Why You Can Trust CNET Puffy Royal Hybrid Mattress Review 2024: Plush, Luxurious Memory Foam for Side Sleepers
Puffy is known for making comfy, plush mattresses, and the Puffy Royal Hybrid is one of its most luxurious options. Could it be the mattress for you?
The Puffy Royal Hybrid is one of four beds currently available from Puffy. The brand has made some updates to its mattress lineup, and the Puffy Royal is the first updated Puffy mattress we had the opportunity to test.
Puffy Royal Hybrid Mattress
Like
- Plush firmness profile for side sleepers
- Responsive memory foam feel
- Zoned support design
- Solid temperature regulation
Don't like
- Expensive option
- Not ideal for strict back sleepers
This mattress is designed to be plush and luxurious and with additional features in comparison to the Puffy Lux Hybrid which is a more affordable option from Puffy.
First impressions of the Puffy Royal Hybrid mattress
We tested the first iteration of the Puffy Royal Hybrid about five years ago, and when I unboxed this new version, I was immediately impressed with the new exterior design of the mattresses. I think it looks much more premium and luxurious in comparison to the old model.
One construction element I noticed immediately after unboxing it was the foam reinforced mattress perimeter, which is designed to improve the edge support. Because the mattress uses quite a bit of foam, it looked a bit misshapen fresh out of the box, which is perfectly normal and expected, even for hybrids, and it was especially noticeable on the perimeter of the bed.
The next day, the Puffy Royal Hybrid had fully inflated, and I was able to try it out at its intended firmness level. I was impressed again with the overall comfort of the mattress.
Video: Puffy Royal Hybrid mattress review
Watch me review the Puffy Royal Hybrid in this video review.
Construction and feel
The Puffy Royal Hybrid mattress is a thick, plush and overall luxurious mattress. It's 14 inches thick and has seven distinct layers, not counting the cover, which is a lot of layers.
At the bottom is a 1-inch layer of base support foam, which is primarily there to give the 6-inch layer of pocketed coils a secure footing. These coils are the main support layer of the Ruffy Royal Hybrid. These coils might be different than you'd expect because they're not built the same way as traditional innersprings. Most brands will use the terms "innersprings" and "pocketed coils" interchangeably. Coils are generally more supportive and durable over a long span of time in comparison to foam, especially for heavier individuals.
The layer above the coils is a 2.5-inch zoned-support transition layer, which is a more responsive, neutral type of foam. Above that is a 1-inch layer of memory foam, and above that is another 2-inch layer of memory foam that's meant to be more responsive but still pressure-relieving.
The next layer is another 1-inch layer of memory foam that's infused with "cooling gel." Between this layer and the cover is a thin layer of wool.
Despite using several memory foam layers, the Puffy Royal Hybrid doesn't have a classic dense memory foam feel. The responsive layers and the coils give it a more responsive memory foam feel that I think is very comfortable. It has a nice balance between the sink-in quality you would expect from having so many memory foam layers while not feeling as dense as other memory foam beds we've tested.
Puffy Royal Hybrid firmness and sleeper types
The Puffy Royal Hybrid is quite soft and plush, sitting right between a medium and a medium-soft on our firmness scale, skewing closer to the medium-soft end. This makes the Puffy Royal Hybrid a nice option for primary-side sleepers seeking out a lot of pressure relief for their hips and shoulders.
Sleepers who favor their side are generally best seeking out a mattress with a firmness profile of at least a medium. That's because sleeping on your side on a bed that's too firm can cause hip and shoulder pain over time, and it can cause you to toss and turn at night to adjust.
Firmness is always subjective based on a person's body weight, so keep that in mind when shopping for your next mattress. If you're a heavy person, you'll likely feel all beds to be softer than a lighter person (who will conversely feel beds to be firmer across the board).
Puffy Royal Hybrid mattress performance
Edge support
As I mentioned in the construction section, the coils on the Puffy Royal Hybrid have a foam-reinforced border all along the perimeter of the mattress designed to enhance the edge support, and it does that pretty well.
If you're sharing this mattress with a partner or pets and you wind up sleeping on the outer edges of the mattress, you should be set with solid edge support.
Motion isolation
How well a mattress absorbs motion transferring through the mattress is important for couples, especially if one of you is a light sleeper who wakes up easily.
We found the motion isolation on the Puffy Royal Hybrid mattress to be quite good, even though it's a hybrid. I think this is because the coil layer is relatively thin in comparison to the rest of the foam layers above it and because it uses a lot of memory foam. So, if you're a light sleeper, I think you'll be set with the Puffy Royal.
Temperature regulation
The Puffy Royal Hybrid does have some cooling elements in its construction. We found the cover to be ever so slightly cool to the touch, and according to Puffy, they have a thin "climate fiber layer," and the top layer of memory foam is supposed to have cooling gel, which explains the slight cooling factor.
It doesn't have quite enough cooling factor to score a spot on our best cooling beds list but the Puffy Royal Hybrid should do a great job at helping make sure to don't heat up at night and have night sweats.
Puffy Royal Hybrid mattress pricing
| Size | Measurements (inches) | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Twin | 38x74 inches | $2,599 |
| Twin XL | 38x80 inches | $2,799 |
| Full | 54x75 inches | $3,499 |
| Queen | 60x80 inches | $3,749 |
| King | 76x80 inches | $4,049 |
| Cal king | 72x84 inches | $4,049 |
Looking at the price tag of the Puffy Royal Hybrid might induce some sticker shock. The retail price for this mattress is in a similar range to high-end beds such as the Tempur-Pedic Breeze beds and some of the premium options from Purple. The retail price isn't what you'll be paying, though.
Puffy runs steep discounts pretty much year-round. Usually, on its site, you'll see some kind of timer at the top of the page that appears to be counting down the duration of the deal, but you should ignore that. I've seen that timer expire multiple times, and the deal didn't change.
The discounted price of the Puffy Royal Hybrid is significantly lower at the time of writing. Pricing can change at a moment's notice for online beds, so check out our mattress deals page for the most up-to-date pricing and discounts on the Puffy Royal Hybrid or any other bed you are interested in.
Puffy Royal Hybrid mattress policies
Free shipping
The Puffy Royal Hybrid mattress ships inside of a box right to your door, at no extra cost in the contiguous United States. Unboxing a mattress is a quick and easy process. We've done it literally hundreds of times at CNET, and it's actually fun.
I recommend unboxing it with two people because it can be challenging solo, especially for larger sizes like queen and king.
101-night trial
Puffy offers an extra night on top of the usual standard in-home sleep trial of 100 nights. So you get roughly three months to test out the bed and see if it's supportive enough for you to sleep on for the foreseeable future.
Keep in mind that it can take a month or longer for your body to adjust to a new mattress, no matter how well-suited it is to your sleeping preferences.
Return policy
Puffy still offers completely free returns on all of its mattresses if you choose to return it within the provided trial period. Returning a mattress is usually easy; you just contact the company, and usually a group will come by your house to pick up the bed. It'll then often get donated, or sometimes resold by a third party.
Warranty
All Puffy mattresses, including the Royal Hybrid, are backed by a "lifetime" warranty. That is much longer than the usual standard of 10 years. However, keep in mind it is a tiered warranty with more protection in the first 10 years than the years after.
Final verdict
I'm a big fan of the new redesign of the Puffy Royal Hybrid. I remember being underwhelmed by the old model, but now I think it's a more premium mattress. For any side sleeper looking for a pressure-relieving memory foam mattress that isn't overwhelmingly dense, like a Tempur-Pedic, the Puffy Royal Hybrid should be a strong consideration if it fits your budget.
The price is a bit high for a memory foam hybrid mattress when compared to something like the Nectar Premier Hybrid or the DreamCloud Premier Rest. Despite that, the Puffy Royal Hybrid is comfortable with nice features like zoned-support and reinforced edge support, so the extra money might be worth it for you.
You might like the Puffy Royal Hybrid mattress if:
- You're looking for a soft mattress
- You have a decent amount of money to spend on a new bed
- You're seeking a hybrid mattress
- You like a memory foam feel
You might not like the Puffy Royal Hybrid mattress if:
- You want a highly responsive feeling mattress
- You're shopping with a strict budget
- You're seeking an all-foam mattress
- You want a firm mattress
Other mattresses from Puffy
Puffy Cloud mattress: This is the flagship mattress from Puffy and is meant to compete with other three-layer all-foam mattresses such as the Nectar, Leesa Original and Casper One. The Puffy Cloud mattress has more of a soft, neutral foam feel instead of a memory foam feel and it's roughly a medium on the firmness scale. This bed is designed to be affordable and accommodating, and I think it does that well.
Puffy Lux Hybrid mattress: This is the middle-tier mattress between the Puffy Cloud and the Puffy Royal Hybrid. The Puffy Lux Hybrid has more of a classic memory foam feel. It's slightly softer than the Puffy Royal, making it a great option for side sleepers. The Puffy Lux Hybrid also doesn't have a zoned-support layer like the Royal.
How does the Puffy Royal mattress compare to similar mattresses?
Puffy Royal Hybrid vs. Nectar Premier Copper Hybrid
The Nectar Premier Copper Hybrid is the most premium option available from Nectar, which is more well known for their very affordable Nectar Original. Both the Premier Copper and the Puffy Royal use a lot of memory foam, but the Nectar feels more like traditional memory foam, and the Nectar is a firmer bed than the Puffy Royal. The Puffy Royal has a zoned support layer, which the Nectar doesn't, but the Nectar is more affordable.
Puffy Royal Hybrid vs. DreamCloud Premier Hybrid
The DreamCloud Premier Hybrid is the highest-end option from DreamCloud (which has the same parent company as Nectar). Compared to the Puffy Royal Hybrid, the DreamCloud is a bit softer and has much more of a dense memory foam feel. The Puffy Royal is more expensive but also has that zoned-support layer, better edge support and temperature regulation.
Puffy Royal Hybrid mattress FAQs
What are Puffy beds made of?
It uses a combination of memory foam, polyurethane foam wool and coils in its various mattresses.
Are Puffy beds made in the USA?
Yes, Puffy mattresses are American-made.
Are Puffy mattresses safe?
Yes, all of its beds are Certi-PUR US certified, which means they're free of ozone-depleting chemicals and other chemicals, like formaldehyde, so it's perfectly safe.