Best King Mattress
Top 5 Royal Beds Fit For a King [2024]
It’s time to upgrade. You’re an adult, and you deserve to have plenty of room to stretch out without kicking your partner night after night. Every time you stay in a hotel, that king mattress feels like absolute heaven.
Choosing a king size mattress is more about dimensions. You must also consider your sleep preferences and whether the king size is even the right one for you. This is our definitive guide to choosing the right king mattress, so you don’t end up living with regret.
How Do I Choose A King Mattress?
Size isn’t a guarantee of a good night’s sleep. However, if you’ve got the space for a king-sized mattress, it doesn’t hurt to consider it. Size doesn’t hurt the process of rest because sleeping cramped up is never a good way to begin your night.
Who Should Consider A King?
Couples are the target audience for king-sized mattresses because it offers the most width of most standard sized mattresses. A queen mattress is the most commonly sold type of bed, but a king will give you about six inches extra on either side.
The most significant factor in choosing a king is going to be room size. The majority of people just don’t have space for a king-sized bed in their standard bedrooms, so a new mattress purchase often goes along with the purchase of a forever home that will finally accommodate one.
King Versus California King
Most people think California King mattresses are the biggest of the bunch, but a king actually has more surface area. It’s close to a square and will give you more room side to side than a California king. If you’re looking to get some breathing room from your partner, a king-sized mattress is a good choice.
California kings sacrifice space on either side but add space at the bottom for more of a rectangle shape. If you’re looking into more length for a taller partner or yourself, a California King makes more sense.
Benefits of a King
A king mattress is a lot more common than a California king. Most places will have plenty of options for accessories for a king but not a lot for the lesser known California king. Sheets, box springs and bed frames all come standard in king sizes and are available just about everywhere.
Sometimes a California King is more expensive (why though?) but in the long run, you’re going to spend more purchasing accessories for a California king than you would a king. Since most mattresses last at least eight to ten years, that extra cost here and there really adds up.
If your room is a typical square shape, a regular king will fit the dimensions more comfortably. You want about two feet of space at a minimum around three sides of your bed to give your room more space and avoid feeling cramped. A California king in a square room cuts off some of the area at the foot of the bed and might make it difficult to walk around.
If you need the space from edge to edge, the king size mattress is your best bet. Partners of average height will have plenty of space to stretch out and still have leg room down at the bottom.
Downsides of a King
If you’re unusually tall, your feet might still hang off the king size. If you’re still having to curl up or sleep diagonally, it doesn’t do your partner much good to have that extra space, does it?
King mattresses are 76 by 80 inches. Taller partners may still have trouble stretching out entirely without the extra inches at the bottom. California king mattresses are 72 by 84 inches, so you’ll have that slight bit of toe-room.
If you enjoy sleeping near your partner, a King mattress might feel a little expansive. Reducing the sides by two inches on either edge may not feel like much, but it is enough to give couples a bit more cuddle room.
Also, if your room is rectangular, a king size may be more cumbersome than the rectangular shape of a California king. If your room is exceptionally tiny, you may even want to consider a queen size mattress at 60 by 80 inches.
A Word About Size
We mentioned above that size isn’t the only consideration when you’re trying to get a good night’s sleep, and we mean it. If you’re tossing and turning all night long, the size of the mattress isn’t going to matter much if there’s poor motion isolation.
If the mattress is too soft, you’ll roll towards each other anyway and won’t need all that extra space. It’s better to identify the underlying reasons you’re upgrading your size to make sure that you don’t bring all your previous problems with you to your new mattress. That said, let’s take a look at some mattresses to consider if you’re sure size is your thing.
What’s The Best King Mattress?
Ok, so size is the way to go. We’ve put together a list of our favorite king-sized mattresses to help narrow things down and get you into your dream bed. Let’s look.
Rank | Brand | Price (Queen) | Rating |
Best Overall |
| Under $1500 Coupon |
A+
|
Best Under $2,000 |
| Under $2,000 |
A+
|
Best Under $1,000 |
| Under $1,000 |
A
|
Best Under $500 |
| Under $500 |
B+
|
Best for Heavy |
| Under $1500 |
A+
|
DreamCloud Hybrid Mattress
DreamCloud is a luxury brand in budget brand clothing. It offers an impressive eight layers of adaptive foams and micro coils to provide one cushy yet supportive mattress. The company provides a 365-night sleep trial so that you have plenty of time to decide if the bed really is improving your sleep. The replacement warranty lasts for ten years for defective mattresses, but after ten years the company may repair or replace faulty mattresses at their discretion.
Our Top Pick
DreamCloud is our top pick because we think that if you’re upgrading the size of your mattress, you’ll probably want to upgrade the feeling as well. The cover material is a cashmere blend that feels ultra soft yet still wicks heat and moisture away from the body.
The top two foam layers are contouring foam, one gel and one quilted. They provide further cooling and softness so that pressure points can decompress and lay more naturally. The next two are support foams that help transition the body to the micro-coil layer. The micro-coils provide support for your spine by pushing back against the body to prevent it from sinking too far into the mattress. Overall, it’s a lovely, luxurious, hotel-style mattress at a price that’s easy on your wallet (about $1500).
The Solay Mattress
Solay is another luxury brand that isn’t too hard on your wallet. The company has two different choices, the original and the Source, that use hybrid layers to create a responsive yet cradling mattress. We love hybrid mattresses because you get the best of your innerspring and the memory foam with the issues of either.
Cooling foams help regulate your temperature during the night. You have 101 nights to try out the mattress to decide if it’s the right one.
Best King Mattress Under $2,000
The original Solay is our choice. Its classic coil design sandwiched between layers of foam gentle cradle our curves and help us get into a comfortable position to sleep. Chances are you’re sleeping next to a partner, and the Solay has excellent temperature regulation and motion isolation.
Combination support should satisfy most sleep preferences. You and your partner get an excellent all-around mattress without sacrificing any individual sleep needs.
Nectar Mattress
Nectar’s quilted, gel memory foam is a pleasant surprise for a mattress that’s clearly on the budget side. It’s all memory foam, but it has none of the temperature issues associated with foam. Instead, it hugs all your contours without reflecting your body heat back onto you during the night.
Nectar has a 365-day sleep trial. You can adjust for a full year to the new mattress to decide if it’s actually the one for you and if your sleep quality has improved. They offer only one bed, but it’s intended to satisfy a wide range of sleep preferences and needs.
Best King Mattress Under $1,000
There’s only one offering, but at $950, it’s a bargain. The layers do an excellent job of preventing you from sinking too far into the mattress, but the contouring tops are excellent at making sure your spine is aligned, and natural curves are filled in. Your spine decompresses, and you should have a noticeable difference in any pain you were experiencing with your old mattress.
Zinus 12 Inch Gel-Infused Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress
Zinus began in the world of snoring and thank goodness. The company expanded its efforts to handle a variety of sleep issues, and now we have a full line of memory foam and innerspring mattresses for under $500. No really.
Zinus beds are some of the most budget mattresses around without feeling like you’re sleeping on your old dorm mattress. They have cooling properties, a few different firmness choices and they’re available to try out in some big box stores if you aren’t sure you want to go with an internet mattress sight unseen.
Best King Mattress Under $500
The Green Tea memory foam mattress from Zinus is the ultimate customizable budget mattress. You can choose a king in thickness measurements of six to 12 inches and in plush, medium, and firm options. The green tea and charcoal infusion help reduce odor and bacteria. Plus, it regulates your temperature during the night, so you’re less likely to sweat anyway.
Ghostbed Mattress
Ghostbed’s focus is a more refreshing night’s sleep with fewer position changes. It uses something ice layers which provide dramatically cooler temperatures despite the memory foam. It has a deeper hug than some of the mattresses on the list, but you won’t feel like the foam is suffocating you.
The original Ghostbed uses three layers of cooling foam in contouring and supporting styles. It conforms to your body and relieves pressure. The Ghostbed Luxe has even more cooling layers so that you sleep even better.
Best King Mattress for Side Sleepers
We love the Ghostbed Luxe. It has the most cooling layers but still provides a deeper hug for side sleepers so that the spine stays in better alignment and there’s less compression on the shoulders.
This should put you in a better position to sleep through the night without tossing and turning looking for a comfortable place to put your shoulder or looking for a cooler spot in the mattress.
Zenhaven Mattress
Zenhaven is a smaller part of Saatva. It’s an entirely eco-friendly mattress made of all Talalay latex. It’s durable and produces no odors or off-gassing. It’s a little more expensive, but it has a more extended warranty and a longer expected lifespan.
Talalay foam is better for temperature regulation because it prevents heat from building in the core of the mattress. Latex is responsive and provides some bounce despite being all memory foam layers.
Saatva is known for its eco-friendly mattresses, and Zenhaven fills a niche for latex foam. Latex is more comfortable and durable than traditional memory foam, and it stays cooler. Zenhaven mattresses even have a longer warranty than Saatva’s other mattresses because of the durability of latex.
Best King Mattress for Stomach Sleepers
The Zenhaven gentle firm is a slightly firmer mattress, which is suitable for stomach sleepers. It prevents your back from overextending with too much of a mattress dip, and the sides are well supported so you can use the edge to get comfortable.
It doesn’t help to have odors regardless, but if your face is going to be turned in towards the mattress, an odorless mattress is a better option. Becuase this one is environmentally friendly and has no off-gassing, you don’t have to worry about your health.
Nuvanna Mattress
Nuvanna’s mattress is an ultra eco-friendly mattress on the medium firm scale. The company started as a way to accentuate the health and wellbeing of its customers beyond just sleep. There’s only one mattress offering, but you can find a foundation and a range of sleep information on their website.
The company runs on the expertise of its founder and a range of sleep experts. They’ve focused on this one mattress offering under the assumption that a well-made mattress will improve the sleep quality of most people still sleeping on an awful, conventional mattress.
Best King Mattress for Back Sleepers
Nuvanna has only one mattress, but it’s a good one. It’s meant to relieve pressure from your back by gently filling in contours so that your lumbar area can decompress and relax. It still has enough combination support that if your partner doesn’t have the same preferences, you both should feel supported and be able to sleep pain-free.
Winkbeds Plus Mattress
Winkbeds is a hybrid mattress company that offers you the chance to choose a few firmness levels and takes cooling to another level with an innovative foundation. Let’s back up.
Winkbeds started because the founder couldn’t find the perfect mattress without the hassle of a showroom. Now, Winkbeds uses a combination of micro-coils and adaptive layers of foam to provide contouring and support for a variety of sleep issues.
The mattresses are traditionally crafted in the United States, so you aren’t waiting for overseas shipping, and you’ve got a 101-night sleep trial to figure out if the mattress is everything you dreamed about.
They just released a cool control base intended to reduce temperature discomfort. It warms or cools the mattress based on your temperature and can be split down the middle for partners with different preferences.
Best King Mattress for Heavy People
There aren’t many mattresses out there for heavier people. The problem is a standard mattress will feel more firm and will lose some of the contouring benefits with extra weight.
Winkbeds Plus is a rare example of a company considering the unique needs of people who are heavier than average. Sleepers who are over 300 pounds should consider this one.
It will feel firmer to an average person, but it’s designed to fully support your body and align your spine without you worrying about extra dips in the mattress. It’s even eco-friendly, so you’re doing something good for yourself and the environment.
Conclusion
If you’re upgrading from a smaller bed, the king-sized mattress should give you enough room to stretch out and find a comfortable spot. If you’ve paid attention to our recommendations, you should start feeling the difference in your mattress in just a few days.
It’s essential to give any new mattress some time for your body to adjust. Your pain and discomfort didn’t happen overnight, and it won’t work itself out overnight. But with new mattresses really considering how the body prefers to sleep (not in a straight line please), a bigger bed is just the icing on the cake.