Why You Can Trust CNET Best King-Size Mattress for 2024
Sleep with comfort and ample space with our favorite king-size mattresses. Tested and reviewed by our sleep experts.
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To get the most room out of your bed, you'll want to pick up a king-sized mattress, but not just any king mattress will do. The best king mattress will give you comfort and support based on your sleeping position, firmness preference, and more.
We've put together this list of the best king-size mattresses from testing experience spanning over 200 mattresses. For this list, we considered the accommodating features (especially for couples), quality construction, fair price and performance of these mattresses. We have options for everybody, whether you need to swap out your current mattress for something more modern or if you're looking to upgrade to a king bed. Read on to find out the best king-size mattress models for your needs.
What is the best king mattress overall?
The best king-size mattress overall should check several boxes. It should be accommodating for a wide range of sleeping positions and body types, and have solid edge support and motion isolation for couples who share a bed. The Brooklyn Bedding Signature mattress fits the bill to a tee. Plus, it offers excellent value.
Video: Best king mattress for 2024
Watch CNET Video Producer Owen Poole review the best king mattresses for 2024.
Read more: Best California King Mattresses for 2024
Best king size mattresses of 2024
Mattress price scale:
$ = Budget: $799 and below
$$ = Average: $800 to $1,699
$$$ = Premium: $1,700 and up
These reflect MSRP or list prices. Sales might make a mattress less expensive, but are always changing.
Why we picked the Brooklyn Bedding Signature mattress: Kicking off our best king-size mattress review is the Brooklyn Bedding Signature mattress. It fits the bill for your average sleeper looking for a quality king bed that won't cost too much.
What impressed me the most about this one is that although this is a high-quality hybrid mattress, it costs less than the foam Casper. That's pretty uncommon since hybrid beds are typically more expensive than all-foam ones, so they offer exceptional value.
It's offered in three different firmness levels, giving you the option to cater exactly to your primary sleeping position. It's suitable for all sleepers, whether they prefer sleeping on their back, stomach, side or a combination. I liked the firm option because it sat around a medium-firm, and I'm a stomach sleeper who needs that additional support. Side sleepers may want to consider the medium or soft model instead for more plushness.
Brooklyn Bedding Signature also has a hybrid construction containing almost 1,000 pocketed coils, making it durable and supportive enough for any body type from petite to heavy. As a plus for couples looking for the best king-size mattress, the outer perimeter of the coils is designed to be extra supportive and strong for enhanced edge support. If you're looking for a quality king bed at a very reasonable price, this is a great pick.
Pros:
- Suits all sleeping positions because of its three firmness options
- Hybrid construction suits all body types
- Great bang for your buck
Cons:
- You'll have to spend an extra $300 if you want the optional pillow top
Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid
Why we picked the Nectar Premier mattress: It's the best king-size bed for people who want the traditional memory foam feel you can find in a Tempur-Pedic mattress at a more wallet-friendly price. It has a thick memory foam construction, giving it a relieving and slow-responding memory foam feel. It takes a few seconds for your body to activate the foam, but once it does, the memory foam slowly contours around your curves and nestles you into the bed.
The Nectar Premier mattress is the replacement for the mattress company's upper-level model called Nectar Lush. Inside the bed's gel memory foam comfort layer is a phase-change material that helps keep your temperature neutral, unlike old memory foam beds that are notorious for retaining heat. For even more cooling abilities, you can also take a look at the Nectar Premier Copper model.
I think Nectar Premier falls around a 6 out of 10 on the firmness scale, making this king mattress suitable for most sleeping positions, especially back or stomach sleepers. If you're a side sleeper under 150 pounds, it might not be soft enough for what you need. The memory foam nature of this mattress will also give some resistance to combination sleepers who switch positions during the night.
Editors' note: The US Product Safety Commission recently issued a recall for Nectar Premier king- and queen-size mattresses manufactured on Sept. 24, 2021. Look for a model number CHILL and Prototype ID:ECS2003RHCH on a tag on the bottom of your mattress to find out if yours has been recalled. We have reached out to Nectar for comment and will update the story if they respond.
Pros:
- Good for combination, back and stomach sleepers
- Strong memory foam feel for people who like hugging, contouring memory foam
Cons:
- Might not be supportive enough for sleepers over 230 pounds
Read more in our full Nectar Premier mattress review.
Nectar Premier
Why we picked the WinkBed mattress: WinkBed is an affordable luxury mattress that’s widely accommodating. The steel coils and fluffy pillow top make the WinkBed mattress a standout choice if you’re looking for a supportive and durable bed.
The WinkBed mattress is available in different firmness levels, which I always like to see, especially for couples trying to find a bed that works for both of them. The Firm model of WinkBed is our pick for the best king-size firm mattress because of how supportive it is while still being extremely comfortable.
You can think of the WinkBed mattress as a classic innerspring-style bed with modern upgrades. The light and airy pillow top is seriously comfortable. It’s also easy to move around on. If you’re a pillow top lover, I cannot recommend the WinkBed mattress enough.
The WinkBed king mattress retails for around $1,799. While that’s still a lot of money, the quality of this bed makes it a great deal. Especially considering how often WinkBed runs sales, you can often get around $300 off.
Pros:
- Accommodates all sleeping positions and body types
- Great price for the quality
- Cloud-like pillow top
Cons:
- Not a true budget option
- Not for people who want a memory foam feel
Read our WinkBed mattress review for more.
WinkBed Mattress
Why we picked the DreamCloud Premier Hybrid mattress:
The DreamCloud Premier Hybrid is the best king-sized bed in a box mattress. It’s a premium, 13-inch-thick bed that combines layers of gel memory foam and durable coils. The hybrid construction gives the DreamCloud Premier mattress a nice mix of pressure relief and durability, with reinforced edges and reduced motion transfer.
Although it has memory foam, you don’t get the sinking-in feel you expect. We found this bed to have a responsive memory foam feel that cradles your curves without sucking you in. It has a medium to medium-firm profile, which is the most accommodating firmness for the average person.
The DreamCloud Premier mattress retails for $2,169, although DreamCloud does some of the best deals in the industry. I’ve seen 50% sales on DreamCloud mattresses twice so far this year.
Pros:
- Supportive design that is suitable for any body type
- Responsive foam feel
- DreamCloud offers great sales
Cons:
- May be too firm for petite side sleepers
- Not everyone likes the feel of memory foam
DreamCloud Premier Hybrid Mattress
Why we picked the Allswell mattress: You may not be familiar with Allswell, but you're likely familiar with its parent company Walmart. As its entrance to the bed-in-a-box game, Walmart introduced the affordable Allswell mattress. The Allswell mattress is a good hybrid mattress for the price of a low-budget foam mattress, giving it a well-deserved spot on this best king bed list.
Inside is a simple construction with a foam base layer, a 6-inch thick pocketed coil system and a poly foam top layer. It is quick to respond to pressure and you sit more on top of the bed than you do inside. If you're a combination sleeper, this is music to your ears because it doesn't give resistance like memory foam does when you switch positions. Also, thanks to its hybrid construction, it's suitable for all body types. It's a tad on the firm side and best for back, stomach and combo sleepers.
In short, the Allswell mattress is a generally accommodating mattress that sells for a great price. You'll be hard-pressed to find a quality king mattress that's as wallet-friendly.
Pros:
- One of the most affordable hybrid beds on the market
- Suits back, stomach and combination sleepers
- Accommodating for all body types
Cons:
- A little too firm for side sleepers
Read more in our Allswell mattress review.
Allswell
Why we chose the Saatva Rx mattress:
If you live with back pain, you need a king-sized mattress that relieves it, not adds to it. The Saatva Rx mattress was designed to alleviate back pain from chronic conditions like scoliosis or sciatica.
The Saatva Rx mattress has a noticeable zoned support design that ensures your back gets the extra support it needs without being too firm. The support doesn’t stop there. The coils are topped with two additional inches of foam for added pressure relief. Then there is a layer of 2.75-inch micro coils wrapped in high-density foams.
We rate the Saatva Rx mattress a medium or four to five out of 10. That might be too soft for some stomach or back sleepers. The Saatva Classic mattress is a firmer alternative that will give you the same support and durability you expect from the brand.
Pros:
- Zoned support
- Unique features like foam-topped coils and an additional micro coil layer
- Designed specifically to relieve back pain
Cons:
- Potentially too soft for some back and stomach sleepers
- Only one firmness option
- Expensive
Saatva Rx Mattress
Why we picked the Layla Hybrid mattress: In a sea of bed-in-a-box mattresses, brands have to add a little sauce to their designs to make them stand out. The Layla Hybrid is unlike most other hybrid mattresses because it comes with a two-in-one deal. What I mean is that it's flippable, and you can sleep on each side of the mattress comfortably.
The memory foam inside the Layla Hybrid is quite pleasant. It's more light and airy than the typical dense, hugging memory foam I'm used to. It feels like you're laying on a big fluffy pillow that supports your back.
The soft side is perfect for side sleepers who want an ultralight yet plush feel. I rate it around a medium-soft or a 3 out of 10 on the firmness scale. On the flip side, the firm profile of Layla isn't a true firm. It's more like a medium to medium-firm or a 6 out of 10 on the firmness scale. This makes it a good choice for most sleeping positions, but I also think it's a good pick for heavier side sleepers who want a soft feel with extra support.
In the center of the Layla Hybrid is a system of strong pocketed coils that act as the support layer. The edges of the coils have an even stronger, dual-coil design to make the perimeter of the mattress more supportive. The comfort layers of the soft side are made of two thick foam slabs including copper-infused memory foam to help regulate temperature. The firm side is made with the same materials, but firmer and thinner so you get a more supportive feel.
Pros:
- Flippable design allows for two firmness levels in one bed
- Great pick for side sleepers who want a plush, light and airy feel
- Is suitable for all body types
Cons:
- Heavy back and stomach sleepers will likely think it's too soft
Layla Hybrid
Other mattresses we've tested
Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe: Many mattresses make embellished claims about their cooling abilities, but the Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe effectively works to cool. With multiple cooling enforcements including cooling foam, Titan Cool technology and a cooling cover. With three firmness levels to choose from and a strong hybrid construction, it's a versatile mattress that works for any sleeping position and body type.
Purple mattress: There aren't many mattresses out there like the Purple. It's made with a special gel-like material the brand calls its GelFlex Grid. It's squishy and firm at the same time, offering a nice balance of support and pressure relief. It has a medium firmness level that suits all sleeping positions.
How we test king size mattresses
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Testing a king mattress is similar to how we test most of our mattresses, and we pay attention to a handful of important factors.
- Firmness: The measure of how firm or soft a mattress feels is an important factor in deciding if a bed is suitable for you or not. Firmness, a lot of the time, indicates how pressure-relieving or supportive a mattress feels. Side sleepers usually like a softer mattress because it offers more give, and thus, more pressure relief around the hips and shoulder areas. Back and stomach sleepers, on the other hand, tend to sleep better on firm beds that keep the spine properly supported. We test firmness by using our judgment and deliberating amongst team members. It's easier to test firmness when you have 100 different mattresses to compare it to.
- Construction and features: We take a close look at the construction of a mattress, which is a good tell on how it feels and how supportive it is for certain body types. We also consider any extra or special feature a mattress might have to stand out from the rest of the competition. Is it cooling? Does it have a special cover made with Celliant fabric or cashmere? Does it have an extra durable construction? We take all of this into consideration when testing mattresses and delegating best list picks.
- Performance: This refers to motion isolation, temperature regulation and edge support abilities. How well does a mattress perform when we put it to the test? We test motion isolation by having couples judge how it sleeps, or placing a glass of water at the end of the bed to see how much it shakes when we move. Edge support is tested by laying on the sides, bouncing and checking how sturdy it feels. Personal experience is also how we test temperature, with the help of a thermometer gun.
- Feel: Feel is a separate topic from firmness. This refers to how a mattress' materials are perceived. Is it dense and morphy like memory foam, neutral and soft like neutral foam, or supple and bouncy like latex foam? We like to describe the feel as best we can since you're unable to feel it through your computer screen.
Read more on how we test mattresses.
What to look for in a king mattress
When looking for the best mattress, you should take in some key considerations. You should follow the same guidelines when looking for a king-size bed, with the same considerations.
- Hybrid vs. foam: The more you weigh, the more supportive your mattress should be. Hybrid beds are best for all body types, including those over 230 pounds, while foam beds are typically ideal for people under 230 pounds.
- Firmness is a key indicator of how accommodating a bed will be. One of the first things to think about while looking for the best king mattress is firmness. Are you a side sleeper, back sleeper or stomach sleeper? Side sleepers typically need softer mattresses, while back and stomach sleepers benefit from a firmer mattress because having a firm bed will help support the spine, decreasing back pain. Medium beds right in the middle are perfect for combination sleepers.
- Key features like cooling tech, edge support reinforcements and Celliant covers can help you decide if a bed fits your lifestyle and circumstances. Strong edge support is great for couples who share a mattress, while beds with Celliant covers are perfect for people with active lifestyles.
- Price matters when looking for a king bed. The bigger the bed the more expensive it is. King beds are often more than $1,000, but there are budget options like Allswell to consider if you're looking for maximum savings.
Check out our size guide to compare mattress sizes. If you're looking to upgrade your whole sleep setup, we have suggestions for sheets, pillows and other sleep essentials.
Who is a king mattress best for?
Not everyone needs a king-size bed, but it is mighty convenient and comfortable during these situations:
- Couples who want more space than a queen size offers
- Taller people who don't want to feel cramped (queen beds are about 6.6 feet long)
- Sleepers who share a bed with their kids (king beds are wider than California king beds)
King and California king mattresses are the most popular of the king variety, but a host of beds are technically classified as king. Here's an overview of the different types of king beds if you're looking for something a little different.
King-size mattress types
| Type | Dimensions |
|---|---|
| Standard king (aka Eastern king) | 76 x 80 inches |
| California king | 72 x 84 inches |
| Split king | Two twin beds (36 x 80 inches) |
| Split California king | Two twin XL beds (36 x 84 inches) |
| Alaskan king | 108 x 108 inches |
| Wyoming king | 84 x 84 inches |
| Texas king | 80 x 98 inches |
King-size mattress FAQs
What is a good price to pay for a king size mattress?
The average king mattress costs around $1,000 or more, depending on how premium of a mattress you're looking to buy. More affordable options are available for around $500 for budget shoppers who are looking to pay a little less.
How big are king mattresses?
A king-size mattress measures 80 inches long by 76 inches wide and 4 inches thick. Compared to a queen-size mattress, it offers the same length but with 16 additional inches in width.
What's the best king mattress on the market?
Typically, the best king-size mattress is a bed that's able to accommodate two sleepers because it's the most popular size among couples. Some of the best king beds have pocketed coils and reinforced edge support, can isolate motion well and/or have a breathable design. Some of CNET's picks include:
- Brooklyn Bedding Signature
- Winkbed
- Nectar Premier
- Layla Hybrid
- Allswell