Nectar Premier Hybrid Mattress review: A firm mattress that works well for back sleepers

The Nectar Premier Hybrid is the top-of-the-line, flagship mattress from one of the most well-known bed-in-a-box brands. Nectar sells five mattress designs in total, offering a range of hybrid and memory foam to cater for all budgets, and the hybrid design reviewed here combines layers of springs with engineered foam for comfort and support.

The Premier Hybrid mattress has a deep structure – thicker than the Essential Hybrid and the classic Memory Foam mattress also offered by Nectar – and it’s been designed to be a firm, supportive mattress, with improved contouring and excellent spinal alignment for all body shapes.

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Nectar Premier Hybrid Mattress review: What you need to know

Nectar prides itself in its mattress designs – as well as offering a range of frames and bedding, such as duvet covers, pillows, mattress protectors, and sheets – and is so confident in their quality that they were the first bed-in-a-box mattress brand to offer a 365-night trial and forever warranty. By comparison, the best you’ll currently find from similar rival mattress companies is up to 10 years’ warranty.

Although they originally launched in the US, the company now sells designs worldwide and maintains offices in San Francisco, New York, Tel Aviv and London. While the Nectar Premier Hybrid Mattress under review is manufactured here, in the UK, with the Nectar website confidently stating that the “factories adhere to the strictest quality and production protocols under international regulations”.

Nectar has also worked hard to reduce its carbon footprint, and now claims to have achieved a 100% carbon-neutral manufacturing process. All of the foam they use in their mattresses are non-toxic and free from heavy metals, harmful dyes, or ozone depleting chemicals. The mattress turns up vacuum-packed in recyclable plastic, in a cardboard box sourced from sustainable forests. Of course, if you’re going for a large mattress – a king or super king – you will still find yourself left to contend with a lot of recycling.

Ordering online to be delivered direct to your door is easy and you can choose a delivery day that suits you. Then, depending on where in the UK you live, you can expect it to arrive within the week and, for an extra fee, you can also have your old mattress taken away.

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Nectar Premier Hybrid Mattress review: Price and competition

The Nectar Premier Hybrid Mattress is Nectar’s top-of-the-range design, with prices running from £1,549 for a single. However, in going up against similar bed-in-a-box brands, Nectar regularly discounts its mattress online, so it’s unlikely you’ll ever have to pay the full RRP.

At the time of writing, the Nectar Premier Hybrid Mattress has 60% off, plus free delivery, priced from £619.60 for a single – I reviewed the king size that, at full price, costs £1,999, but was slashed down to £799.60.

In comparison, the similarly structured Emma NextGen Premium Mattress costs £909 for a single, but is currently on offer for £409.05, and the Simba Hybrid Pro costs £1,164 for a single, but is currently on offer at £698.40. So, while Nectar is by no means the cheapest, with some careful shopping, it’s not the most expensive either.

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Nectar Premier Hybrid Mattress review: Design and key features

The Nectar Premier Hybrid Mattress is made up of deep springs, micro springs, and memory foam to create a comfortable, heat- and moisture-wicking mattress with support for all body types. At 28cm thick, the design is noticeably sumptuous and above average in height, especially when compared to similarly styled hybrid mattresses that tend to top out around the 25cm mark.

There are eight layers on board that combine the best of foam and pocket springs. The top layer comprises a quilted cooling cover that draws heat away from your body and encourages the air to circulate as you move. Beneath the top layer is a breathable “dynamic support” foam layer that adds to the support and helps regulate body temperature. Then there’s a layer of micro springs, a layer of memory foam, and an engineered transition layer – the latter of which is intended to work in tandem with the support base to adjust and optimise spinal alignment for restful sleep. Below this are the 832 individually wrapped, 12cm pocket springs that are designed to respond to your position – be it back, side, or front sleeping. And finally, to complete the mattress spec, a firmer foam layer and a positioning base material to ensure the mattress stays put on the bed frame. Unfortunately, the cover isn’t removable, which potentially makes it harder to keep clean than some of the other competing designs that do come with removable and, importantly, washable covers.

The combination of these layers has been designed to relieve common pressure points beneath your shoulders, hips, and legs, and the mattress is also designed to minimise motion transfer, so you can move around freely without fear of waking your partner.

The mattress arrives vacuum packed in plastic and, once unrolled, it can take up to 72 hours to fully expand. The king size mattress that I ordered was rather heavy to move, and it was a two-person job to carry it upstairs and into the bedroom. Once it was set up on a wooden slatted base, I found it quite easy to tear off the plastic and unroll. Within minutes it had risen impressively, but I waited the full three days before sleeping on it, to give it a fair try.

As with most mattresses that include memory foam, upon opening the Nectar Premier Hybrid Mattress there was some off-gassing to contend with – that factory smell that you get hit with, which can linger for a few days – however, I was surprised at just how little off-gassing there was, especially compared to other mattresses I’ve unrolled, and minimum ventilation was required.

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Nectar Premier Hybrid Mattress review: Performance and comfort

Nectar describes their Premier Hybrid Mattress as a medium-firm mattress, in the middle of their scale with a firmness rating of 6.5. I slept on it for two months and found it to be noticeably firmer than other medium-firm mattresses I’ve tried, such as Brook and Wilde’s The Lux mattress or the Emma NextGen Premium mattress.

It took me a while to get used to the mattress, as I naturally tend to prefer a softer base. However, my partner was raving about it, finding it very comfortable from the get-go. As someone who moves around a lot – on his side, back, and front – he said it made him feel equally supported in every position and he liked its overall firmness. The mattress has good pressure-relieving qualities and, although I wasn’t completely taken by the firmness, I found that it supported me well when moving around and sleeping in all positions too.

I also appreciated how well the mattress held together, with no sagging and excellent motion transfer technology while sleeping next to my partner – neither of us noticed the other moving throughout the night.

Edge support is important in a mattress, to help you get in and out of bed in the morning, so I was keen to see how well the sides of this mattress did at maintaining their shape. While it took me some time to get used to the firmness of the design during that first week, I also noticed the sides slope down a little, which I found off-putting. However, after a couple of weeks, this seemed to even out and I thought the sides kept their structure well, even when I sat on them.

The Nectar Premier Hybrid Mattress is constructed to encourage air flow, intended to make it a great option throughout the year, even on the balmiest of evenings. Over the two months I spent testing, I found the mattress maintained a comfortable temperature, without feeling too hot, even as the mercury rose to 26°C on the warmer summer nights.

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Nectar Premier Hybrid Mattress review: Verdict

If you’re someone who likes the feel of a firm mattress, and you want something that’s going to be good for your back, then this is the design for you. The mattress has excellent motion transfer technology, which is ideal if you or your partner are restless sleepers as you can go through the night undisturbed. While the edges took some time to fully form, they do retain their shape when you’re getting in and out of bed.

The mattress is made with good quality, non-toxic materials, and the limited off-gassing when it was unrolled went some way to assuring that it was mindfully crafted. The reduced carbon footprint of the manufacturing process will give you that extra peace of mind, so you and your partner can sleep easy.

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