Sealy Elevate Ultra Hawking Medium reviewed

The Sealy Elevate Ultra Hawking Medium is a 30cm medium-feel Posturepedic mattress that combines AlignSupport coils with a MemorySense zone and a Geltex gel-infused layer under a quilted eurotop. It is the only medium-feel model among the five mattresses in Sealy’s Elevate Ultra collection, which runs from the Saxby Luxury Plush to the Priestly Extra Firm, so it is the easiest Elevate Ultra choice for couples who sleep in different positions.

Construction

The Hawking Medium specification on sealy.co.uk lists the AlignSupport coil unit, UniCased XT edge support with air channels and a BasePlank foundation. The comfort section is a MemorySense ComfortCore in the centre third, a Geltex layer and a final layer of Sealy medium foam, finished with a quilted eurotop, SmarTex fibres and ProShield. Sealy gives the depth as 30cm; one retailer lists 34cm, so check the label if bedding depth matters.

Prices by size

At the time of writing (September 2026), The Sleep Shop lists these regular prices, with 25% off in the final week of its summer sale when we checked.

Even at the sale price, a Hawking double costs almost three times the £543 mean price paid for a new mattress in the 18th National Bed Federation consumer survey.

Who it suits

Sealy calls the feel medium, and we rate it 5 out of 10. The MemorySense zone gives the hips a little contouring while the coils keep the spine supported, so back sleepers and side sleepers both do well. That middle ground is also where the evidence points: in a randomised trial of 313 adults published in The Lancet (Kovacs et al., 2003), people with chronic low-back pain did better on medium-firm mattresses than on firm ones, with an odds ratio of 2.36 for less pain while lying in bed.

The Elevate Ultra collection holds the Allergy UK Seal of Approval, according to the Allergy UK product listing for Sealy. The mattress is handmade in Britain with a 7-year Posturepedic guarantee, which Sealy handles through the retailer. There is no manufacturer sleep trial, so ask the retailer for its terms before you buy.

Base and care

The Hawking is single sided, so it is rotated head to toe rather than turned; four vertical handles make that easier. The Sealy guarantee terms require a supportive base, with slats about 10cm wide and gaps of no more than 7.5cm, and rule out rolling or bending the mattress. The National Bed Federation’s Bed Advice care guide suggests rotating a one-sided mattress weekly for the first three months and monthly after that.