A 2026 Checklist for Choosing Your First Hybrid® Mattress
A hybrid mattress combines pocket springs with foam comfort layers, so you get the airflow and responsiveness of springs together with the cushioning of foam. Our Hybrid® range puts tiny Aerocoil® springs near the surface where comfort matters most, above a Simbatex® foam layer perforated to move air through the mattress. If this is your first hybrid, working through a few decisions in order makes the choice much more straightforward, so here's the checklist.
What Makes A Mattress A Hybrid®
All our Hybrid® mattresses share the same basic construction. Titanium alloy Aerocoil® springs, manufactured in Leeds and measuring 25mm as conical pockets, sit near the top of the mattress. As they compress individually, they push air upwards and respond separately to movement, so your partner's movements stay on their side of the bed.
Underneath sits our Simbatex® foam, which is CertiPUR® foam with graphite and thousands of perforations. Intertek testing in May 2025 found it moves over five times more air than memory foam from the leading UK suppliers.
What changes as you move up the range is the number of springs, the number of layers and the depth of the mattress.
Step One: Get The Size Right
Start here, because everything else follows from it. Our mattresses come in single, small double, double, king and super king.
If you share a bed and you're regularly disturbed by each other, moving up a size usually helps more than changing the mattress model. A king gives 15cm more width than a double, and a super king gives 45cm more.
Check the frame or base you'll be using at the same time, since the mattress needs to match it. Measure the room as well, leaving enough space at the sides and the foot of the bed to walk around comfortably.
Step Two: Decide How Much Depth You Want
Depth varies noticeably across the range, and it affects both how the bed feels and what bedding will fit:
- Hybrid® Essential: 20cm deep, with up to 1,000 Aerocoil® springs and a five-zoned CertiPUR® foam support base
- Hybrid® Pro: 28cm deep, with up to 3,800 Aerocoil® springs in a double layer, British wool and a SupportCore™ base holding up to 1,000 tempered steel barrel springs
- Hybrid® Luxe: 31cm deep, with up to 3,800 Aerocoil® springs across thirteen supportive zones and a layer of 90% British wool with 10% bamboo
At the top of the range, the Hybrid® Ultra carries our highest spring count at up to 7,300.
Before you settle on a depth, measure your bed frame and check your fitted sheets. Deeper mattresses need deeper sheet skirts.
Step Three: Think About Your Sleep Position
More springs and more layers give more zoned support, which matters most if you're a side sleeper needing some give at the hips and shoulders. The double layer of microsprings in the Pro and the Luxe is designed for exactly that, supporting areas with specific needs.
Back and front sleepers often do well with a firmer, shallower construction. Our Natural Hybrid® range, which uses a blend of natural materials across three mattresses, is rated medium-firm, which we've aligned with independent studies on sleep quality and comfort.
Step Four: Consider Temperature
If you sleep warm, build this into the decision now. Solving it later with bedding alone is harder.
Our Stratos® technology appears on the top covers of several models, and HeiQ testing in November 2020 measured it at up to 3°C cooler than untreated fabric. HeatRelease™ graphite strips are available as an optional upgrade on the Pro and the Luxe, and in controlled laboratory testing the upper foam layer of a Hybrid® Ultra was 4.4°C lower with the technology than without.
The spring construction contributes here too, since air moves through a spring layer more freely than through solid foam.
Step Five: Check Your Base
A hybrid works on a slatted frame, a divan base or an ottoman base. On a slatted frame, closely spaced slats give the most even support.
It's also worth noting the practical details. Our mattresses come with handles to make rotating easier, with four on most models and eight on the super king Luxe. The Essential doesn't have handles, because it's light enough to manage without them.
Step Five And A Half: Plan The Delivery
Delivery is free as standard to most UK postcodes, and in most cases we deliver seven days a week. If you'd like the mattress unpacked and put on your bed with the packaging taken away, the Mattress Setup and Packaging Removal service costs £10 at checkout.
If you're replacing an existing mattress, old mattress removal can be added to the same delivery from £50, so the old one is collected for recycling on the day the new one arrives. It's worth deciding on this before you check out, because adding it afterwards needs two working days' notice.
Step Six: Know The Trial And Guarantee Terms
Every new Simba mattress comes with a 200 night trial. If you decide it isn't right, call us during the trial and we'll arrange a free collection and refund the cost of the mattress or any finance payments made, not including delivery charges.
You also get a 10-year guarantee, so if the mattress fails due to a manufacturing fault in that time we'll exchange it for a new one. Rotating the mattress regularly keeps it wearing evenly, and Simba mattresses are designed to be rotated head to foot without flipping.
Your Checklist Before Ordering
- Confirm the size against your frame or base.
- Choose a depth and check your fitted sheets will fit it.
- Match the spring count and layers to how you sleep.
- Decide whether you want a cooling technology built in.
- Check your slats or base will support the mattress evenly.
- Note the trial start date once it's delivered.
When you're ready to compare models directly, our Hybrid® mattress range with spring counts listed shows the construction of each one so you can see what changes between them. Finance is available on orders over £150 if you'd like to spread the cost.
FAQs
A hybrid combines pocket springs with foam layers. The springs allow air to move through the mattress and respond individually to movement, while the foam provides cushioning and pressure relief.
It depends on the model. The Hybrid® Essential has up to 1,000 Aerocoil® springs, the Pro and the Luxe have up to 3,800, and the Hybrid® Ultra has up to 7,300.
The Hybrid® Essential is 20cm deep, the Hybrid® Pro is 28cm and the Hybrid® Luxe is 31cm.
Yes. Slatted frames, divan bases and ottoman bases all work. Closely spaced slats give the most even support across the mattress.
Every new Simba mattress comes with a 200 night trial, along with a 10-year guarantee against manufacturing faults.
