Best California King Mattresses

Our Expert’s Take

Next on our royal tour, we have the Helix Midnight Luxe mattress. This mattress comes from Helix, a brand that is all about options. Helix offers mattresses that run the gamut from soft to firm, plush to supportive. One of the brand’s most popular models is the Helix Midnight Luxe, a luxurious hybrid mattress.

The Helix Midnight Luxe features a plush pillow top, multiple layers of comfortable and supportive foam, and extra-supportive, zoned coils. This luxury mattress design creates a sleeping surface that is both supportive and comfortable. At a perfect medium-firm, the Helix Midnight Luxe is ideal for back sleepers. You will feel your hips sink into the pillow top, while the zoning provides extra lumbar support.

If you want to avoid sleeping hot, the California King Helix Midnight Luxe is the cooling mattress you are looking for. It is breathable and features an airflow-promoting Tencel cover. If you like it even colder, opt for the GlacioTex™ cooling cover.

What We Love About the Helix Midnight Luxe

• The Helix Midnight Luxe has a thick comfort layer, which is great for side sleepers because it cushions joints.
• This is a very thick mattress made with high-grade coils. We expect it to last at least a decade.
• It has a zoned support system, which means it feels firmer toward the center and softer near the head and the foot. This helps sleepers maintain the correct spinal alignment in different sleeping positions.

What to Keep in Mind About the Helix Midnight Luxe

• It’s not supportive enough for stomach sleepers. If you rest on your stomach, you may want to consider the Emma Hybrid Comfort.
• This is one of Helix’s higher-end beds, so it has a bigger price tag. If you’re on a tighter budget, you may want to consider the Nectar mattress.

Other User Reviews

On the Helix website, the Midnight Luxe mattress has an average customer review score of 4.4/5. Many people said it was very easy to order the bed, and others said it had a well balanced feel. A few people left one-star reviews and said the mattress caved in toward the center.

Read the full Helix Midnight Luxe mattress review to learn more. If you aren’t interested in the Helix Midnight Luxe mattress, check out our list of the best cooling mattresses.

Our Expert’s Take

When you’re on the hunt for the best California king mattress, you want to keep your feel preferences in mind. If you like to lie on your mattress and slowly sink in, memory foam is going to do the trick. And, if you want memory foam fit for a king, take a look at the Nectar Classic mattress.

The Nectar Classic is an all-foam mattress that contains gel memory foam, responsive polyfoam, and supportive coils. This design gives you the benefits of memory foam without the drawbacks. Namely, you’ll get that soft memory foam experience without getting trapped or feeling stuck.

Memory foam mattresses are often a good match for side sleepers, and the Nectar Classic is no exception. It will provide nice pressure relief for the shoulders and hips while still keeping you in good alignment.

What We Love about the Nectar

• The Nectar Classic mattress has a soft memory foam comfort layer, which is great for side sleepers who need pressure relief.
• Thanks to its high-density base layer, the Nectar Classic mattress is supportive enough for most back sleepers.
• It’s one of the most affordable, high-quality California king mattresses.

What to Keep in Mind About the Nectar

• Stomach sleepers won’t get the hip support they need on the Nectar Classic mattress; they could develop lower back pain.

Other User Reviews

Customers rated this mattress an average score of 4.7/5 on the Nectar website. One person said this mattress significantly reduced their back pain, and others praised the excellent customer service representatives. However, some people left one-star reviews and said the mattress felt too soft. One person said they were mistakenly given a queen mattress rather than a king.

Read the full Nectar Classic mattress review to learn more. If you aren’t interested in the Nectar Classic mattress, check out our list of the best memory foam mattresses for more great options!

Our Expert’s Take

When you’re shopping for a California King, you may need a slightly larger budget to work with. If your royal purse only contains $2,000, don’t worry. The DreamCloud Premier is a high-quality California king mattress that costs less than $2,000.

The DreamCloud Premier is a hybrid mattress that contains some very high-quality materials. It features a soft, luxurious cashmere blend cover quilted with high-density foam. This creates a soft pillow top feel similar to what you might experience in a nice hotel. Below the pillow top, there are even more layers of foam over supportive coils.

This design creates a medium-firm sleeping surface that will work well for most back sleepers. The pillow top offers some nice contouring and comfort while the coils hold up your body. Average weight side sleepers could also feel some good pressure relief on the DreamCloud Premier.

What We Love About the DreamCloud Premier

• It has a classic hybrid construction, and the coils make it easy to move around on.
• This mattress has a breathable cover and airflow-promoting coils, so it’s a great choice for hot sleepers.
• Thanks to its medium-firm feel, it offers plenty of lumbar support for average-weight back sleepers.

What to Keep in Mind About the DreamCloud Premier

• Because of its hybrid construction, it lacks a slow-moving feel. If you want to gently “sink” into your mattress, you may want to consider the Nectar Classic instead.
• This mattress has a medium-firm feel, so it may not be supportive enough for stomach sleepers.

Other User Reviews

On the DreamCloud website, the DreamCloud Premier earns a customer review score of 4.5/5 stars. One customer said the mattress was “life changing,” and others said the medium-firm feel helped alleviate back pain. Some customers, on the other hand, said the mattress wasn’t supportive enough.

Read the full DreamCloud Premier mattress review to learn more. If you aren’t interested in the DreamCloud Premier mattress, check out our list of the best mattresses for side sleepers for more great options!

Our Expert’s Take

A good hybrid mattress takes advantage of the combination of materials to provide a sleep experience with wide appeal. The Emma Hybrid Comfort delivers on this expectation, and for the reasonable price of $1,649 before sales discounts are applied. We had all of our mattress testers rest on the bed, from light- to heavyweight, and all of them were able to find comfort in at least one sleeping position. 

The Hybrid Comfort is one of Emma’s newest models and, while it wasn’t developed specifically for heavy sleepers, its layers of supportive foam and sturdy coils make it a comfortable bed for people up to about 300 lbs. It’s also a bed that sleeps cool. The Hybrid Comfort’s memory foam does a good job of allowing airflow and its cover helps wick away sweat.

What We Love About the Emma Hybrid Comfort

• It’s made with high-quality materials, and it’s sold at a low price. For about $1,600, you can get a mattress that will last at least 10 years.
• It has a bouncy and responsive feel, which is great for people who switch sleeping positions throughout the night.
• It’s a cooling mattress with a breathable cover and airflow-promoting coils.

Cons of the Emma Hybrid Comfort

• It might be too firm for some average-weight people. This mattress works particularly well for people who weigh more than 230 lbs.

Other User Reviews

On the Emma mattress website, the Hybrid Comfort mattress has an overall customer review score of 4.8/5. Many back and side sleepers said they got the comfort and support they needed. One person left a three-star review and complained that the packaging was ripped whenever the mattress arrived.

Read the full Emma Hybrid Comfort mattress review to learn more. If you aren’t interested in the Emma, check out our list of the best hybrid mattresses for more great options.

Our Expert’s Take

If you struggle with back pain, whether you know it or not, your mattress might be to blame. Choosing a California king mattress such as the WinkBed could help prevent and alleviate back pain.

The WinkBed features a comfortable pillow top over supportive zoned coils. The WinkBed’s hybrid construction and zoning both work to support your lumbar area and keep your spine neutrally aligned.

Depending on your sleeping position, you can also choose from one of three firmness options. Side sleepers with back pain should opt for the Softer model, back sleepers the Luxury Firm, and stomach sleepers the Firmer model. The WinkBed has something for back pain sufferers of all stripes.

What We Love About the WinkBed

• It has a classic innerspring construction, which makes it particularly durable. It’s also very easy to move around on top of this mattress.
• The cover is breathable, and the coils promote airflow. This makes the WinkBed mattress a great option for people who sleep hot at night.
• Because it’s available in four firmness levels, it works for a variety of people. Take a look at our WinkBed Plus review if you’re looking for a particularly supportive mattress.

Cons of the WinkBed

• A California king WinkBed mattress costs over $2,000 at regular price, which could be out of some people’s price ranges. Take a look at the Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid if you are on a bit of a budget.

Other User Reviews

On the WinkBed website, you’ll find many favorable reviews. Many customers said the mattress helped alleviate pain, and others said it was a great value. It’s important to note, though, that WinkBed does not publish any reviews lower than five stars.

Read the full WinkBed mattress review to learn more. If you aren’t interested in the WinkBed mattress, check out our list of the best mattresses for back pain for more great options!

Our Expert’s Take

Did you know that royal comfort can come in a box? With the click of a button, you can have a high-quality mattress delivered right to your doorstep – a mattress like the Nolah Original.

The Nolah Original is an all-foam mattress that offers the benefits of memory foam with few of the drawbacks. Lying on the Nolah, you will sink into its soft surface, but you should not feel like you are stuck in the mattress. This is because the bed’s proprietary Airfoam, which is soft but responsive as well.

The Airfoam is also designed to be more breathable than memory foam and should not trap body heat. Hot sleepers should be sleeping comfortably on the cooling Nolah Original mattress. That’s a lot of mattress to come out of one box!

What We Love About the Nolah Original

• It’s softer than average, which makes it a nice choice for many side sleepers. The plush foam layers will help cushion joints and alleviate pain.
• Even though it’s an all-foam mattress, the proprietary AirFoam helps dissipate body heat and keep sleepers cool.
• It has some impressive customer service terms, such as a lifetime warranty and 120-night sleep trial period.

What to Keep in Mind About the Nolah Original

• It’s not supportive enough for stomach sleepers. If you rest on your stomach, you may want to consider getting a firm mattress that’s at least a 7.5/10 on our firmness scale.
• It lacks a bouncy and responsive feel. If this is what you’re looking for, you may want to consider the WinkBed instead.

Other User Reviews

On Nolah’s website, you’ll see dozens of five-star reviews. One customer said this bed “lives up to the hype,” and other people said it offers excellent pressure relief. Because Nolah doesn’t publish reviews with less than five stars, I am unable to point out any negative customer feedback.

Read the full Nolah Original mattress review to learn more. If you aren’t interested in the Nolah Original mattress, check out our list of the best bed in a box mattresses for more great options!

Our Expert’s Take

When it comes to back sleeping, it’s all about balance. You need a mattress that is comfortable and will hug your curves, allowing your hips to sink in. At the same time, you need support to ensure you don’t sink in too far. The Saatva Classic strikes this balance perfectly.

The Saatva Classic is an innerspring mattress with a high-end design. It features not one but two sets of coils. It also boasts a zoned construction, pillow top, and is available in three firmnesses.

Back sleepers should prefer the Luxury Firm Saatva Classic model. It offers the best balance of comfort and support and works to keep you in perfect neutral spinal alignment. You will experience good lumbar support while the plush pillow top relieves pressure and conforms to your body.

What We Love About the Saatva Classic

• It has a classic innerspring construction with a tufted pillow top. This makes the mattress very durable and easy to move around on.
• It’s available in three firmness levels: Plush Soft, Luxury Firm, and Firm. The Luxury Firm and Firm models offer ample lumbar support for back sleepers.
• Thanks to its breathable organic cotton cover and thick coils, the Saatva mattress doesn’t trap body heat.

What to Keep in Mind about the Saatva Classic

• The Luxury Firm and Firm models may be too firm for side sleepers. If you tend to rest on your side, you may want to get the Plush Soft model.
• It lacks a slow-moving feel. If this is what you’re looking for, you may want to consider the Nectar Classic.

Other User Reviews

On Saatva’s website, the Saatva Classic mattress has an average customer review score of 4.8/5 stars. Many people said the mattress is high-quality and comfortable. Some people left one-star reviews, and they were mostly about delayed shipping times.

Read the full Saatva Classic mattress review to learn more. If you aren’t interested in the Saatva mattress, check out our list of the best mattresses for back sleepers for more great options!

Our Expert’s Take

If you sleep with a partner, a California king mattress could be just what the doctor ordered. A California king will give you and your partner more room to stretch out and move around. However, if you want a California king that is even better for couples, take a look at the Bear Original mattress.

The Bear Original is a memory foam mattress that will help cut down on motion transfer between partners making it a good mattress for couples. Memory foam can absorb the motion you and your partner make at night, ensuring you don’t disturb one another. You should be sleeping soundly on the Bear Original, even if your partner is jumping around on the other side.

Overheating is another issue that couples deal with. However, while it is an all-foam mattress, the Bear Original sleeps quite cool. With a breathable cover and cooling, gel-infused top layer, you and your partner shouldn’t feel like you’re sleeping in an oven.

What We Love About the Bear Mattress

• Thanks to its all-foam construction, the Bear mattress isolates motion well. This is great news for couples, because it means that people shouldn’t feel their partners moving during the night.
• The plush foam layers offer plenty of pressure relief for side sleepers.
• It has a slow-moving memory foam feel that many people love.

Cons of the Bear

• Because of its slow-moving feel, it’s not very easy to move around on top of this mattress.
• It’s not supportive enough for stomach sleepers. If you rest in this sleeping position, you may want to consider getting the firm model of the Saatva Classic.

Other User Reviews

The Bear Original mattress has earned an average customer review score of 4.5/5. On the Bear website, many customers raved about its plush feel and high-quality construction. Some people, on the other hand, left one star reviews and said the mattress felt too soft.

Read the full Bear Original mattress review to learn more. If you aren’t interested in the Bear Original mattress, check out our list of the best mattresses for couples for more great options!

Our Expert’s Take

One of the drawbacks of California king mattresses is that they cost more than smaller models. However, you can still get a comfortable, spacious California King without breaking the bank. That’s what Brooklyn Bedding is known for. They own their own factory and are able to price their bed-in-a-box mattresses very competitively.

The brand’s most popular model is the Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid mattress. This hybrid mattress contains high-density memory foam and a transition layer of proprietary VariFlex foam. Depending on your firmness preference, these layers might be thicker or thinner, giving you the exact comfort and support you desire.

I’m a big fan of the Medium model as it is a good match for multiple sleeping positions. It scored a 6.5/10 during my firmness tests, which is ideal for combination sleepers. Add in some good bounce, and you can move around with ease!

Pros of the Brooklyn Bedding Signature

• It’s available in three firmness levels: Soft, Medium, and Firm. This means it works for a variety of people.
• Thanks to the breathable coils, this mattress won’t trap body heat.
• It’s sold at a great price, especially after factoring in Mattress Clarity discounts.

Cons of the Brooklyn Bedding Signature

• It lacks many high-end features that you’ll find in other mattresses like the Helix Midnight Luxe and Puffy Lux Hybrid.

Other User Reviews

On the Brooklyn Bedding website, the Signature Hybrid mattress has earned an average customer review score of 4.7/5. Many people praised its motion isolation and price point. Some people who left one-star reviews said the mattress started to sag after a few years of use.

Read the full Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid mattress review to learn more. If you aren’t interested in the Brooklyn Bedding mattress, check out our list of the best cheap mattresses for more great options!

Our Expert’s Take

If you only have $1,500 to spend on your new mattress, it may be difficult to find a quality California king for sleepers over 230 lbs. However, the Titan Plus retails for less than $1,500 for a California King and still features durable and supportive materials. Keep an eye out for sales and you may even be able to purchase it for less than $1,200.

The Titan Plus was designed specifically for heavy people. In fact, when our heavyweight tester rested on the mattress, he felt comfortable in every sleeping position. This is largely thanks to the support layers, which are made of 8” industrial coils as well as high-density memory foam. 

What We Love About the Titan Plus

• The Titan Plus earned a 4.5/5 on our edge support test, which is where we measure the strength of the mattress perimeter. When our testers rested along the edge, they noticed little to no sagging under their weight—this is even true of our heavyweight mattress tester. 
• The firmness of the Titan Plus not only makes it a good fit for heavyweight people but also stomach sleepers. When Marten, our heavyweight tester, rested on his stomach he felt particularly well supported. 

What to Keep in Mind About the Titan Plus

• Our lightweight mattress tasters found the Titan Plus to be uncomfortable pretty much across the board. Even our testers who fall between 130 and 230 lbs found the mattress to be too firm for them. Of the products on this list, we’d recommend that these types of people consider the DreamCloud Premier.

Other User Reviews

The Titan Plus has an average rating of 4.7 out of 5 based on 2,639 customer reviews on the company website. There are 21 5-star reviews that mention the mattress being a good match for heavyweight people. However, there are several 4-star reviews that note the mattress might be a little bit too firm for heavyweight side sleepers. 

Read the full Titan Plus mattress review to learn more. If you aren’t interested in the Titan Plus mattress, check out our list of the best mattresses for heavy people for more options.