AmazonBasics Mattress Review

Outline For The Review

• Amazon Basics Mattress Options (8″ / 10″ / 12″)
• Price Of The AmazonBasics Mattress
• What Is The Amazon Basics Bed Made Of?
• What The AmazonBasics Mattress Feels Like
• Suitable Sleeping Positions For The Amazon Mattress
• An Option For Couples?

Buying The AmazonBasics Memory Foam Mattress

Purchasing a mattress online has become very popular over the last several years thanks in large part to the customer friendly policies bed-in-a-box companies offer consumers. Although Amazon is the most prominent online marketplace in the world, the policies they offer in regards to their memory foam mattress are slightly different than most bed-in-a-box companies. Let’s explore further.

First, the AmazonBasics mattress ships for free and arrives compressed and rolled up in a medium sized box. From there, just follow the steps taken by the Slumber Yard team below. Basically, you’ll just move the box to your room and proceed to unroll the bed onto your frame or foundation. Once you’ve unboxed the mattress, Amazon recommends you let it sit and inflate for 72 hours before sleeping on it.

Now from this point, most bed-in-a-box companies like Casper, Leesa, and Tuft & Needle offer a 100-night trial period in which you can test the mattress in the comfort of your own home risk-free (i.e. you can return it for a full refund within the trial period). Amazon doesn’t offer a true trial period per se.

Instead, you’ll have to use Amazon’s 30-day return policy as your de facto trial period. However, I’d like to add that returning a mattress via Amazon can often be a little finicky. We’ve heard some folks complain that they were not able to get a full refund. We’d recommend reading up on Amazon’s return policies regarding mattresses before purchasing.

Lastly, the AmazonBasics mattress only comes with a one-year warranty. That’s nine years shorter than the industry average. All in all, Amazon is not very generous with its mattress policies, but given the price tag of the bed, we can’t say we’re shocked.

Amazon Basics Mattress Options

Before we get too deep into this review, it’s important to note the AmazonBasics mattress is available in three different heights (or thickness). You can choose between 8″, 10″, and 12″ options. As you would expect, the price increases as you go up in thickness. Regardless of the height you select, though, the mattress is comprised of three foam layers, which we will discuss in more detail in the coming sections.

In addition, as of the date of this post, the AmazonBasics mattress is only available in twin, full, queen, and king sizes. No word yet whether Amazon will offer twin XL or Cal king sizes in the future.

Price Of The AmazonBasics Mattress

AmazonBasics, for those of you who don’t know, is Amazon’s house brand (similar to Walmart’s Great Value brand). Basically, Amazon uses contract manufacturers to produce a variety of products at very low prices. For example, they offer batteries, office chairs, HDMI cables, bed sheets, and more, all of which contain the AmazonBasics logo.

Given this, it should come as no surprise that the AmazonBasics mattress is priced very affordably. In fact, it’s one of the cheapest bed-in-a-box mattresses you can buy. Here’s how pricing breaks down for the 10″ model.

We haven’t seen Amazon offer any coupon codes or promo codes for the mattress. However, as with most beds sold on Amazon, pricing seems to fluctuate weekly. We’d recommend you check the current price on Amazon frequently. We wouldn’t be surprised to see Amazon drop the price by about $50 from time to time.

What Is The Amazon Basics Bed Made Of?

The AmazonBasics mattress has a simple three-layer foam construction. The bed starts with a dense layer of support foam on the bottom that Amazon calls its “Hard Foam” (I know, real technical). In other terms, this is a polyurethane foam that serves as the foundation for the bed.

Next is a layer of what Amazon calls its “Soft Foam.” Again, this is a polyurethane foam that is slightly softer than the support foam below. It’s there to serve as a transition so you don’t really feel any of the “Hard Foam” on the bottom. Lastly, for the top, the bed uses a layer of memory foam. This acts as the true comfort layer for the mattress.

I’d also like to point out that the mattress is manufactured by a third party in China. I know this matters to some consumers who prefer to purchase products made in the USA. Manufacturing overseas is part of the reason why Amazon is able to keep the price down. With that said, the bed uses CertiPUR and Oeko-Tex certified foams, meaning they are free of any harmful chemicals or toxins.

Wrapping the three layers of foam is a soft, removable polyester-based cover. On Amazon’s product page, it states you can remove the cover for “easy washing,” which leads you to believe that the cover is indeed machine washable. However, the tag on the mattress states “do not wash” and “do not tumble dry,” which essentially means you’ll have to spot clean the cover if it happens to get dirty (by the way, that’s the case with the vast majority of bed-in-a-box mattress covers out there).

For spot cleaning purposes, we’d recommend using a mild detergent and water. Also, make sure you dab the dirty area instead of rubbing it.

If the thought of a dirty mattress disgusts you, it might be a good idea to shop for popular mattress protectors on Amazon to help protect against spills and stains. I think Amazon even offers a mattress protector under the AmazonBasics brand.

Your Body Type And Weight Are Important

Before we get into the meat and potatoes of this review, we thought it would be a good idea to quickly discuss how your weight, body type, and BMI affect how you perceive a mattress to feel.

In very general terms, the heavier you are, the softer a mattress will feel and vice versa. Heavy individuals place a large amount of pressure on the surface of a mattress and subsequently sink further into the soft, comfort layers of the bed. Lighter individuals, on the other hand, exert very little pressure and sleep more on top of the bed’s surface.

We typically write through the perspective of an average sized person, although we will comment on all body types in the coming sections. As you will find out, we don’t think the AmazonBasics mattress is the most ideal option for folks who weigh more than 250 lb.

What The AmazonBasics Mattress Feels Like

Although the bed’s title uses the term “memory foam,” we wouldn’t say this bed has a traditional memory foam feel. It does have a slight hint of memory foam, but overall we’d say the bed has more of a neutral-foam feel.

The top layers are soft and comfortable, but they don’t quite conform or contour to your body’s shape as much as the top layers on the Tomorrow Sleep Memory Foam Mattress, for example. All in all, our team thinks the AmazonBasics mattress feels more like Tuft & Needle or Tulo, both of which have more of a soft, generic foam feel.

In addition to feel, the AmazonBasics mattress (like Tulo and T&N) is fairly responsive. In other words, the top layers snap back to position quickly after pressure is released.

As you see above, the responsiveness is not immediate, but it’s definitely faster than traditional memory foam. As such, you don’t get any of that stuck-in-the-mud feeling that memory foam is known for. This is good news for active sleepers who tend to move around a lot in their sleep. Generally speaking, these types of sleepers find it requires much less energy to switch between positions on responsive mattresses.

In terms of firmness, we think the mattress comes in right around a medium on our soft-to-firm scale. Overall, the bed finds a nice balance between comfort and support. You can tell Amazon wanted to design a bed that would be accommodating for the vast majority of people out there.

Keep in mind that not everyone will think the mattress feels a like a medium. Heavier folks will likely find that the bed feels a tad bit softer and belongs more in the medium-soft range. On the other hand, more petite individuals will likely think it belongs more in the medium-firm range.

Suitable Sleeping Positions For The Amazon Mattress

Yes, the mattress will definitely work for primary side sleepers. Although the top layers of the bed don’t quite cradle your pressure points like traditional memory foam, side sleepers will find the bed to be very accommodating. The top layer on the mattress is still very soft and gentle around your hips and shoulders. Our testing team didn’t experience any sort of discomfort or irritation while sleeping on their side.

If you’re a side sleeper that wants/needs extra pressure relief, you may want to check out our reviews of the Layla or Nolah mattresses. These are two plush, bed-in-a-box mattresses that offer a ton of pressure relief.

Like side sleepers, back and stomach sleepers will find the mattress to be very accommodating, as well. The mattress provides an adequate amount of support under your lower back and trunk. Your hips will sink down a little into the top layers (that’s normal), but not to the point where they fall out of proper alignment with the rest of your body.

Similar to the last section, I’d add that if you’re a primary back or stomach sleeper that needs/wants extra lumbar support, we recommend you read our reviews of Saatva or Cocoon Sealy. These are two relatively affordable online mattresses that provide a good amount of support.

Given our answers to the previous two sections, you can probably guess what we’re going to say here, but let’s go ahead and spill it anyway. Yes, we think the AmazonBasics mattress is a good option for combo sleepers who rotate between positions.

As we mentioned above, Amazon created this mattress to accommodate a wide range of people. They didn’t want to ostracize any type of sleeper. As a result, we wouldn’t put the mattress on any of our lists of the Best Beds For Back, Stomach or Side Sleepers; instead, the bed sort of straddles the line between the three.

Additionally, remember that the top layers of the AmazonBasics mattress are fairly responsive. Again, this is a good thing for combo sleepers who rotate between positions frequently. These types of sleepers won’t ever feel like they’re stuck in the bed.

Heavy People And The Amazon Mattress

Overall, we think the AmazonBasics mattress is a great option for small and average sized individuals, but larger individuals are a different story. Given the simple, all-foam construction of the mattress, we just don’t think it’s the best option out there for folks who weigh more than 250 lb.

Instead, we almost always recommend heavy individuals pick a mattress that contains coils or innerspring units. That’s because coils tend to last longer and provide more support than the dense polyurethane foams that all-foam beds (like AmazonBasics) use for their primary support structure. In addition to compressing (like dense support foams), coils also provide resistance against pressure, which is key for supporting all the extra weight big people exert onto a mattress.

Look, at the end of the day, if you’re a larger person and you’re on a tight budget, the AmazonBasics mattress will work, just don’t expect it to last a long time. After all, there’s got to be a reason why the mattress only comes with a one-year warranty, right?

SEE ALSO: Best Mattresses For Heavy People

Will Amazon’s Mattress Sleep Hot?

No, even though the top layer of the mattress is comprised of low-cost memory foam, which is generally known for retaining heat, we think the mattress will sleep more temperature neutral. We say that for two primary reasons. First, remember the bed rates out around a medium on the firmness scale. This means it’s not an ultra-plush mattress in which you immediately sink to the bottom and the top layers proceed to wrap your body. Instead, you’ll sleep more on top of the bed’s surface, which should help keep you from warming up.

Additionally, this isn’t a memory foam bed from the 1980’s. Bedding materials and foams have progressed since then and are now much better with temperature regulation.

Keep in mind, though, that your sleeping temperature is affected by a multitude of external factors. For example, what climate you live in, what type of sheets you use, and what temperature you set your thermostat at can all play a role in how warm or cool you sleep.

An Option For Couples?

Lastly, we think the AmazonBasics mattress is a viable option for couples who share a bed. It performs decently well in terms of motion isolation and edge support. Let’s discuss each topic individually.

First, the bed limits motion transfer well. This isn’t big surprise; most all-foam beds do a pretty good job of deadening movement.

As you see above, the water in the glass stays fairly stable despite our testing team walking around on the opposite side of the mattress. This is a good sign for people who share a bed with an active sleeper. It’s safe to say the bed will deaden a large amount of the movement initiated by your partner. In other words, you won’t be jostled awake every time your significant other switches positions or gets up to go to the bathroom.

Next, the bed provides decent edge support for an all-foam bed. It’s certainty not the best mattress we’ve ever tested in this regard, but it will get the job done. As you approach the side, you will notice a slight bit of compression, but you won’t feel like you’re going to slide right off the edge.

This is an important topic for couples who sleep on a smaller size bed, like a full or queen. Beds that provide solid edge support allow both sleepers to spread and get comfortable without feeling like they’re about to fall off the side. Ultimately, the AmazonBasics mattress will be just fine in this department.

Amazon Basics Mattress Review Verdict

Overall, we think the AmazonBasics mattress is a good value considering its price tag. It’s comfortable and accommodates a variety of different sleepers. However, don’t expect this bed to knock your socks off. There’s definitely higher quality mattresses available for a just few hundred dollars more. At the end of the day, it’s a basic, soft foam bed-in-a-box. We think it’s best for college students, kids, car camping or truck bed, and anyone on a strict budget.