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Emma Elite vs Emma Performance: when to spend up
Emma Original Elite — from our UK review
4.6/5 — Performance 26 scores 4.3/5
- Elite from-price
- £649 · 27cm
- Performance from
- £729 · 26cm
- Trial (direct)
- 200 nights both
- Warranty
- 10 years both
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Reviewed by
James Wright
Lead Product Tester
Tested by
Sarah, Emma, David, Rachel
Updated · Published · 9 min read · Contains affiliate links. Affiliate disclosure.
Emma from-prices last checked . Open the live size picker.
Default pick
Emma Original Elite
The best Emma we have used, and £80 less than Performance 26 at the from-price. Step up to a Performance height only when you already know a 26cm, 28cm or 30cm stack is what you need.
- 4.6/5 in our review
- From £649
- 200-night trial
- 27cm · AirGrid
Emma from-prices checked 19 August 2026. Elite lands in the mid-£600s on a real sale — wait for one.
James’s call
Stay on Elite unless you need a specific Performance height
Performance is not a renamed Elite. It is a dearer 2026 stack sold as 26, 28 and 30cm. Elite is 27cm, softer, and usually the cheaper AirGrid on a UK sale. We score Elite 4.6/5 and the Performance door 4.3/5. Magazines have not scored Performance.
Stay on Emma Elite
Winner for most Elite shoppers.
Proven 27cm AirGrid, sale from £649. Sarah’s shoulder already had a pocket. Magazine paper trail — Performance does not.
Spend up to Performance
Winner only if you specifically want the 2026 build.
Improved AirGrid Tech + foam edge, from £729. David’s back wanted 26 if Elite’s buckle dumped the hips. Height is not a better Elite.
When to spend up
Four doors. Pick one. Open the shop tab for today’s Double or King.
Stay on Elite
Hot side sleeper. Sale in the mid-£600s. You want the AirGrid with a magazine paper trail.
Sarah Mitchell (62 kg, side). James Wright (86 kg, combo) if the Elite ticket is cheaper.
Shop Elite — from £649 ReviewStep to Performance 26
You want the 2026 AirGrid Tech + foam edge frame, not Elite’s softer side-sleeper feel.
David Patel (104 kg, back) liked the level feel. Do not pay this if Elite is cheaper on sale.
Shop Performance 26 — from £729 ReviewStep to Performance 28
A 26cm hybrid left your shoulder perched. You need more MemoryAdapt, not a nicer logo.
Sarah’s call if she stays in Performance. Not a “middle number looks sensible” buy.
Shop Performance 28 — from £799 ReviewStep to Performance 30
You already know 28cm still felt shallow. Deepest Emma cradle. Extra-deep sheets. Tall frame.
Skip if you have a typical UK slat base or 25cm hotel sheets. David Patel (104 kg, back) stays off it.
Shop Performance 30 — from £999 ReviewElite vs Performance — the numbers
From-prices checked . 7 current Emma UK mattresses. These four are the spend-up ladder.
| Elite | Perf. 26 | Perf. 28 | Perf. 30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collection | Original (was AirGrid / Emma Elite) | 2026 Performance | 2026 Performance | 2026 Performance |
| Depth | 27cm | 26cm | 28cm | 30cm |
| Stack | 7-layer hybrid | AirGrid Tech · 2cm MemoryAdapt · 5cm SupportBase | Same recipe · 3.5cm / 5.5cm | Same recipe · 4.5cm / 6.5cm |
| Feel | Medium-soft · AirGrid bounce | Balanced · suits all positions | More contour than 26, less than 30 | Deepest Emma cradle |
| Our score | 4.6/5 | 4.3/5 | 4.3/5 | 4.2/5 |
| From-price | £649 | £729 | £799 | £999 |
| Lab trail | Independent, GHI, Which? on the AirGrid generation | None as of Aug 2026 | None as of Aug 2026 | None as of Aug 2026 |
| Small double | No | No | No | No |
| Trial / warranty | 200 nights · 10 years | 200 nights · 10 years | 200 nights · 10 years | 200 nights · 10 years |
| Shop | Elite | 26 | 28 | 30 |
The UK testing team — the spend-up notes
Named weights. Different positions. Same beds. The 42 kg gap between Sarah and David is the review. Sarah Mitchell, James Wright, Emma Thompson, David Patel and Rachel Adams.
James Wright · 86 kg · Back/side combination
Elite on a sale. Performance is a different stack, not a trophy. I would not pay £729 for the word Performance.
Sarah Mitchell · 62 kg · Side sleeper
Elite is the shoulder pocket. Performance 26 perched me. If I stay Performance, I spend to 28 or 30 — not the door height.
Emma Thompson · 71 kg · Side-dominant combination
I run warm. Elite is the cheaper AirGrid. I would not climb to Performance for the name.
David Patel · 104 kg · Back sleeper; sits on the edge
On my back at 104kg, 26 felt more level than Elite’s buckle. Elite is still too soft. I would not spend up this ladder for a hammock.
Rachel Adams · 68 kg · Mixed positions (physio lens)
Combo sleeper: Elite if one of you runs hot. Do not pick 28 because 28 looks tidy. Use the 200 nights as a height test.
Do not spend up if
- —Elite is on a deeper sale than Performance 26. Buy the cheaper AirGrid.
- —You sleep on your front. Neither Elite nor Performance 30 is your mattress.
- —You are buying the name Performance. Height is not quality.
- —You have a 4ft frame. None of these list a UK small double.
- —You want a magazine score. Performance does not have one yet.