Best California King Mattresses (2025)

If you’re looking to level up your sleep experience with a new California king mattress, there’s no better choice than the Helix Midnight Luxe. This is a beloved recommendation at Mattress Clarity, thanks to its versatile yet luxurious feel. You’ll sink comfortably into its pillowy surface while remaining supported by the coils below. This hybrid scored well across the board, with highlights in edge support (4.8/5), cooling (4.5/5), and pressure relief (4.2/5). 

The Helix Midnight Luxe comes in at a 6/10 on our firmness scale, which is just a touch softer than your typical medium-firm mattress. The reason for this is the Midnight Luxe’s plusher pillow top, which Dr. Hannah Habeeb praised for its ability to “cushion your joints enough that people with any sort of chronic pain would find support and relief.”

Our testers noticed this contouring in our pressure relief tests; they found comfort both side- and back-sleeping. Heavyweight tester Caine Wilkes said, “The plush top feels really nice and comfortable while the bottom layers are more supportive.” He added that he would recommend it for side sleepers in his weight category. 

Our lightweight tester initially disliked the mattress on her side, but on her back, felt like there was “even more sinkage all around the body,” enough that it offered some “nice cradling.” She added, “My back has a lot of arch, and the bed is supporting it nicely.”

Even with this softer, contouring top, I was surprised that the Helix Midnight Luxe had such great edge support. When I performed this test, I didn’t notice the pillow top collapsing beneath my weight when I sat or lay down at the perimeter. I think sleepers should be able to spread out to their hearts’ content on this bed. However, I did notice that the longer edges of the bed were much more reinforced than the head and foot—steer clear of these for sitting. 

The Midnight Luxe’s performance in my temperature regulation test also impressed me. When I lay down on the surface of the mattress, I could feel the mattress cooling anywhere my bare skin touched. It was especially noticeable around my neck, since I was lying there for seven minutes without a pillow. Hot sleepers shouldn’t encounter any issues with this mattress. 

While the Helix Midnight Luxe is a hybrid, it wasn’t as bouncy as I expected. I’m a particularly rowdy combination sleeper, so I need a very responsive surface to switch positions. However, it has a more doughy, slow-moving feel, thanks to that cushy pillow top. I don’t foresee it being too much of an issue for sex or combination sleepers, hence why I awarded it a 4/5, but it’s something to keep in mind.

If you want a truly bouncy bed, check out the Saatva Classic. Or you can read more about this bed in our full Helix Midnight Luxe mattress review.

Memory foam beds are a popular choice for California king mattress shoppers seeking an affordable, cushy bed—and the Nectar Classic is no different. This all-foam mattress has a balanced, medium-firm feel that should accommodate multiple sleeper types. It also offers some top-notch motion isolation (scoring 4.7/5) and cooling (5/5) for couples and hot sleepers. Moreover, a California king-size Nectar will only cost you about $850. 

I tested out the Nectar Classic myself and rated it at a 7/10 on our firmness scale; this is just a tad firmer than your typical medium-firm. Even so, Dr. Habeeb believed you could classify the Nectar as an orthopedic mattress. “Its foam feel allows gradual sinkage and contouring,” she said. “I also think sleepers will find the support and contouring necessary to keep the spine neutral.”

Our lightweight tester found this mattress a bit too firm for her liking, but our average-weight and heavyweight testers were able to rest comfortably on their backs and sides. “I feel really good on my side,” said average-weight tester Sosha Lewis. “It’s pretty firm for a foam bed, but it’s contouring my shoulder and hips—a nice balance.”

Heavyweight tester Matt Schickling agreed that the mattress was “supportive but surprisingly firm.” Still, he enjoyed the mattress on his back: “I do feel pressure relief in my lower back, which has been bothering me, and I don’t feel any pressure buildup anywhere else.”

Since it’s a memory foam mattress, I expected the Nectar mattress to suffer from a common pitfall: trapping heat. However, the Nectar mattress is outfitted with a cooling cover that pulled its weight during our temperature regulation test. I wouldn’t say the bed feels cool-to-the-touch, per se, but as I was lying there, I never felt overheated. If you’re a hot sleeper wanting an all-foam mattress, this could be a good option.

The Nectar did have the superb motion isolation I’d expect to see in a foam bed. I’m a very, very light sleeper, so I can be pretty picky when rating this category, but the Nectar genuinely wowed me. I couldn’t feel my fellow tester when he was shifting around on the mattress beside me; it was only worse when he got in and out of bed, and even then, I was just slightly jostled. It’s great news for couples who want to share a California king. 

You should also be able to spread out on a Nectar California king, as I found the edges didn’t collapse when I was lying on them. Sitting down, however, was another story. Like most foam beds, putting all your weight on the edge causes it to sink a bit. It also made it a bit more difficult when getting up out of bed. Older adults or those with mobility concerns might prefer a mattress with better seated edge support, like the Helix Midnight Luxe.

For more about this mattress, read our full Nectar Classic mattress review.

The best mattresses for side sleepers are cushy but supportive, relieving pressure along your shoulder and hip as they dig into the mattress. Our team loved the DreamCloud Premier for side sleeping, thanks to its medium-firm feel and sumptuous contouring. Despite its thick comfort layers that lend it plenty of pressure relief (and a 4.4/5 rating in this category), this hybrid mattress also earned high marks for edge support (4.4/5) and responsiveness (5/5).

The DreamCloud Premier mattress is one step up from the brand’s flagship hybrid, featuring even more contouring foams on top. Dr. Habeeb commented on the bed’s suitability for side sleepers almost immediately as she lay down in that position: “My shoulder and hip feel very cushioned, and the pressure across my body is evenly distributed,” she said. “It’s contouring my entire body and feels awesome.”

Our pressure relief tests only reinforced Dr. Habeeb’s sentiments, with both our lightweight and average-weight sleepers loving the mattress on their side. Lightweight tester Riley Otis called the mattress “great for side sleepers,” saying, “Typically, I have pressure in my shoulders, but with this mattress, I have relief there.”

Average-weight tester Sosha Lewis proclaimed that she felt “fantastic” on her side. “The contouring is great on my shoulder, and I really love how it feels on my ribcage. The top is super soft, but the coils do a great job supporting me and aligning my spine,” she explained.

With all this talk of contouring and cushioning, I’d expect the DreamCloud Premier to have a poor showing in our responsiveness tests. Oftentimes, these beds have a more doughy, slow-moving feel, but this mattress earned a perfect rating for this category. Our in-house tester did note that it wasn’t as bouncy as other firmer hybrids she tried, but added, “It’s very easy to switch positions. I never felt stuck in the mattress or that I sank in too much.”

One of our in-house testers also noted that the Premier had “great edge support,” with few complaints when sitting or lying down on the mattress. She noticed that the bouncy feel of the mattress also helped spring her to her feet, something that could benefit folks with mobility concerns. “I think this bed would be great for a senior sleeper looking for that extra edge support with a plush top,” she said.

But, alas, all good things must come to an end: The DreamCloud Premier didn’t offer the best showing in our cooling tests. Our in-house tester used a thermal gun to measure the rise in surface temperature after lying on the Premier for seven minutes, and the result was a near 10-degree increase. “I did feel the mattress warming up, but I don’t think it’s a major concern,” she said. “I personally wouldn’t wake up from overheating, but hot sleepers may do poorly on this mattress.”

If you want something cooler, check out the Nectar Classic. Or you can read more in our full DreamCloud Premier hybrid mattress review. 

Studies show that sleepers with back pain fare best on a medium-firm mattress that keeps their spine properly aligned. The WinkBed follows this recommendation, and it also earned praise from physical therapist Dr. Hannah Habeeb for its supportive feel. This hybrid’s robust support coils are balanced out by a softer pillow top, which contours just enough to areas that need it. The bed also scored high in edge support (4.4/5) and cooling (4/5).

The Luxury Firm model of the WinkBed mattress came in at 6.5/10 on our firmness scale, which we consider true medium-firm. However, our testers thought this mattress had a more “on top” feel. Dr. Habeeb noted this helped to align the spine. “Since the spine remains neutral, there’s not too much sinkage anywhere along the body,” she explained. “Someone with back pain—degenerative disc disease, especially—will find a lot of support to prevent pain.”

Our average-weight tester, Sosha, also noticed this while resting on her back during our pressure relief test. “The bed is somehow firm with a light touch,” she said. “It contours well to my lower back, which is a problem area for me. I have never slept on my back, but if I owned this bed, I would become a back sleeper.”

Heavyweight tester Matt Schickling was able to find comfort in the side-sleeping position. “It’s a sturdy, robust, and strong bed,” he said. “Overall, I do feel well-aligned on my side, and the pressure is not bad at all. It feels pretty firm, but the pillow top is a bit softer.” 

My colleague Melanie Kassel was responsible for testing the WinkBed and found that its firmer feel extended to the edges, adding a bit of reinforcement. It was especially apparent when she lay along the perimeter. “If my eyes had been closed, I would not have been able to tell you I was near the edge,” she said. “Even when side sleeping—usually my most precarious position—I was fully elevated, and it felt like lying on any other part of the bed.” This means that couples sharing a California king should be able to spread out as needed.

Sleepers sharing the mattress won’t have to worry about overheating, either. Melanie was impressed by the WinkBed’s performance in the cooling test. When she used a thermal gun to measure the mattress surface temperature after resting on the bed’s surface, she could see the reading getting lower and lower as she tried to take it. “It continued to feel nice and cool during my testing, which impressed me because the base feels so dense and solid under the nice plush pillow top,” she said.

This plush pillow top did pose an issue for Melanie when it came to the responsiveness test. “I thought the WinkBed would be bouncier, given its status as a high-quality hybrid,” she said. “It’s a lot less responsive than I expected—it doesn’t trap me or leave me sunken into the surface, but movement between sleep positions had to come from my efforts alone.” Combination sleepers looking for a truly bouncy mattress might prefer the DreamCloud Premier.

Find out more in our dedicated WinkBed mattress review. 

California king mattresses are a popular choice for couples, but how do you ensure you’ll get a mattress that suits your needs? The Nolah Evolution is a luxury hybrid that has everything co-sleepers could want. Aside from general comfort, this mattress has some of the best motion isolation we’ve ever seen, earning a perfect 5/5 rating in this category. It earned at least a 4/5 in the rest of our performance tests, a sign of a well-rounded mattress that should appeal to a lot of sleepers, not just those who share the bed. 

Dr. Habeeb described this mattress as “offering a lot of support but still being very contouring,” an assessment our testers heartily agreed with. We rated it at a 6.5/10 on our firmness scale, a true medium-firm feel, but you definitely sink deeply into this mattress.

Heavyweight tester Matt Schickling enjoyed this cushioning on both his side and back, though he preferred the latter. “It’s so soft but supportive at the same time,” he said. “But I feel much less pressure on my back than I did on my side. I’m experiencing some slight lower back pain, and the mattress is really contouring to that area, lessening that pain.” In part to Matt’s evaluation, the Nolah Evolution ended up with an overall pressure relief rating of 4.5/5.

However, the Nolah Evolution really shined with motion isolation, which helped earn its place as one of our best beds for couples. My colleague Cait Giddings performed the couples test alongside a fellow tester and was more than pleased with the results. “I could only vaguely feel my partner getting into bed and moving around, but at no point did her movements significantly affect my side of the bed or my comfort level,” she explained. “My side of the mattress remained static, regardless of what was happening on the other side.”

Cait also experienced impressive results in the edge support evaluation, where the bed earned its second-highest rating (4.6/5). Sitting down, the cushy top of the mattress did dip a bit under her weight, but lying down was practically seamless. “Whether I lay on my side, back, or stomach, the mattress remained solid and steady, with no sinking or sagging to suggest its structured support would flag along the edges,” she said.

The Evolution’s cushioning does a tremendous job absorbing movement, but you may not always want this doughy feel. Cait noticed some pushback from the dense pillow top as she switched positions during the responsiveness test. “I expected to feel more bounce from beneath the pillow top, but the overall feeling of the bed was more of slow-moving foam and not springy coils,” she said. 

If you want to launch yourself across your mattress effortlessly, check out the DreamCloud Premier, Saatva Classic, or Titan Plus Core, all of which scored a 5/5 for response. Or you can read more about this mattress in our full Nolah Evolution review.

California king mattresses can be some of the most expensive options, but you don’t have to fork over thousands of dollars for one. There are a number of affordable yet high-quality options out there, one of which is the Bear Original.

This foam mattress retails at just under $700 for a California king, making it the least expensive option on our list. Unlike typical foam beds, it has a slightly firmer profile, which gives it a leg up in our responsiveness and edge support tests, both of which score over 4/5. Its supportive feel should appeal most to sleepers who like to feel “on top” of their mattress rather than sink deeply into it.

The Bear Original mattress came in at a 7/10 on our firmness scale; this is just a touch firmer than your standard medium-firm mattress. Dr. Habeeb noticed this as soon as she lay down on the mattress, which provided excellent alignment. “I think people with back pain can appreciate the firmer support that doesn’t allow for much sinkage,” she said. “I’d recommend it for back sleepers who prefer a firmer feel, for sure.”

This was proven in our pressure relief tests, as our testers experienced the most relief while resting on their back. “This feels way nicer on my back,” said our lightweight tester after switching over from her side. “The mattress is contouring to my body nicely, and I don’t feel much pressure in my body.”

Heavyweight tester Matt Schickling echoed her sentiments, even after initially feeling a bit of pressure buildup: “After a minute or so of lying here, the pressure between my upper and lower back is evenly distributed. I do feel pretty well and evenly supported.”

Foam mattresses like the Bear Original usually falter in our edge support tests, but the firmer feel our testers noticed helped out in this regard. We stacked weight plates on the edge of the mattress to represent the three weight categories (lightweight, average-weight, and heavyweight) and measured how much the mattress sank. In any instance, the mattress never dipped below 3 inches, which we’d call pretty nice edge support—especially for a foam bed. You should be able to sit and lie down on the edge of the Bear without much complaint. 

Like many foam mattresses, the Bear also excelled in our motion isolation tests. My colleague Melanie Kassel hopped into bed alongside another tester and found her movements thoroughly stifled. “I could feel a faint ‘pulling’ sensation on the cover of the mattress, but nothing from the foam underneath and nothing that would wake me,” she said. “In fact, multiple times, the other tester got up from the bed, and I couldn’t tell that she had gone!”

While couples may enjoy the Bear’s motion-absorbing surface, some sleepers may want to steer clear. Many of our testers weren’t able to sink deeply into this mattress, which caused issues for side sleepers. These folks might not get the pressure relief they need, especially if they’re dealing with conditions like arthritis that require extra cradling. They should opt for a softer mattress, such as the Helix Midnight Luxe. 

For more about this bed, check out our dedicated Bear Original mattress review.

Back sleepers need a balanced sleep surface to achieve comfort, and, in my humble opinion, one of the most comfortable mattresses is the Saatva Classic. This luxury innerspring provides just the right blend of softness and support that’ll have back sleepers floating on cloud nine. I would know—I own this mattress and sleep on it every night. 

California king shoppers should love the Saatva’s rock-solid edge support, which earned a perfect 5/5 rating, to make full use of the available surface area. The same goes for responsiveness, so combination sleepers and sexually active couples should also reap the benefits.

The Saatva Classic comes in multiple firmness levels, including their mid-range Luxury Firm option. Our testers rated this at a slightly firmer feel, a 7.5/10. While the mattress definitely has a more “on top” feel from its double layer of coils, Dr. Habeeb was pleased by its ability to relieve pressure: “It’s providing really great contouring at my hips and lower back while also providing a level of support.” 

On her back, she added, “My upper back also feels really cushioned, and I’m not feeling any pain anywhere.” The mattress earned a 4.5/5 for overall pressure relief, with its highest ratings for back-sleeping pressure relief.

The bed’s zoned support also makes back sleeping comfortable by keeping your spine in the right posture. It’s a bit firmer in the center, providing essential lift to the lumbar spine. Our heavyweight tester Matt Schickling commented on this in his back-sleeping pressure relief test: “I immediately felt the alignment—like a stretch when you haven’t really stretched in a while.”

The Saatva’s support extends all the way to the edges of the mattress, with impressive reinforcement that makes the perimeter unlikely to budge an inch. I’m always sitting on the edge of my Saatva mattress to tie my shoes, or sleeping with one leg thrown over the side of the bed—both positions leave me feeling stable and secure. It’s a great sign for California king mattress shoppers who want to spread out on their mattress. 

Another group of sleepers who should be satisfied are the bouncy mattress fans. I’m one myself, and I love how easy it is to launch myself across the surface of the Saatva mattress. You’ll never feel stuck in this mattress, no matter how hard you thrash around. Combination sleepers and sexually active couples should especially appreciate this ease of movement.

This super-bouncy feel does have its downsides, unfortunately. When it comes to sharing the bed, the Saatva’s surface amplifies movement rather than stifling it. It means you can feel every little twitch on the other side of the mattress. As an especially light sleeper, I can even feel when my bedmate is simply breathing too deeply. 

Fellow light sleepers, check out our pick for the best couples’ California king, the Nolah Evolution. Or you can read more about this bed in our full Saatva Classic mattress review. 

Nowadays, you can get a mattress delivered straight from the factory, compressed into a box. Not only does it cut out the middleman and lower costs, but it also can make set-up easier and stress-free. Some folks might be wary of a mattress that needs to expand before its first use, but there are high-quality options out there, like the Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid.

This mattress comes in three firmness options for your customization, but all should offer that classic hybrid balance of softness and support. It’s a no-frills bed-in-a-box that’s great if you’re looking for something simple but effective. Despite that description, though, this mattress scored rather well across the board. It even earned an impressive 4.5/5 for temperature regulation, despite lacking high-tech cooling features.

We tested out the Medium model of the Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid and rated it a 7/10 on our firmness scale. This is just a touch firmer than your standard medium-firm mattress, but it still has some softness. Having tested the mattress myself, I would say you’ll feel more “on top” of it, which might make it feel firmer. 

Dr. Habeeb found the mattress would be a great fit for sleepers who need extra support, like those who sleep on their stomach or weigh over 230 pounds. “I feel supported on my stomach, and I don’t feel my hips sinking,” she said. “I think this bed is good for heavy sleepers. If someone were heavier, they could find support from the springs while still getting cushioning from the foam.”

In our pressure relief tests, heavyweight tester Matt Schickling was able to get comfortable on his side and back. “It’s overall pretty comfortable on my side—I feel slight pressure on the hip, but it doesn’t sour me on the mattress,” he explained. Switching to his back, he had a bit more success: “This is overall pretty comfortable on my back. I feel well-supported.”

The Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid is fairly straightforward: three layers of comfort foam and an innerspring layer. Despite the lack of cooling gels or covers, this bed performed best in my temperature regulation test. While it didn’t have the cool-to-the-touch feel of fancier mattresses, the surface remained temperature neutral the entire time I lay on it. I think most hot sleepers will be able to sleep comfortably on this bed without overheating. 

If you like to sleep on the very edge of the mattress, you should also be set with the Signature Hybrid—great news for the shorter width of a California king. I was able to rest comfortably in each sleeping position without noticing any sinkage or instability. Sitting down was fairly straightforward, too; a bit of sinkage, but nothing that would deter me from recommending it to older adults or those with mobility concerns.

However, I am hesitant to recommend this mattress to my fellow combination sleepers. While you can move on this mattress, it isn’t the most seamless experience. I would’ve expected a more traditional bouncy hybrid bed from the Signature Hybrid, but the top of the mattress feels a bit more doughy. It was especially noticeable when I tried to roll over from my stomach to my side, or vice versa. If you want to switch positions with ease, check out the Saatva Classic—it happens to be the bed I sleep on every night.

Read more in our full Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid mattress review.

Sleepers over 230 pounds can struggle to find a mattress that properly supports them while still remaining comfortable. That’s why Brooklyn Bedding designed their Titan line for heavyweight sleepers. The Titan Plus Core is the flagship model of this line, offering industrial-strength support in its coil unit, plus soft, contouring foams on top. The result is a mattress that can accommodate not just plus-size sleepers, but folks with any body type, as our diverse cast of testers found out.  

This bed earned a 4/5 or above in each of our performance categories, but it particularly shined in responsiveness (5/5) and edge support (4.8/5). It should be a great pick for couples of all sizes looking to share a California king mattress. 

The Titan Plus Core came in a decidedly firm 7.5/10 on our firmness scale, making it one of the firmest on this list. Despite that, even our lightweight tester was able to glean plenty of pressure relief from this mattress. “Lying on my side, I don’t notice any pressure buildup at all,” she said. “On my back, the support feels incredible—almost like I’m weightless.” She also found the firmer feel enough to keep the hips lifted while stomach sleeping, making this bed a great pick for all sleeping positions.

Regardless of which sleeping positions you prefer, switching between them should be a breeze. Our in-house tester called it “effortless.” She explained, “Its firmer feel kept me from sinking too deeply, so I never felt stuck or restricted by the foam layers when I moved around on the surface.” She added that the bed should be a great pick for combination sleepers and “anyone who values easy mobility on their mattress.”

With such rave reviews for response, our tester expected to be let down when it came to the motion isolation evaluation. Usually, bouncier beds tend to amplify motion rather than stifle it. However, she received good results during the partner test. “When my colleague climbed into bed, I noticed a bit of motion transfer but nothing disruptive,” she said. “The top foam layer absorbed most of the movement, keeping it contained to her side of the bed. I could sense the shift, but it didn’t actually move me or make me bounce around.” Sleeping beside a partner or pet should be easy on this mattress.

Couples should also appreciate the edge support on the long edges of the mattress. Our in-house tester was able to lie down at the perimeter without incident: “I could lie right up to the edge without feeling unstable or like I might roll off. No matter what position I tried, the perimeter stayed firm and secure—definitely a five-star performance for edge support,” she said.

However, the seated edge support was a different story. “When I sit along the perimeter of the mattress, it gives slightly—maybe an inch or two—but still feels supportive,” she said. It didn’t dampen the score, but it could be a dealbreaker for sleepers with mobility issues or those who like to use their bed as an extra place to sit. If you’re looking for a bed that you can sit on to easily tie your shoes, check out the Saatva Classic, which has truly unflagging edge support.

Read more in our Titan Plus Core hybrid review.