Noa Lite Mattress Review for 2022

Who’s the Noa Lite mattress best for

Because it’s a firm mattress, even Noa admits that the Noa Lite is best for back and stomach sleepers who’ll appreciate the firm and supportive sleeping surface. Side sleepers might find the lack of cushioning for their shoulders and hips uncomfortable.

A lot of happy customers have bought the Noa Lite for their older children, making it a good choice for teenagers.

What you need to know

Ordering and delivery

Finding the Noa Lite on the Noa website is easy, with clearly marked buttons on the homepage plus the menu bar. Actually ordering it is not quite as easy, because of the scrolling you need to do before you get to the add to cart button. You have to select your size (queen is preselected) and there’s a handy size chart pop up just underneath it. Then you have to scroll past the stock levels, delivery details and optional extras, like a pillow and mattress protector. 

But once it’s in your cart, it’s plain sailing. All you need to do is enter your delivery details, get your free shipping then enter your payment details (card, PayPal or Afterpay). The Noa Lite mattress is delivered in a tall, skinny box, ready to be unwrapped.

Materials and construction

As the most affordable mattress offered by Noa, the Noa Lite is still a hybrid mattress that has 3 layers on top of pocket springs:

1. A breathable and soft natural Tencel cover.
2. A cooling gel memory foam layer for deep pressure relief while wicking away heat and moisture.
3. A layer of adaptive transition foam to minimise partner disturbance.
4. Then it’s the layer of steel pocket springs for that traditional mattress bounce.

All the layers are encased within 9cm high density foam to give a supportive edge that you can sit on, not sink into. All foam in the Noa mattress is REACH certified (an European standard), low in VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) emissions, and inspected and tested by SGS to ensure it’s free of nasties. 

What the Noa Lite mattress feels like

Noa reckons the mattress is an 8 out of 10 on the firmness scale, making it firm. A lot of Aussies think it feels firm, especially for the first few nights. But after an adjustment period, it seems less firm than they initially thought. If you’re after a firm mattress, the Noa Lite is a good choice.

Because it’s a mixture of memory foam and pocket springs, it offers deep pressure relief and a slight sinking / moulding feeling, with the bounce and movement of a traditional mattress.

Partner disturbance

Like most mattresses in a box, the Noa Lite promises zero partner disturbance which is a big claim. Noa focuses on reducing partner disturbance, especially thanks to the layer of foam that sits above the pocket springs. Pocket springs are a good choice for isolating movement as they absorb movement in each individual pocket. The Noa Lite is missing the extra latex layer of the Noa mattress which can make a difference to partner disturbance. We reckon the Noa and the Noa Luxe slightly outperform the Noa Lite in lack of partner disturbance. But if you’re not a particularly sensitive sleeper, you probably won’t notice the difference.

Suitability for hot sleepers

Although there’s a breathable cover plus gel infused cooling memory foam and pocket springs to support airflow, some reviewers find the Noa Lite a hot mattress. 

Off-gassing smell

Off-gassing (the strange smell that’s released when the mattress is unrolled) doesn’t seem to be an issue with the Noa Lite.

Bonus bits

You don’t get anything extra with the Noa Lite other than a slightly longer than average warranty of 15 years.

How much does the Noa Lite mattress cost?

Prices start from $749 for a single mattress, up to $1,049 for a king. 

Trial, warranty and shipping

You can try the Noa Lite for free in your home for 120 nights. Noa does ask that you try it for 30 days before asking for a refund though, to give your body time to adjust. Noa picks up the mattress for free which is better than Koala, where you have to return the mattress to their warehouse. Only once the mattress is with Noa will they issue a full refund.

Given current delivery problems, this isn’t ideal. Some customers complain about how long it takes for the mattress to be picked up because remember, you don’t get any of your money back until Noa gets the mattress back. 

The Noa Lite comes with a 15-year warranty. Although here’s a kicker. According to a FAQ on Noa’s website: “Our mattresses are extremely versatile and may be used on a slatted or platform bed frame, on the floor or with a box spring. There is no preferred setup beyond your own personal preferences.”

Yet according to their online warranty, “the mattress [needs to] be continuously supported by a proper bed frame to support the collective weight of the mattress and its user(s).”

So, use it with a bed frame just to be safe. 

Delivery is within 1-10 business days and it’s threshold only - they’ll bring it to your front door but won’t move it inside or take away the packaging. Noa also don’t deliver to NT, TAS, P.O. boxes, and certain addresses located outside of their serviceable areas. 

Noa’s couriers seem to be struggling lately, with many customer complaints about late deliveries, long delivery times (2 months) and deliveries not turning up. 

How the Noa Lite mattress compares

• The Noa Lite is more affordable than the Noa mattress, with the Lite starting at $749 and the Noa starting at $799. The Noa Lite has 1 less layer than the Noa mattress - it doesn’t have the bouncy latex layer.
• The Noa Lite mattress is a lot thinner than the Luxe mattress - 25cm to 31cm. The Lite also doesn’t have micro coils or latex. The Luxe starts from $1,099 though, so it’s more of an investment.