I thought the Simba Hybrid Pillow and its nanocubes were a gimmick until I slept on one for a month

RRP at time of testing: £109 | Check price at Simba, Amazon, Argos or Bensons for Beds

What Mumsnet users say

My verdict

I’ll be honest - I went into this review fairly sceptical. A pillow made up of hundreds of tiny cubes for £109? It sounds faintly ridiculous when you say it out loud. At first glance, the whole thing feels a bit gimmicky. You unzip the pillow and suddenly you’re confronted with a bag of tiny blue foam cubes that look alarmingly easy to spill everywhere if you’re not paying attention. 

Reader, one of my dogs absolutely did make off with a cube while I was trying to photograph it. Thankfully it was retrieved before it became an expensive veterinary anecdote. I also couldn’t quite shake the feeling of: why does a pillow need to be this complicated? 

Most of us just want something comfortable that doesn’t flatten into a sad crepe by midnight. But after testing a frankly unreasonable number of pillows over the last six months or so, I’ve realised sleep comfort is annoyingly specific. I’ve slept on pillows from Ava Innes, Loaf, Emma and Soak & Sleep, and the one thing I frequently come back to is that I like a lofty pillow with a bit of sink-in softness rather than anything too rigid or orthopaedic-feeling. 

From the side, it's clear that the Simba Hybrid Pillow has high loft out of the bag

That’s where the Simba Hybrid Pillow surprised me. It strikes a rare balance between softness and support, and the adjustable filling means you can tailor it instead of just hoping your neck adapts eventually. That customisable design is one of the biggest reasons it’s built such a loyal following among Mumsnet users, particularly side sleepers and people who’ve struggled with neck pain from flatter pillows.

Once I’d stopped being irrationally suspicious of the nano cubes, I actually found the adjustability quite useful rather than a faff. Removing a small amount of filling made a noticeable difference to how comfortably my neck sat overnight, particularly as someone who constantly rotates between sleeping positions.

After a month of testing, I slept consistently well on it. And if a pillow doesn’t help you do that, is it worth it? Not really. 

How I’ve tested the Simba Hybrid Pillow

I tested the Simba Hybrid Pillow over the course of a month in a busy family home with two children, two dogs and a husband who somehow generates the heat output of a small volcano overnight.

I used it alongside the Simba Hybrid Summer Duvet and a Simba mattress protector. I’m also a serial position changer when I sleep. I start on my side, rotate onto my back and occasionally wake up in a burrito-like position with my duvet wrapped around me. Most importantly, I’m ruthless about pillows. If something gives me a neck ache or wakes me up repeatedly, it’s out.

Simba Hybrid Pillow: what’s in the bag?

Unlike Emma’s Adapt Pillow, the Simba Hybrid Pillow arrives in a zipped bag rather than vacuum-packed flat, which gives it a more premium feel. Inside, you get the pillow itself plus a separate bag containing extra foam nanocubes so you can customise the height and firmness. There are also straightforward instructions explaining how to remove or add filling. Mercifully, this doesn’t require an engineering degree.

Instructions are simple and easy to follow

First impressions of the Simba Hybrid Pillow

Straight out of the bag, the Simba Hybrid Pillow both looks and feels noticeably different from a standard hollowfibre pillow. It’s squishier than memory foam but more structured than down alternative pillows that flatten into sad pancakes after two nights.

It also looks smart. Not that I spend much time admiring my bedding once I’m unconscious, but the knitted cover and blue piping do make it feel rather premium. My first thought was that it felt a little overstuffed for me personally. Thankfully, that’s sort of the point and was easily fixable.

Is it easy to adjust to the right height? 

Surprisingly, yes. I removed around two handfuls of nanocubes on the first night because the loft felt too high for side sleeping. The process is mildly messy, mainly because static-cling foam cubes seem determined to attach themselves to absolutely everything.

That said, I’m not completely new to adjustable pillows. I’ve previously tested both the Ava Innes pillow and Emma’s Adapt Pillow, so I already knew the general drill: remove some filling, sleep on it for a night or two, then tweak again if your neck starts complaining. The Simba felt slightly less faffy than both once I’d landed on the right setup.

A closer look at how to get to the nanocubes inside the pillow

Unlike some adjustable pillows that send you into an endless cycle of adding, removing and second-guessing yourself at 11pm, the Simba settled into a comfortable middle ground fairly quickly. Once adjusted, I barely needed to touch it again.

That mirrors what a lot of long-term Simba owners say on Mumsnet, too. Quite a few mention spending a night or two tweaking the height initially, then barely needing to think about it afterwards.*

I also found the adjustments made a noticeable difference quite quickly. Removing a small amount of filling softened the loft enough for my shoulders to sit more comfortably while side sleeping, without losing that supportive feeling underneath my neck.

(It's hard to get a picture to show a pillow during testing)

I can understand why some people never quite find their perfect setup, though. If you’re extremely particular about pillow height or firmness, the process could feel a bit trial-and-error at first. And yes, there is something faintly ridiculous about sitting in bed surrounded by rogue foam cubes wondering whether your pillow needs “just one handful less”.

If you share beds with someone who steals pillows, however, keep the spare filling bag somewhere safe.

How does the Simba Hybrid Pillow feel to sleep on?

This is where the Simba Hybrid Pillow earns its price tag. It manages to feel soft when you first lie down without collapsing underneath your head overnight. I often struggle with pillows that feel lovely at bedtime but leave my neck feeling slightly crooked by morning. That never really happened here.

Because I move around a lot in my sleep, I also appreciated that it adapted well to changing positions. Side sleeping still felt supportive around my neck and shoulders, while back sleeping didn’t feel overly elevated.

There’s a sort of buoyancy to it that’s hard to explain until you sleep on it properly. Less dense than traditional memory foam, but still supportive enough that your head doesn’t sink straight through it. I think that’s why so many people describe it as both supportive and “sink-in” comfortable at the same time. Usually pillows manage one or the other.

True to brand, the nanocubes are in fact, cube-shaped

Does the Simba Hybrid Pillow feel like good quality? 

Definitely. Even after a month of nightly use, the Simba Hybrid Pillow still looks and feels expensive. The stitching is neat, the cover feels durable and the filling hasn’t started clumping or shifting awkwardly.

A lot of premium pillows rely heavily on branding and fancy packaging. This one actually feels well made once you get beyond the marketing. I was also reassured by how many long-term owners on Mumsnet say theirs have lasted several years without losing support. For a pillow at this price, you’d absolutely expect that kind of longevity.

I haven’t needed to wash the removable cover yet -though the fact you can wash the cover is great, and matters more than brands sometimes realise when you live with children, pets or both. And you needn't worry about spilling nanocubes everywhere as thankfully, they're contained in their own inner bag.

Does the Simba Hybrid Pillow regulate temperature well? 

This was one of the most noticeable things during testing. Despite being a cold sleeper, I haven't found that the Stratos cooling technology makes the pillow feel cold exactly. Instead, it avoids that horrible heat-trapping feeling memory foam can develop after a few hours.

Even during warmer nights, the pillow stayed comfortable and breathable under my head. It’s especially noticeable if you normally overheat on memory foam. The Simba feels far less stuffy than many boxed foam pillows I’ve tested.

More importantly: I never had that clammy “flip the pillow repeatedly searching for the cool side” experience.

It's lofty but removing the nanocubes will help you achieve the right height

Does the Simba Hybrid Pillow retain its shape?

Yes, impressively well. After a month, the Simba Hybrid Pillow still bounced back each morning without much effort. I occasionally gave it a quick poof when changing the bedding, but it never developed the sad, flattened-middle look cheaper pillows tend to get after a few weeks.

It doesn’t flatten dramatically overnight and the foam cubes help maintain structure better than standard fibre fillings. That said, it still feels soft enough to be comfortable. It’s not one of those aggressively firm orthopaedic pillows that makes you feel like you’re sleeping on luggage.

Is the Simba Hybrid Pillow hypoallergenic? 

The Simba Hybrid Pillow is hypoallergenic and the removable outer cover is washable, which makes it a sensible choice for allergy sufferers or households with pets. Given ours resembles a small petting zoo half the time, this definitely worked in its favour.

Who’s it good for? And who should avoid it?

I think this pillow works particularly well for:

• Combination sleepers

• Side sleepers

• Hot sleepers

• People who struggle with neck support

• Anyone frustrated by flattened pillows

I’d probably avoid it if:

• You strongly prefer very firm pillows

• You hate adjusting bedding products yourself

• You’re on a tight budget and just want something functional

• You’re particularly sensitive to textured or lumpy fillings

Personally, I couldn’t feel the foam cubes through the pillow surface once it was adjusted properly, but a small number of Mumsnet users do notice them more than others.*

Comparison: Simba Hybrid vs HoneyFoam

Which one will you choose: Simba or The Fine Bedding Company's HoneyFoam option?

Final verdict: is this the pillow for you? 

I hate admitting when expensive bedding products are worth it because I always want the £24.99 supermarket option to triumph heroically. Sadly for my bank balance, the Simba Hybrid Pillow is excellent.

It’s comfortable, breathable, supportive and adjustable without turning into a high-maintenance science project. More importantly, it feels like a pillow designed for real-life sleep problems rather than showroom comfort. Combination sleepers, hot sleepers and people constantly karate-chopping flat pillows into submission will probably understand the appeal immediately.

Simba's branding is recognisable and consistent across all their products

More importantly, it helped me sleep well consistently over several weeks of testing, which matters far more than any marketing jargon about "optimising your sleep" Would I buy it with my own money? Yes, probably. In fact, I already have someone in mind who might want one as a Christmas gift.

If your current pillow leaves you folding it in half nightly or waking up with a stiff neck, this feels like a suitable upgrade rather than clever branding.

About the author

Rebecca Roberts (aka Beccy) is our resident lifestyle expert with a practical focus on sleep, wellness and everyday comfort. She’s equally at home tackling frank, NSFW‑adjacent topics as she is road‑testing kitchen appliances, mattresses and vacuums that work for real parents. As a mum of two, she writes with the time‑poor, sleep‑deprived in mind - honest product reviews, realistic routines and products that make parents’ lives easier.

When she’s not at her desk, she’s probably product‑testing with her two helpers, corralling a PTA or walking her two dogs up and down country lanes.

About Mumsnet Reviews

All Mumsnet product reviews are written by real parents after weeks of research and testing. We work hard to provide honest and independent advice you can trust. Sometimes, we earn revenue through affiliate (click-to-buy) links in our articles. However, we never allow this to influence our coverage.

All prices are correct at time of publication.

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*mumsGPT conversational analysis, 12 May 2025 to 12 May 2026