According to our tester, this TEMPUR mattress is “an investment in self care and sleep quality”

RRP at time of testing: from £1,279 (single) | Check price at Dreams

Our verdict

One glance at the TEMPUR Pro Air SmartCool Plus mattress and it’s obvious that this is a premium memory foam mattress in every sense - price included. 

MNHQ’s own Will and his partner own the king-size, medium-firm version of the mattress and have been sleeping soundly on it for the last year. They replaced an older memory foam mattress that had lost its shape and, annoyingly, pulled them both towards the middle. 

The difference remains clear. Will says his back pain has “massively reduced”, the mattress remains stable when either sleeper moves and its firmness suits both of their preferences. It still feels much the same now as it did on day one.

Admittedly, at £2,499 for a king, it’s out of reach for plenty of households. If the budget stretches that far, though, this is a supportive and reassuringly substantial mattress with none of the sagging, overheating or partner disturbance that can make memory foam hard work. 

How we’ve tested

Will and his partner already owned the TEMPUR Pro Air SmartCool Plus when we put out a company-wide call asking whether anyone had this exact mattress. They’d been sleeping on it for around a year and continue to sleep on it now. Will volunteered to share his experience, giving us a particularly useful long-term view of how the mattress performs beyond a standard testing period.

Will usually sleeps on his side and had been experiencing back pain before switching mattresses. His review covers comfort, pressure relief, temperature regulation, motion isolation, build quality and ease of care. He also reports on how well the mattress retains its shape over time and whether it justifies the premium price.

TEMPUR Pro Air SmartCool Plus mattress: what’s in the box?

Unlike many memory foam mattresses, the TEMPUR Pro Air SmartCool Plus doesn’t arrive rolled or compressed. Dreams delivered Will’s king-size mattress at full size and took it to the bedroom for him.

That’s handy because this isn’t something you’ll want to wrestle upstairs yourself. The king-size package weighs 53kg and measures 28 × 150 × 200cm, so narrow staircases and tight corners need some thought.

“It doesn't come compressed, it comes as is, delivered to the room by Dreams. As a king-size the only difficulty was getting it up the stairs and around corners into the room, but the delivery guys made it look like a cake walk.”

Which TEMPUR Pro Air SmartCool mattress are we reviewing?

Will owns the Dreams-exclusive TEMPUR Pro Air SmartCool Plus Medium Firm mattress. It’s 25cm deep and sits between the 21cm Pro Air SmartCool and the deeper 30cm Luxe version.

The range comes in soft, medium, medium firm and firm options. Will and his partner chose medium firm after trying the mattresses in store, as they don’t usually agree on firmness.

“Between the two of us, I prefer a firmer mattress while my partner prefers a slightly softer mattress. We landed on a medium firm as it strikes a good balance between the two that both of us are comfortable on. To make this decision, we did the Sleepmatch test at Dreams, which is also where we acquired the mattress.”

Trying it before buying makes sense here. TEMPUR foam has a distinctive, close-fitting feel and the difference between its firmness grades isn’t something you can judge from a product description alone.

How comfortable and supportive is the TEMPUR Pro Air SmartCool Plus?

TEMPUR uses layers of pressure-relieving foam rather than springs. The material moulds around the sleeper instead of giving the immediate bounce you’d get from a traditional pocket-sprung mattress.

The medium-firm version feels supportive without being hard. Will gives it five out of five for comfort and says the improvement in his back pain has been substantial. It also avoids the problem they’d had with their previous memory foam mattress, which had softened and developed a dip in the middle.

After around a year, the foam still feels consistent across the surface. That’s encouraging, although a year isn’t long enough to make firm claims about how it’ll fare over the full 10-year guarantee period.

“This one is definitely better,” Will shared. “Mainly because it holds its shape better and is a better firmness for the label of firmness they use.” 

Does the TEMPUR Pro Air SmartCool Plus stay cool?

Memory foam has a reputation for trapping body heat, so the Pro Air SmartCool cover is one of this mattress’s more useful features. 

Dreams claims it cools 18% faster than the cover used on other TEMPUR Pro mattresses. That figure comes from the manufacturer’s own testing, but Will’s experience supports the broader claim that it doesn’t sleep unusually warm.

He sleeps on it in a warm bedroom and describes the temperature as neutral. He rarely overheats, including while sharing the bed, and feels it works comfortably throughout the year.

“The mattress itself never feels hot to the touch or warm to the touch and generally holds a consistent feeling temperature.”

This isn’t active cooling - but it does well to avoid adding extra warmth, which is an improvement over other traditional memory foam mattresses we’ve tested. 

What is the TEMPUR Pro Air SmartCool Plus like to share?

This is one of the mattress’s strongest areas. Will and his partner both move during the night, but the foam absorbs movement locally instead of sending it across the bed.

“We both tend to move around a bit in the night but generally, don't tend to notice anything from the mattress itself. Meaning if one of us moves around the mattress doesn't move around as a whole.”

Will rates the mattress as very stable and says sleep disturbance has significantly improved. There’s no rolling towards the centre either, even when one person sleeps elsewhere on the bed.

The medium-firm feel also proves a sensible compromise for the couple. It has enough to give for Will’s partner without leaving Will feeling unsupported.

Is the TEMPUR Pro Air SmartCool Plus easy to care for?

The mattress doesn’t need turning or rotating, which is just as well at this size and weight. Its removable SmartCool cover can be machine washed at 40°C, making it more practical than a mattress with a fixed cover.

“We never need to move of flip it. There is no need to rotate it either. The foam mattress wide is the same feel across the board as the day we got it (approx 1yr ago)”

There was a slight smell when the mattress arrived, but it cleared within a week. Will reports no allergy or safety concerns.

Is the TEMPUR Pro Air SmartCool Plus worth the money?

There’s no dancing around it: £2,499 is a lot for a king-size mattress. Will bought his with a small discount alongside a bed frame, but still paid close to full price.

The mattress backs up its price with strong comfort, support, motion isolation and shape retention. The removable cover, 100-night comfort guarantee and 10-year guarantee add reassurance, but this remains a purchase for households with a generous mattress budget.

“I think the mattress itself is great value for money but it is on the pricier end, it delivers on that price tag however.”

Compare the firmness of TEMPUR Pro Air SmartCool Medium Firm mattresses

All three models use TEMPUR’s pressure-relieving material and Pro Air SmartCool cover technology. The main differences are depth, the amount of TEMPUR material and price.

The 25cm Plus reviewed here sits squarely in the middle. It’s still very expensive, but it offers a deeper build than the 21cm model without reaching the Luxe mattress’s £2,999 king-size price.

Final verdict: is this the mattress for you?

The TEMPUR Pro Air SmartCool Plus is worth considering if you want pressure-relieving memory foam, share your bed and have the budget for a premium mattress. It remains comfortable and stable after a year of use, has reduced Will’s back pain and keeps movement between sleepers to a minimum.

Its cooling cover doesn’t make the mattress feel artificially cold, but it stops the foam becoming uncomfortably warm. The medium-firm feel also manages the tricky business of satisfying two sleepers with different preferences.

The price is the obvious sticking point. Will’s recommendation comes with exactly that caveat: “100%, as long as the price tag is in your (stretch) budget”

About the editor

Rebecca Roberts (aka Beccy) is Mumsnet’s resident home and lifestyle expert, covering sleep, cleaning, kitchen, wellness and everyday comfort. She has worked in journalism since 2010, holds a postgraduate diploma in Journalism and previously led editorial at ExpatWoman in Dubai. As a mum of two, she writes honest product reviews and advice for time-poor, sleep-deprived parents - and they all have to survive contact with real family life.

About Mumsnet reviews

All Mumsnet product reviews are written by real parents after extensive research and testing. We work hard to provide honest, independent advice you can trust. We sometimes earn revenue through affiliate links, but this never influences our coverage.

All prices are correct at time of publication.

Read next:

• Best mattresses

• Best mattress for side sleepers

• Best budget mattress