The Helix Midnight is a side sleeper bed that ranks highly in our best mattress guide thanks to its pressure-relieving support, effective temperature regulation and strong motion isolation. Each year it's among the most popular Black Friday mattress deals, but this year it's competing with a slightly more sophisticated and newer sibling, the Helix Midnight Luxe.
So how do you choose between the Helix Midnight vs Midnight Luxe if you want the best mattress for side sleepers at a hefty discount? Our cheat sheet to the five key differences between these top-rated mattresses in a box can help.
The Helix Midnight Luxe is one of three variations of the original Midnight mattress and sits in the middle of the range, just underneath the Midnight Elite. According to Helix Sleep, the Midnight Luxe is more supportive and luxurious than the original, boasting six layers of support compared to the original's four, plus it offers zoned lumbar support for easing back pain.
In terms of price, the Helix Midnight mattress starts at around $936 for a twin size, while the Midnight Luxe starts at $1,373. However, with frequent Helix mattress sales in the region of 20-25% off, you’ll rarely have to pay full price. Let’s get started with our Helix Midnight vs Helix Midnight Luxe mattress comparison to help you choose the right bed this holiday season…
Helix Midnight vs Midnight Luxe mattress: Spec
1. Helix Midnight vs Midnight Luxe: Design
Both the Helix Midnight and the Midnight Luxe are hybrid mattresses, which means they are crafted out of a combination of coils and memory foam. Both mattresses have individually wrapped steel coils and pressure relieving memory foam — but the Luxe has more of both, boasting six layers of coils and foam to the Midnight’s four.
The combination of the extra layers and the Luxe’s premium pillow top (the Midnight has a breathable knit cover) means that the Luxe is two inches deeper than its original counterpart. So what do these design differences mean in terms of comfort, support and performance? Let’s find out.
2. Helix Midnight vs Midnight Luxe: Cooling
When we were creating our Helix Midnight mattress review, our mattress tester found that it offered excellent temperature regulation, which, according to Helix, is down to the mattresses’ individually wrapped steel coils (which help boost its overall breathability), and its breathable knit cover.
Although we haven’t yet rigorously tested the Midnight Luxe (we have had a good poke around one, you can read our preliminary Helix Midnight Luxe mattress review here, it has up to 1,000 individually wrapped coils and a Tencel premium pillow top, which is designed to improve on the original’s temperature regulation. As with both mattresses, if you run particularly hot, there is also the option of upgrading to a GlacioTex cooling cover.
3. Helix Midnight vs Midnight Luxe: Firmness
According to Helix, both the Midnight and the Midnight Luxe are rated medium-firm mattresses, which is deemed to be within the optimum firmness level for side sleepers. However, during testing, we found that the Midnight original was a little firmer than its official firmness rating — we rated it as a 6.5-7 out of 10, compared to Helix’s rating of 5-6 out of 10.
In comparison, we found the Luxe to be slightly softer and in keeping with its 5-6 out of 10 firmness rating from Helix, which could be due to the overall squishiness of its premium pillow top. While we found that the Midnight original was comfortable for both side and back sleepers, we found that the Luxe was too soft to sleep comfortably in any other position than on your side.
In terms of edge support, which is a term to describe how firm the mattress is around its perimeter, both the Midnight original and the Luxe were OK, but nothing exceptional. If you’re looking for something sturdy, perhaps take a look at our WinkBed mattress review.
4. Helix Midnight vs Midnight Luxe: Comfort
The individually wrapped steel coils work to provide strong motion isolation in both mattresses, while the additional coils in the Luxe also offer targeted lumbar support. In both mattresses, the deep body contouring memory foam gently cradles the body, relieving pressure from shoulders, hips and knees, and both offer that ‘sink in’ memory foam feel.
However, we found the Luxe to be slightly softer due to its premium pillow top, which means that, unlike the Midnight original (which we found to be comfortable and supportive for both side and back sleepers), the Midnight Luxe might be best suited to side sleepers only.
5. Helix Midnight vs Midnight Luxe: Price
At full MSRP, a queen size Midnight original is $1,373.80, while a queen size Luxe is $2,373.80. However, it’s rare that you’ll ever have to pay that, with 20-25% off mattress sales pretty standard from Helix. However the best mattress sales are undoubtedly reserved for Black Friday, which is just around the corner now.
All Helix mattresses come with a 100-night trial period, but while the Midnight original comes with a 10 year warranty, the Midnight Luxe comes with a 15 year warranty. Delivery is free and (usually) fast, but if you’re desperate for a new mattress and hoping to avoid any potential Black Friday shipping chaos, you might want to buy sooner rather than later.
Helix Midnight vs Midnight Luxe: Which should you buy?
Buy the Helix Midnight mattress if...
✅ You have a smaller budget: The original Midnight is the cheaper of the two, and with a 20% discount (which we see most months outside of major holiday periods), a queen is priced $999. That's competitive for one of the best hybrid mattresses.
✅ You don't have aches and pains: If joint pain isn't keeping you awake at night, there's no reason to splash out on the extra pressure relief you get with the Midnight Luxe. There's ample enough contouring comfort here.
✅ You share with a combi sleeper: The Midnight is firmer than the Midnight Luxe, meaning it will provide enough support for your partner too if they sleep on their back or stomach while you sleep on your side.
Buy the Helix Midnight Luxe mattress if...
✅ You have hip and shoulder pain: The Helix Midnight Luxe is softer and dishes out more of a traditional body-hug feel, akin to the best memory foam mattresses. It also offers more pressure relief to vastly reduce pain points.
✅ You want a taller mattress: The Midnight Luxe is two inches taller than the original Midnight, making it the better choice for tall people and those who enjoy a high profile bed.
✅ You like soft beds: With a rating of 5-6 out of 10 on the firmness scale, the Midnight Luxe is the best pick for people who enjoy soft and cozy beds. However if you weigh over 250lbs, you'll get this effect from the medium-firm Midnight as the Luxe will be too soft to support your spine properly.
