Saatva Memory Foam Hybrid Mattress Review: Quality Comfort With a Misleading Name

The Saatva brand makes some of my favorite mattresses including the highly rated Saatva Classic and the brand new Contour5, which has a dense memory-foam feel. The Saatva Memory Foam Hybrid is the brand’s most affordable mattress option (for adults) and tries to blend a classic innerspring design with a sink-in, memory foam feel. 

To this mattress expert — the brand missed the mark a little bit on the “memory foam” part of the Memory Foam Hybrid, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not a good choice.

First impressions of the Saatva Memory Foam Hybrid mattress

When the Memory Foam Hybrid first arrived in our office it looked nearly identical to a now discontinued Saatva mattress, the “Modern Foam.” That mattress was Saatva’s original take on a memory foam mattress before recently releasing the Contour5 mattress — and the Memory Foam Hybrid looked like the Modern Foam but with coils. 

All Saatva beds share some distinct design characteristics like organic cotton covers that are all the same color, a sort of earthly gold that is welcome on this mattress. 

The biggest thing I noticed, though, was that the Memory Foam Hybrid didn’t feel much like a memory foam mattress to me. Based on the name, I was expecting something more like the Nectar Classic Hybrid, or the Layla Hybrid that has a sink-in, body-conforming quality. In fact, if it weren’t for the name I wouldn’t have thought the bed featured any memory foam in its construction at all and that it’s sort of a “stripped down” version of the Saatva Classic. 

That isn’t necessarily a bad thing for a good chunk of sleepers out there, especially factoring in the price point of the Memory Foam Hybrid — but I do think that anyone expecting a true memory foam feel out of this mattress might be a bit disappointed. 

Is the Saatva Memory Foam Hybrid mattress right for you?

For anyone looking for a quality, luxurious, neutral feeling coil mattress I think the Saatva Memory Foam Hybrid is a good candidate. I cannot emphasize enough that people seeking a true memory foam feel for their next mattress will likely be disappointed by this bed because I  and the mattress testing team do not think it provides that. 

But if you don’t actually want a memory foam bed there’s a lot to like about the Memory Foam Hybrid, although it’s difficult to just not recommend the Saatva Classic instead. 

Saatva Memory Foam Hybrid mattress firmness and feel

Saatva Memory Foam Hybrid feel

The feel of the Saatva Memory Foam Hybrid is a neutral, responsive hybrid. Again, I do think the name of the mattress is a bit misleading, and I’ll get into why the bed feels this way when I talk about construction, but I think most people will find this bed to be pretty comfortable because it has a balanced feel that gives sleepers plenty of cushion and plenty of bounce. 

Comparable beds would be the Brooklyn Bedding Signature, Leesa Studio Chill Hybrid and the Casper Dream Hybrid — which all have neutral feels while also using some amount of memory foam inside the mattress. 

I just cannot emphasize enough that if you want a classic, body-conforming, slow to respond style of memory foam feel you should look elsewhere.

Saatva Memory Foam Hybrid firmness and sleeper types

Unlike most beds from Saatva, the Memory Foam Hybrid only comes in one firmness option, and in our testing we found it to be somewhere between a medium and a medium-firm on our firmness scale, or a 5 to 7 out of 10. 

Saatva describes this bed as a “medium-firm,” which I think is fairly accurate, but myself and team found this bed to be just a bit softer than that description, especially when comparable to the luxury-firm model of the Saatva Classic.

This means the Memory Foam Hybrid will be generally accommodating for all sleeping positions, back, stomach, side and combination. If you are a primary side sleeper looking for something plush I would recommend something softer than this mattress, but it should work well enough. 

A firmness profile like this works especially well for combination sleepers and couples.

Saatva Memory Foam Hybrid mattress construction

When examining the construction of the Saatva Memory Foam Hybrid, it becomes less of a mystery as to why the bed feels the way it does  — because it doesn’t actually use much memory foam relative to the height of the mattress. 

The bottommost layer of the Memory Foam Hybrid is a thin layer of dense support foam — this layer is inconsequential to your sleeping experience because it’s only there to provide the pocketed coil support layer a stable foundation. 

The coil layer which provides support for the mattress is eight-inches-thick and right above the coils is a one-and-a-half-inch-thick layer of “AirCradle” memory foam, which functions as the primary comfort layer. There is also a half-inch-thick layer of memory foam in the center third of the mattress to provide a bit more support in the center third of the bed, which is what is called a “zoned-support design.” 

Considering that the bed is roughly eleven-and-a-half-inches-thick, the memory foam layer is only one-and-a-half-inches-thick and the bed doesn’t feature a transition layer between the two, it makes sense that the bed doesn’t have a dense memory foam feel. Plus, Saatva describes the “AirCradle” memory foam as being responsive. 

The mattress also uses eco-friendly materials like organic cotton and coils made from recycled steel. 

Saatva Memory Foam Hybrid performance

Edge support

During testing, we found the edge support on the Memory Foam Hybrid to be solid, thanks to the fact that the coil layer on the Memory Foam Hybrid is reinforced by dense foam. 

Some beds will use dense foam to reinforce the perimeter and others will use a thicker gauge coil on the perimeter to improve the edge support. We haven’t found that one method is inherently better than the other though.

So, if you are sharing the Memory Foam Hybrid mattress with a partner and you wind up sleeping near the edges of the bed, you shouldn’t have any issues.

Motion isolation

Motion isolation refers to how well the bed deadens the impact of movement on the mattress — if you are a light sleeper who shares a mattress with someone who tosses and turns a lot, having good motion isolation is especially important. 

We rate the motion isolation on the Memory Foam Hybrid to be about average. Because it’s responsive and most of the height of the mattress is coils it doesn’t deaden motion impacts as well as a classic memory foam mattress like the Contour5. 

If you’re a light sleeper, you might want to try a different type of mattress, but for everyone else, I don’t see the motion isolation being a persistent issue.

Temperature Regulation

The Saatva Memory Foam Hybrid mattress should sleep temperature neutral thanks to its breathable layers like the coils, latex foam and organic cotton that make up the pillow top. It doesn’t have any active cooling features like on the Brooklyn Bedding Aurora or Tempur-Pedic Pro Breeze that are cool to the touch. 

There are no red flags for sleeping hot on the Saatva Memory Foam Hybrid, although in a recent 30-night at home test of the Saatva Classic a member of our team did warm up a bit. 

Saatva Memory Foam Hybrid mattress pricing

The Saatva Memory Foam Hybrid is the most affordable mattress available from the brand — but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s cheap. It’s roughly the same price as the Casper Dream Hybrid, Leesa Sapira Chill Hybrid, Layla Hybrid and is a few hundred dollars more affordable than the Saatva Classic.

This mattress and all the other beds from Saatva are usually discounted throughout the year, with steeper discounts around major holidays so make sure to check out our mattress deals page to see the latest deals on the Memory Foam Hybrid, or any other mattress you might be interested in.

Saatva Memory Foam Hybrid mattress policies

Free shipping (white glove delivery)

Unlike most online mattresses that are rolled up and packaged tightly in plastic and then shipped to you in a large box, Saatva ships all of their beds fully expanded with in-home setup and removal of your old mattress (if you choose). This is often called “white glove delivery.”

This can be especially nice if you don’t want to deal with unboxing a mattress, which isn’t too difficult, but if you struggle to lift things, it can be a hassle. The bigger hassle is getting rid of your old bed, which can actually cost a bit of money to dispose of a mattress, and with any mattress from Saatva, you won’t have to deal with it.

365-night trial 

All Saatva mattresses come with an extra-long trial period of 365 nights in comparison to the usual standard of 100 nights. So you have quite a while to test it out and see if you like it. 

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. The trial period begins the day the mattress is delivered, not when you actually start sleeping on it.

Return policy

If at any point after the first 30 nights post-delivery you decide the Saatva Memory Foam Hybrid mattress isn’t for you, for any reason, you can return it and get a refund. You just contact the company, and it will coordinate with a third party to pick up the mattress for you and then the bed is usually donated. 

There is a $99 fee to return any mattress from Saatva.  It used to be one of the only brands that has a return fee but more and more online brands now have a similar fee.

Warranty

All Saatva mattresses are backed by a Lifetime warranty, which is above and beyond the usual online mattress standard of ten years.

Like pretty much any warranty that lasts longer than 10 years, this warranty is tiered and offers more protection in the first 10 years in comparison to the years after. 

How does the Saatva Memory Foam Hybrid compare to similar mattresses?

Saatva Memory Foam Hybrid vs. Casper Dream Hybrid 

The Casper Dream Hybrid is the most affordable coil mattress available from Casper. Like the Saatva Memory Foam Hybrid, it has a zoned-support design, coil support layer and a neutral feel. The prices are also roughly the same before factoring in discounts — after discount the Casper Dream Hybrid is usually more affordable by a few hundred dollars. The Dream Hybrid is also the softer mattress option, making it more appealing to strict side sleepers in comparison to the Memory Foam Hybrid. 

Personally, I enjoy the Dream Hybrid more than the Memory Foam Hybrid but the Memory Foam Hybrid is backed by more generous policies than the Dream Hybrid which might move the needle for some shoppers.

Saatva Memory Foam Hybrid vs. Layla Hybrid

The Layla Hybrid mattress is one of our all-time favorite beds, thanks in large part to its flippable design. It has a soft side and a firm side, which means that the odds of one of the sides matching your sleep style are pretty high. Most beds these days are designed to only be slept on one side, so if the firmness isn’t to your liking during the trial period, the only real course of action is to initiate a return, but with Layla, you can flip it and give the other side a try. 

Like the Memory Foam Hybrid, the Layla Hybrid features coils and memory foam and doesn’t quite have a traditional, dense memory foam feel — but of the two beds, the Layla Hybrid feels much more like a traditional memory foam. The Layla Hybrid is the most versatile choice because it is flippable, but the Saatva brand has more generous policies.

Final thoughts on the Saatva Memory Foam Hybrid mattress

Overall, I think the Saatva Memory Foam Hybrid is a solid mattress choice, and if you get it, you will probably be happy with it. With that being said, I do think there are options that are equally good, if not better, for the same price (or lower). For example, the Saatva Classic mattress has more features for only about $150 more. The Memory Foam Hybrid just gets lost in the shuffle in my ranking of mattresses. It is good, but it doesn’t stand out in any significant way from the competition. 

Buying from the Saatva brand is a seamless experience thanks to the complimentary white glove delivery and full-year trial period that’s appealing to lots of shoppers, so that could be a tiebreaker for you. If you’re keen on buying from Saatva though, I think most people should just spend the extra money for the Saatva Classic. 

You might like the Saatva Memory Foam Hybrid mattress if

• You want a hybrid mattress
• You enjoy a mattress with a medium firmness profile
• You want a long trial period
• You enjoy a neutral type of feel

You might not like the Saatva Memory Foam Hybrid mattress if

• You prefer a foam mattress
• You want an especially soft mattress
• You are shopping on a tight budget

Other mattresses from Saatva

Saatva Classic: This is one of our all-time favorite mattresses, and we put it on many of our best lists for its comfort, versatility and price. It comes in three different firmness levels that work for most sleepers. It uses two layers of coils, it is plenty supportive, and it has an accommodating and traditional pillow-top feel. There are just a lot of things to like about the Saatva Classic, and it’s only a bit more expensive than the memory foam hybrid.

Saatva Rx: The Saatva Rx is a relatively new bed from Saatva that is designed to provide targeted support for sleepers with chronic pain. It has two layers of coils, foam-tipped pocketed coils and micro coils to achieve that level of support, and it has a nice, comfy pillow-top feel. It only comes in one firmness level and it’s a bit softer than a medium to make it a nice option for side sleepers looking for joint pressure relief.

Saatva Solaire: This mattress from Saatva is designed specifically for couples. Instead of using coils or foam as the support layer, it actually uses air chambers on each side that you can adjust with the provided remote, allowing each sleeper to set their preferred firmness profile. For couples who really can’t agree on a firmness for their mattress, a bed like Solaire can be a potential solution.