Over our years of testing mattresses, we’ve established tests we use to assess mattresses on key factors.
Firmness and feel
You can think of firmness as how hard or soft a mattress is when you are lie on it. We’ve tested hundreds of mattresses and have an extensive catalog to compare against each new bed we test.
When assessing for feel, we get handsy with the bed. As we press on the bed, we watch what the material does. Does it take a second to bounce back like traditional memory foam, or is it quick and bouncy like latex foam?
Durability
Mattresses don’t last forever, and you want to buy one that lasts. Based on its construction, we hypothesize how well a mattress will stand up to nightly use. Beds that have steel coils as a base will generally last longer than all-foam mattresses.
Motion isolation
Motion isolation is how well a mattress dampens movement across the surface. It’s a big deal for people who sleep with a partner or pet who moves around at night. We jump and bounce around on the mattress for motion isolation and see how much movement is detected. We also place a glass of water on the edge of the bed and roll around and bounce near it. If it doesn’t topple over, a mattress has good motion isolation.
Edge support
A mattress’s edge support is how strong the bed’s perimeter is. We lay and sit on the edge of the mattress and assess how sturdy it feels. If we feel like we will fall off, then a bed doesn’t have good edge support.
Temperature
Hot sleepers need to look for mattresses with cooling technology. Many mattresses claim to have it, but we know the difference between marketing and cooling construction that will actually keep you cool.
Our CNET Sleep editors picked the beds and other products we write about based on editorial merit. When you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Find out more about how we test mattresses.