually on sale for $549)
- Full: Total value: $1,436 (usually on sale for $599)
- Queen: Total value: $1,563 (usually on sale for $649)
- King: Total value: $2,020 (usually on sale for $849)
- Cal King: Total value: $2,020 (usually on sale for $849)
- Split king: Total value: $2,260 (usually on sale for $1,098)
Although we're used to seeing it, the current up-to 50% off Nectar mattress sale is better value than last year, which in 2023 was 33% off. It’s worth noting that Nectar plays around with its MSRPs, however, so keep this in mind when you’re looking for deals on its website to ensure you’re getting the best price.
In addition to year-round excellent value, Nectar exceeds on its benefits; you'll get a l365-night trial, which is a very generous offering compared to the standard 100-night trials you often find. Plus a forever warranty for peace of mind and free shipping and returns.
You can buy optional extras when you click to buy the Nectar Classic Memory Foam Mattress. At the time of writing, you can take advantage of a Cooling Pillow, Sheet Set and Mattress Protector for $159 – with a total value of $599. For an additional $99, you can also enhance the mattress with a NectarCool Technology top cover, which is a special material blend that helps to wick away moisture so you sleep even cooler.
In comparison, the budget-friendly Siena Memory Foam Mattress is priced $379 for a queen and gives you a 180-night sleep trial and 10 year warranty (check out our Siena Memory Foam mattress review for closer analysis of this bed), while the premium Saatva Contour5 Memory Foam Mattress costs $2,595 for a queen and, like Nectar, offers a 365-night trial and a lifetime warranty. Again, you can take a closer look at this bed in our Saatva Contour5 mattress review.
Nectar Classic Memory Foam Mattress review: Design
You’d be forgiven for thinking there was more than five layers in this sumptuously thick 12-inch mattress. The layers are made up of premium Oeko-Tex standard 100 certified fabrics and CeriPUR-US certified foams, which means they meet certain safety and environmental standards.
The combination of these foams creates a medium-firm design that offers both comfort and peace of mind. The mattress comes with Nectar’s new and improved cool-to-the-touch top cover that is breathable and antimicrobial to ensure a healthy surface and help keep you at an optimum temperature as you sleep. Beneath this top cover is a 1-inch layer of pressure-relieve memory foam that is designed to contour and cushion your body without that feeling of being stuck.
Next in line is a three inch h layer of responsive support foam that helps keep the body aligned. Then there is eight inches of foundational foam that gives the mattress overall stability, good edge support and reduces motion transfer from side to side. Completing the spec is a base with a heavy duty cover that prevents layers from shifting to ensure the life of the mattress.
Nectar Classic Memory Foam Mattress review: Comfort & support
- Nectar rates the Classic at 6.5 out of 10 rating, but we place it at firmer 7.5
- Pressure relief layer balances and comfort
- Top layer is firm but cushioned without that feeling of being stuck
The Classic's improved foam structure provides a denser overall feel than its predecessor. While the original Nectar Memory Foam Mattress offered body contouring support with a sink-in feel that was a dream for side sleepers, we felt it wasn't supportive enough for heavier bodies or some back and stomach sleepers. Nectar seems to have addressed this issue with its new and improved design, as we found it suited all manner of body weights and sleep positions.
While it’s fair to say that the side sleepers within our testing panel were still the loudest to rave about this mattress, the dense foam structure hit a lot of highs with our back and front sleeping testers too. Our main tester, who is a back and side sleeper, loved how easily she could lay on her back with her spine feeling nicely supportive. That's thanks to the three inches of responsive support foam inside and this promotes spinal alignment.
Our taller and shorter testers were particularly impressed with how even the sleep surface felt on this mid-range memory foam mattress, with its lofty 12-inch thickness adding to overall comfort and sense of luxury.
You can see how our lead tester documented their first week of testing this mattress in depth our Nectar Classic hands-on mattress review. They were initially pleased with how plush the mattress felt underneath and how easy they found sleeping on their back, as the mattress seemed to contour their lower back and the back of their legs comfortably.
They continued to see an improvement in their sleeping pattern and managed to find comfort in sleeping on their side, back and front. While the firmness of this mattress wouldn’t have been their natural choice, they were pleased with how deep a sleep this design helped them reach at night.
Nectar Classic Memory Foam Mattress review: Delivery & set up
The Nectar Classic is one of the best mattresses in a box, which means it is vacuum sealed, rolled, and packaged in a box for delivery. After purchase, standard free shipping will include being contacted by Nectar to arrange a convenient 2 hour delivery window. However, for a $199 fee, you can upgrade your purchase to include white glove delivery, which is the delivery and set up of your mattress anywhere in your home.
Setting up our Nectar Classic was fairly straightforward. It arrived safely and carefully packaged within its box. After cutting the vacuum packaging free and unrolling the mattress, it immediately began to self inflate. Nectar recommends leaving your mattress for a minimum of 24 hours and a maximum of 72 hours to inflate fully.
When mattresses have been tightly sealed within a box or bag for transportation, they can often emit an odor when unboxed. This is called mattress off gassing, and occurs when Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are released into the air after being sealed. Off-gassing was barely detectable when we unboxed the Nectar Classic, with any light smell quickly dissipating.
Delivery and set-up score: 4.5 out of 5
Nectar Classic Memory Foam Mattress review: Performance
- Evenly balanced, firm yet nicely cushioned
- Stays cool to touch for a memory foam mattress
- Excellent motion isolation technology makes it ideal for bed sharers
Our lead tester, a side and back sleeper who shares a bed, slept on a queen size Nectar Classic Memory Foam Mattress for six weeks. We carried out a series of tests, designed to gain a clear picture of how this mattress performs across key areas, such as pressure relief, motion isolation technology, edge support temperature regulation. Here's what we discovered:
Pressure relief
A decent memory foam mattress should relieve pressure in key areas such as your hips, shoulders and lower back, which is why we’re always keen to test the pressure relief. A mattress with good pressure relief that releases back into shape as you move will ensure you can change position freely on the mattress without sinking in or having that feeling of being stuck.
Our main tester was surprised at just how well the mattress did to support her when she was sleeping on her side and back. Used to sleeping on some of the best hybrid mattresses, she was initially apprehensive about sleeping on an all-foam design. While the mattress felt a lot firmer than what she was used to, she liked the feel cushioned top layer that felt soft and tactile yet supportive. She was surprised at just how well the mattress’ dense form contoured her body when sleeping on her back and sides.
A front-only sleeping tester also tried the mattress and told us that while an all-foam mattress wouldn’t be their first choice, they found it very comfortable when sleeping on their front. They were also impressed by the feel of the cool-to-touch cover on their skin.
In addition to sleeping on the bed ourselves, we used an 8kg weight to test the pressure relief of this mattress. We placed it in the centre of the mattress and measured the sinkage with a tape measure. We measured it at 1 inch (2.5cm), which is slightly tighter than your average all-foam design, proving that the mattress has a nicely firm yet supportive surface.
Pressure relief score: 5 out of 5
Motion isolation
One of the most impressive features of this new and improved Nectar all-foam mattress is how well it dampens movement from side to side. If you sleep alongside a restless partner or share a bed and you yourself are prone to waking in the night, good motion isolation technology is an important feature to look out for in a mattress. It will limit disturbance from side to side so you won’t feel very move ripple and bounce over to the other side of the mattress.
Our main tester shared the bed with her partner and was impressed with the excellent motion isolation technology here. She could hardly feel her partner move in the night and vice versa.
We also conducted a drop test using a 3kg weight and an empty wine glass to illustrate just how effective the motion isolation is here. We placed the wine glass in the centre of the mattress and dropped the 3kg weight 4 inches, 10 inches and 25 inches away. As you can see in the video below, the stem of the wine glass didn’t buckle even at 4 inches away, which proves just how effective the motion isolation technology is here.
Motion isolation score: 5 out of 5
Temperature regulation
One of the problems with sleeping on an all-foam mattress is that it can get too hot – particularly in the summer when room temperatures rise. Manufacturers do well to address this issue, however, with the best cooling mattresses and breathable materials and fabrics designed to wick away body moisture and regulate your temperature.
We tested this mattress in October when room temperature plummeted down to 60 degrees F (16 degrees C). We teamed it with a Simba 3 in 1 duvet and breathable Panda Bamboo bedding set.
The original version of Nectar’s all-foam mattress didn’t have the new and improved cool to touch cover with breathable cover that allows more flow to circulate through the mattress.
For now, we’re not able to say whether the temperature regulating features here work well during the balmy summer months, but we’ll update this feature in due course. We were impressed with the feel of the new cool-to-touch cover here as it feels very soft and tactile. And we liked how the mattress felt when we slept on it in the winter climate.
Temperature regulation score: 4 out of 5
Edge support
Good edge support matters. If you’ve ever come across a mattress with weak edge support you’ll immediately notice how hard it is to lay right up to the sides without feeling like you’re about to fall off, for example. Good edge support also makes it easy to get in and out of bed in the morning, as you can safely sit on the bed's edge without it dipping and collapsing beneath you.
To see how even the sleep surface, we used our 8kg weight to measure the sinkage on the sides of the Nectar mattress. We measured it at 1.5 inches (3.8cm), which shows that the mattress is slightly softer at the sides compared to the centre, which we measured at 1 inch.
While the overall feel of the mattress is balanced and solid, our testers found the edge support here only slightly above average. They were pleased with how you can sleep right up to the sides of this mattress and feel supported and leave and access the bed easily too. They were pleased with how well this mattress held together when sitting on the sides too.
Edge support score: 4 out of 5
Nectar Classic Memory Foam Mattress review: Customer reviews
Our testing panel were very happy with how reliable a sleep the Nectar Classic Memory Foam Mattress gave them. Over on the Nectar website, you can find a lot of positive reviews of the mattress too. The brand claims that this mattress is The USA’s Most Awarded mattress with 85 awards given to it in 2024 from numerous organisations and publications.
There are 50,199 reviews of this mattress on the Nectar website too with a 4.7 out of 5 overall rating. There are 40,422 5-star ratings and 634 1-star ratings. Overall, the reviews are filled with positive comments with comments such as: ‘Soft, yet firm and supportive’ and ‘This mattress has been a great investment’.
The newer version of the Nectar Classic was launched in August 2024, however, so bear in mind that these reviews most likely relate to the previous version too.
Should you buy the Nectar Classic Memory Foam Mattress?
Hitting the mark in terms of price, performance, comfort and design, we think the Nectar Classic Memory Foam Mattress is worthy of its impressive overall rating. Teaming a satisfying firmness and support with a soft, cooling and breathable top cover, we think the updated version of the popular flagship Nectar model is great value for money. Plus, its a 365-night sleep trial and forever warranty are industry benefits that are hard to beat.
Choosing a mattress is a personal choice of course, but we think this mattress does well to accommodate a variety of heights, weights and sleep preferences. We were impressed with pressure relief here, the amount of usable sleep space and the fact that we could find relaxing positions on our side, back and front. We think side sleepers may enjoy this mattress the most, but in our testing we found it equally comfortable sleeping on our back and front too.
While it’s a bit firmer than your average medium-firm design with quite a dense feel overall, it’s surprisingly supportive. And while the cover isn’t removable and the edge support is average, we think this mattress is priced fairly. It comes with a breathable cover to help regulate temperature, retains its form well and offers what everyone ultimately wants and needs – a comfortable night’s sleep.
Nectar Classic Memory Foam Mattress review: Alternatives
With a breathable comfort layer, cradling memory foam and a durable foam base, this memory foam mattress is a great alternative to the Nectar Classic for those seeking something slightly firmer. It features three layers of supportive pressure-relieving foam in total and has an 11" depth. At $799 for a queen (was $999), the Casper One is another competitively priced memory foam mattress. You'll get free shipping, a 10-year warranty and 100-night sleep trial.
The Puffy Cloud and Nectar Classic share many similarities, but the Puffy Cloud is an excellent choice for side sleepers looking for a plusher sleep surface with added pressure relief. It's worth noting that with a bed depth of 10", the Puffy is a little shallower though. At the current price of $949 for a queen (was $2,299), the Puffy is also a little more expensive. You'll get a 101 sleep trial and lifetime warranty.
The DreamCloud Memory Foam Mattress is another high quality mattress with a mid-range price tag. Like the Nectar, the DreamCloud has a firmness rating of 6.5 out of 10 and stands at 12" tall, but boasts two more supportive layers than the Classic. What does this mean in terms of your sleep? Reliable support and proper spinal alignment. An evergreen 50% off sale brings a queen down to $765 (was $1,563). Plus, you'll get a lifetime warranty and 365 night sleep trial.
