A Great Alternative to the Idle Air Mattress
Sleep Number i8 Smart Mattress
The “I” in “i8” stands for “innovation” pointing to the temperature-balancing technology included inside the mattress. This bed will be super soft, thanks to a 6” foam comfort layer.
Product Details
Material
Other
Firmness
Multiple firmness options
Sleep Trial
100 nights
Warranty
15-year limited warranty
Shipping
Flat-rate white glove delivery
Price
$$$$$
Our Recommendation
We recommend this mattress for the following sleeper types:
Side Sleepers
This bed offers pressure relief at both the shoulders and hips, making it a great fit for side sleepers.
Hot Sleepers
This bed features extra cooling technology, making it great for hot sleepers.
Hip Pain
This bed should be comfortable for anyone struggling with hip pain since it contours the hips and keeps them supported.
Financing Options
Financing options are available for this mattress.
Idle Air Mattress
Product Details
Material
Firmness
Sleep Trial
Warranty
Shipping
Price
$$$$$
Our Recommendation
Brand Snapshot
Idle Sleep entered the bed-in-a-box movement on a mission to bring customized comfort to consumers. And How? By introducing a line of double-sided beds to the market, which could be easily flipped and switched around to align with sleepers’ specific preferences. New to this adjustable venture is the aforementioned Idle Air, which utilizes air chambers to achieve different firmness levels. While we’ll spend most of the time in this review assessing the Air, we’ll also take a moment later on to compare it to another Idle bed (the Idle Latex Hybrid) as well as some of its biggest competition in the space: The Sleep Number I10 and I8 mattresses. But before we do any of that, we’ve gotta figure out what’s going on underneath the cover!What is the Idle Air Made Of?
Standing at an impressive 14” tall, the Idle Air is composed of memory foam, latex, poly foam, and air chamber layers. While the first three materials may sound familiar to most shoppers, the fourth is a bit of a novelty in the space, and basically just means there are spaces in the bed that sleepers can fill with air to create a more or less taut (read: firm) feel. I should note that adjusting the amount of air in these chambers is simple — all you have to do is click the up or down arrow on the provided remotes. But enough chat! Let’s get into this bed’s construction. Comfort – The comfort section of the Idle Air begins with a layer that has memory foam on one side and latex on the other. This means the sleeper can flip the section around depending on their preferences; either for plush, pressure-relieving memory foam or bouncy latex. Regardless of the orientation, the sleeper is likely to experience a bit of sinkage into this layer, which will help to soothe aches and pains at the shoulders and hips. Transition – Up next, you’ll find a layer of high-density poly foam. The main purpose of this layer is to help transition the sleeper from the gentle top materials into the firmer base below. This section is also zoned for posture support, with firmer foams at the hips for a bit of lift and softer ones at the shoulders for pressure relief. Support – The bulk of the mattress is comprised of the bed’s two air support chambers, which can be filled with as much (or as little) air as the sleeper wants! All of this is controlled by remotes attached to either side of the bed, so folks can modify their individual firmness without disturbing their bedmate. The idea is that more air creates a firm vibe great for back or stomach sleepers while less air produces a softer feel for deep pressure relief. Edge Support – All of the above layers sit snugly inside a firm ring of edge support, which brings a little extra oomph to the sides of the bed. What this means is that the surface area of the structure has been optimized so you can safely sit on the edge to tie a shoe or stretch out all the way to the corner when snoozing next to a restless sleeper.
How Firm is the Idle Air Mattress
Construction specs aside, let’s get into how the Idle Air feels. To tee off this conversation, I want to chat about how firm the mattress is. To start, I pressed my hand into the structure and was pleasantly surprised by the softness of the cover and memory foam top layer. My fingers felt snug as they slowly sank into these materials, providing my hand with some pleasant pressure relief. As I pushed in more, I met the firmness of the air chambers, which, again, can be modified depending on one’s preferences.
Idle Air Mattress
Product Details
Material
Firmness
Sleep Trial
Warranty
Shipping
Price
$$$$$
Our Recommendation
How Well Does the Idle Air Relieve Pressure?
Firmness is but a single piece of a bed’s feel. Another major one is how well (or poorly) it’s able to relieve pressure at sensitive spots along the body, namely the shoulders, hips, and lower back. To demonstrate the Idle Air’s ability to alleviate tension, I stretched out on a pressure map, which creates a colorful graphic depicting how my body’s interacting with the bed in real time. Blue indicates zones of low pressure while red indicates areas of high pressure. Since this bed is obviously a little different, I conducted pressure tests at the 10, 30, and 50 levels.
Motion Transfer
But enough with other beds! Let’s turn our eyes back to the Idle Air with a little motion transfer test. This section will help us determine how much movement will be detectable from one side of the mattress to the other, which could be an especially important factor for couples to pay attention. To illustrate this motion transfer, I dropped a 10 lb. steel ball from heights of 4 inches, 8 inches and 12 inches and measured the disturbance it caused: the bigger the lines, the bigger the disturbance.
Sinkage
My final test is all about sinkage, the component of a bed’s feel that determines whether you’ll feel more “on top” of the mattress or “in” it. Normally, I’d demonstrate this sinkage by placing four balls of varying weights and densities (a 6 lb medicine ball, a 10 lb steel ball, a 50 lb medicine ball, and a 100 lb medicine ball) on the mattress and measuring how much they compressed the surface.
Idle Air Mattress
Product Details
Material
Firmness
Sleep Trial
Warranty
Shipping
Price
$$$$$
Our Recommendation
Is the Idle Air Mattress Right for You?
Yes, no, I don’t know, now’s the time to answer that formidable question: Is the Idle Air mattress right for you? I can’t definitevely say (sorry about it), but I can provide you with some final thoughts to help you with your decision.Idle Air Recommendations
- If you’re looking for an adjustable air chamber bed, you’re not likely to find one at a better value than the Idle Air. Compared to its biggest competition on the market, it’s much less expensive.
- In that vein, if you’re after a dual-chamber vibe that allows both sleepers to modify their side of the bed, this could be a real winner for you.
- At the end of the day, if you want optimized adjustability, the Idle Air could be a nice pick for you.
Idle Air Complaints
- I actually found the remote was kind of slow to respond, which made for a very gradual shift between fill levels.
- I’d also say the bed “bubbles” slightly in the middle, making for a somewhat uncomfortable feel.
- And finally, I could feel the air decreasing little by little the longer I stretched out in one position, so would suggest keeping an eye on that.
Basics
- Trial – 120 Days
- Warranty – Lifetime
- Shipping – Free and compressed
Size and Pricing
| Size | Dimensions | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Twin XL | 39" x 80" x 14" | $1,624 |
| Queen | 60" x 80" x 14" | $2,524 |
| King | 76" x 80" x 14" | $2,774 |
| California King | 72" x 84" x 14" | $2,774 |
Idle Air Mattress
Product Details
Material
Firmness
Sleep Trial
Warranty
Shipping
Price
$$$$$
Our Recommendation
Idle Air vs
Now that we’ve started to get a solid grasp of the Idle Air’s unique features, let’s take a moment to compare it to some of its biggest competition on the scene: the Sleep Number I10 and I8 mattresses.Sleep Number I10 & I8
- Arguably the most popular air chamber mattresses on the market, these models actually have really similar designs to the Idle Air.
- However, the Sleep Number beds also come with a special Sleep IQ app, which helps to improve overall sleep hygiene (a nice touch, in my opinion).
- Though similar, the Serta beds are significantly more expensive than the Idle Air, costing $4,699 for a Queen as compared to the Idle Air’s price of $2,249.
Sleep Number i10 Smart Mattress
Out of all the Sleep Number beds, the i10 is the heftiest if you look at its size, comfort foam layer, and price tag.
Product Details
Material
Other
Firmness
Multiple firmness options
Sleep Trial
100 nights
Warranty
15-year limited warranty
Shipping
Flat-rate white glove delivery
Price
$$$$$$
Our Recommendation
We recommend this mattress for the following sleeper types:
Hot Sleepers
This bed features extra cooling technology, making it great for hot sleepers.
Couples
This bed has great motion isolation so you will not feel your partner tossing and turning at night.
Financing Options
Financing options are available for this mattress.
Sleep Number i8 Smart Mattress
The “I” in “i8” stands for “innovation” pointing to the temperature-balancing technology included inside the mattress. This bed will be super soft, thanks to a 6” foam comfort layer.
Product Details
Material
Other
Firmness
Multiple firmness options
Sleep Trial
100 nights
Warranty
15-year limited warranty
Shipping
Flat-rate white glove delivery
Price
$$$$$
Our Recommendation
We recommend this mattress for the following sleeper types:
Side Sleepers
This bed offers pressure relief at both the shoulders and hips, making it a great fit for side sleepers.
Hot Sleepers
This bed features extra cooling technology, making it great for hot sleepers.
Hip Pain
This bed should be comfortable for anyone struggling with hip pain since it contours the hips and keeps them supported.
Financing Options
Financing options are available for this mattress.
Other Models
In addition to the Air mattress, Idle also has a few other models, including the Idle Latex Hybrid, which I’ve previously reviewed on the site. Below, I’ll break down the major differences between these two bed siblings.Idle Latex Hybrid
- Aside from both being under the Idle umbrella, these two beds don’t really have that much in common at all.
- The Latex Hybrid is a flippable mattress built with latex and pocketed coils for an extremely bouncy feel.
- At $1,900, it’s less expensive than the Air, though price shouldn’t be a deciding factor between the two as, again, their feels are basically uncomparable.
Idle Dunlop Latex Hybrid Mattress
The Idle Latex mattress is a double-sided model made with latex foam and pocketed coils for a springy feel with tons of mobility. You don’t have to worry about getting “stuck” inside this mattress, or struggling to move around in the bed.
Product Details
Material
Latex
Firmness
Multiple firmness options
Sleep Trial
547 nights
Warranty
Lifetime warranty
Shipping
Free shipping
Price
$$$$$
Our Recommendation
We recommend this mattress for the following sleeper types:
Back Sleepers
This bed’s strong support is ideal for back sleepers because it helps keep the spine neutrally aligned.
Financing Options
Financing options are available for this mattress.
Idle Air Mattress
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Materials
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Comfort
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Support
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Value
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Cooling
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Edge Support
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Trial
-
Warranty
3.7
Logan Block
Logan is the former content director of Sleepopolis. As content director, he reviewed new mattresses every week and curated the comparisons, best of pages, and video guides on the site. Logan perfected his method by personally testing over 200 different mattresses, so he’s not only able to discern the overall vibe of a specific bed, but to contextualize its feel within the bed-in-a-box market as a whole.