Nectar Mattress Review: A Contouring Memory Foam Bed for Those on a Budget

Nectar Sleep is a well-known bed-in-a-box company, and now its mattresses are even in stores. With Nectar, you're looking at three different models available in memory foam or hybrid options: Nectar Classic, Nectar Premier and Nectar Luxe.

If you're looking for a dense memory foam bed for your space, check out our expert thoughts below on the flagship Nectar mattress to determine if it's the right choice.

First impressions of the Nectar mattress

Some beds have a tiny trace of memory foam that's hardly noticeable. This is not the case with the Nectar bed. If there was a picture under "memory foam" in the dictionary, it could be an image of my handprint lingering in the top layer of this mattress. It reminds me of the Tempur-Pedic mattress my parents have in their bedroom. I appreciate the quilt-like detail on its cover, which gives it a more luxurious look. It'll end up being covered with sheets, but at least I know how pretty it looks underneath. If you love the feel of memory foam or seek a good balance of support and pressure relief, the Nectar mattress is a good choice. 

Video: Nectar mattress review

Watch CNET senior video producer Owen Poole review the Nectar mattress.

Nectar Memory Foam Mattress $649 at Nectar Sleep

Nectar mattress firmness and feel

What does Nectar feel like? 

The Nectar bed is a true memory foam mattress. I stayed on top of the memory foam for a few moments when I first laid on it, and then I slowly began to sink into it. It clings around your curves and makes a little you-shaped cocoon. It feels cozy if you like that nestled-up feel, but it makes it a little harder to switch sleeping positions. Since this memory foam is far from bouncy, you'll have to allow a few seconds for your body to get snuggled into a new position. People who love memory foam won't mind this feeling, but it's something to keep in mind if you're unfamiliar with the material. 

How firm is the Nectar mattress? 

The Nectar mattress used to have a feel that hovered around a six out of 10, but after its update last year, it's a little firmer. I rate it around a true medium-firm or seven out of 10. If you weigh over 230 pounds, however, your experience with the Nectar mattress will likely feel more soft and pressure-relieving. For lightweight sleepers under 145 pounds, it should be firmer than a seven. Generally speaking, the more you weigh, the softer a mattress is going to feel and vice versa. 

Nectar mattress construction

There isn't anything super fancy going on with the foam model Nectar mattress. It's a simple but comfortable foam bed. It sits at 11 inches tall and is stacked in three layers:

1. This mattress's supportive base layer is a thick slab of dense polyurethane foam, which is essentially standard, basic foam.

2. In the middle is what Nectar calls the Adaptive Response Transition Layer. It acts as a neutralizer sandwiched in between the other two layers. It softens up the bed so you don't feel the firm base, but it's firmer than the top comfort layer to keep you more supported.

3. The top foam layer is more plush and made with gel memory foam. A gel-like substance is infused into the material to make it sleep more temperature-neutral. This is the layer you can thank for Nectar's memory foam comfort.

The cover on the Nectar memory foam mattress is made with Tencel and has a thin layer of gel memory foam quilted into it. It doesn't make the mattress sleep cold, which some might expect based on the language on their website.

Nectar mattress performance

Motion isolation

If you're like me and sleep with a partner (your German Shepherd counts, too), motion isolation is an important characteristic. Some beds creak and shake when you or your partner make any kind of movement, and motion transfer is a huge buzzkill when you're trying to get a good night's sleep. 

Thanks to the Nectar bed's motion-absorbing foam construction, it's safe to say that it suppresses motion like a charm. It made no noise, and I could hardly tell when my boyfriend was switching positions during the night. 

Edge support

If you plan on sharing a full- or queen-size bed with somebody, or maybe your S.O. is a bed-hog, edge support might be an important factor to you. This addresses how supportive the bed's sides are. An extreme example of bad edge support is on an air mattress. If you're pushed to the very edge of a blow-up bed, you'll either feel like you're rolling off the side or you actually will roll off. 

The Nectar bed doesn't have the best edge support I've ever experienced, but you don't have a falling sensation when you're near the side. This is pretty typical for a foam mattress. Hybrid mattresses with coils, on the other hand, tend to perform better in this department. 

Temperature

You might get the sense this is a cooling memory foam mattress by reading Nectar's website, but I wouldn't necessarily say it helped me sleep cool. Don't get me wrong, it's nothing like an outdated memory foam bed that retains all your body heat in the center. However, it's not like the GhostBed Luxe or the Cocoon Chill, which are two other memory foam bed-in-a-box mattresses with super-effective cooling tech. 

Durability

The all-foam Nectar mattress model, the brand's flagship bed, is not going to be as durable as the hybrid mattress. A base layer made with steel coils is going to stand the test of time better than dense foam. The original Nectar mattress should last five to six years, while the Nectar Hybrid should last eight or more. However, the foam Nectar is a little more durable than the 10-inch mattress models because it's a tad thicker. 

Off-gassing 

You'll notice a smell omitting from your mattress once you unbox it from its packaging and it expands, but not to worry. This is the norm for most bed-in-a-box mattresses unless they're natural and organic. It's similar to a new car smell in that it's left from the manufacturing and compression process, but it should dissipate in a day or two. 

Who is the Nectar mattress best for?

Now that I've talked about how it feels and how it's built, let me dive into the types of people the Nectar mattress is best suited for. 

Sleeping position

Considering the Nectar bed feels a bit more like a supportive and firm mattress, I think it's best for people whose predominant sleeping position is their back or stomach. The firmness was a little too much for me when I was on my side, but it felt really nice when I was lying flat. If you want a slightly softer Nectar mattress, I'd try out the Nectar Premier. 

Body type 

I mentioned how your body weight can influence how a mattress feels, but it should also help you decide the type of mattress you should get. Most all-foam beds are around 10 to 11 inches thick and are perfectly supportive for people who weigh less than 230 pounds. However, if you have a larger body frame, I would recommend a mattress made with coils. They'll be more supportive and your money will go farther in the long-run.

Nectar Mattress $649 at Nectar

Nectar shipping, sleep trial and warranty

The Nectar mattress will ship for free to your home and arrive in a cardboard box. If you're new to the whole bed-in-a-box thing, it's kind of fun to watch it unfold and inflate into a full-size bed. 

Right out of the box, you'll probably notice a not-so-pleasant smell coming from your new mattress. It's completely typical for bed-in-a-box mattresses to omit this off-gassing smell, and it completely goes away after a couple of days. 

If you're like me, you won't buy anything online unless there's a reasonable return policy. Luckily, Nectar gives its customers an entire year to test out its bed. 

A lot of all-foam beds come with 10- or 15-year warranties, however, the Nectar is backed by a "Forever Warranty." Conditions apply, but I was still pretty impressed to see this. To me, the Nectar mattress warranty says the company is confident about its product. 

The final verdict on the Nectar mattress

After all is said and done, the Nectar is a very comfortable, basic memory foam mattress. It doesn't have the bells and whistles that might come with a Tempur-Pedic, but it sure does offer a similar pressure-relieving feel. 

You might like the Nectar mattress if:

• You're a fan of slow-responding memory foam, or you're at least open to the feel of it
• It's also great for shoppers on a limited budget
• The Nectar is best for individuals who weigh under 230 pounds because it's made with foam instead of steel coils
• Nectar is best for back and stomach sleepers or combination sleepers who don't often sleep on their side

You might not like the Nectar mattress if:

• You want a responsive foam mattress like Casper or an ultra-bouncy bed like the Avocado mattress
• You prefer sleeping on your side
• If you weigh over 230 pounds; heavier sleepers would be more accommodated on a supportive hybrid mattress

Other mattresses from Nectar

Nectar Hybrid

The Nectar Hybrid mattress has similar features to the all-foam mattress except it has a strong, 8-inch individually wrapped coil layer in the base of the mattress for extra durability and support. It also goes for a great price compared to other hybrid mattresses, especially if you catch it during a sale (which Nectar is usually running). 

Nectar Hybrid $799 at Nectar

Nectar Premier

The Nectar Premier mattress is the more premium mattress offering from Nectar. Available in both a foam and hybrid model, the Nectar Premier is thick (13 inches for the foam model), contains a phase-change material for temperature regulation and has a dense memory foam feel that contours around your body's curves. 

Nectar Premier $949 at Nectar

Nectar Premier Copper

This is the most luxurious mattress from Nectar. It's similar to the Premier model, but it's 14 inches thick and includes copper fibers in the cover to help absorb heat from your body. Although, the Nectar Premier Copper is only available in an all-foam model. 

Nectar Premier Copper $1,249 at Nectar

How does Nectar compare to other mattresses? 

• Purple vs. Nectar: Comparing the flagship beds of these two industry leaders is almost like comparing apples to oranges. Other than the fact they are both made without coils, they are pretty different in every other way. The Purple is a little softer than the Nectar, rated around a five out of 10. Purple has a bouncier, more responsive feel, and the material makes you feel like you're weightless. Purple also sleeps cooler than the original Nectar. On the downside, the Purple bed is the more expensive option. 
• Nectar vs. Casper: In the battle between Nectar versus Casper, they are both traditional foam mattresses but have different firmness and feel profiles to make them stand out from one another. Casper has more of a neutral foam feel while Nectar has a prominent memory foam profile. Casper is rated around a five out of 10 on the firmness scale, making it more suitable for side sleepers. It also comes with a zoned support layer to provide targeted pressure relief and support where your body needs it most. 

Best lists featuring Nectar

• Best Mattress for Stomach Sleepers
• Best Adjustable Mattress
• Best Memory Foam Mattress
• Best King-Size Mattress
• Best Mattress in a Box