Purple Premium Grid Pillows Overview

Michael Magnuson

Founder of GoodBed, Leading Mattress Expert

Summary: Purple Premium Grid Pillows

The Premium Grid Pillows are a departure from the "All-Grid" Purple Pillows that you might have already seen, and include a mix of gel grid and other materials to create a wide variety of feels. All of these have some kind of gel grid overlay. This is typically a thin layer of gel grid on the outside of the pillow that creates air pockets and works to manage heat retention.

Where they differ, however, is in their inner components. Each of the Premium Grid Pillows has a different internal core and feels slightly different as a result. The Purple Harmony Pillow is made from soft and buoyant latex; the Purple DreamLayer Pillow is made with soft, slow-responding memory foam; and the Purple Freeform Pillow is made with a blend of fiber and foam. We'll cover all of these in depth below.

Purple Harmony Pillow

The Purple Harmony Pillow is a perennial best-seller that combines the benefits of Purple's GelFlex Grid with the buoyant support of latex. Much like the other pillows in the Premium Grid Collection, the Harmony has an outer surface with a thin layer of their GelFlex Grid. In addition to gentle cradling, this creates small air pockets between you and the support layer and helps manage heat and move air throughout the pillow.

The inner support layer, however, is made from soft latex. If you're unfamiliar, latex foam is a very high-quality material that is typically made from the natural sap of a rubber tree. This means that it feels a bit bouncier and more resilient than other types of foam. In the case of the Harmony Pillow, we'd describe it as buoyant and "weightless" sensation. If you're looking for a pillow with an incredibly soft and "even" response that feels similar to the gel grid but without the sense of "buckling," this would be a good fit.

The Harmony Pillow is available in three different heights - Low (5.5"), Medium (6.5"), and Tall (7.5").

Purple DreamLayer Pillow

The Purple DreamLayer Pillow is a foam pillow made from a solid, molded core of memory foam. Much like the Harmony Pillow, this also has a gel grid external layer, but this is a bit taller and more substantial on the DreamLayer. The memory foam core also feels quite different than the latex on the Harmony. Whereas latex is "buoyant" and even a little "bouncy," the memory foam on the DreamLayer is soft and gradually yielding. If you like a pillow that feels slightly solid on initial contact and then softens to contour to your head and neck, the DreamLayer would be a good fit.

It also comes with a few additional booster layers that you can add to the pillow to adjust it's height. If you have wide or narrow shoulders, you might appreciate this feature. This adjustability also makes it a good fit for different sleeping positions.

Purple Freeform Pillow

The Purple Freefrom Pillow is Purple's take on a moldable, shredded-foam pillow. This style of pillow can feel similar to down or feathers, but is made with shredded foam and fibers instead. In other words, if you like a pillow that you can mold and shape, then this would be a good fit. Much like the other pillows, there is a slight gel grid on the external surface, but the internal core is made of shredded foam and soft fiber. Purple actually calls this their "Moon Foam" on account of the moon-shaped pieces.

The Freeform also has two neck support channels at each long side of the pillow. This is a thoughtful addition that allows you to add more or less foam to the pillow in specific channels to support your cervical spine. Purple also sells additional pillow fill on their website.

How to Choose

Finding the right pillow can be a difficult process. Generally speaking, pillows are designed to fill the space between your mattress and your head and provide consistent and gentle support for your cervical spine. It can also change how your shoulder and upper back interact with the mattress. A taller pillow will provide more "lift" and separation between your head and shoulder, whereas a thinner one will provide less lift and let you feel the mattress a bit more.

The goal here is to keep your spine straight and relieve pressure on your head and neck. This means that different pillow heights will work for different people and different sleeping positions. If you have broad shoulders or are a side sleeper, you might need a medium or high profile pillow. If you have narrow shoulders or are a stomach or combination sleeper, you might need a low or medium profile pillow. Similarly, if you're a back sleeper, you might also do best with a low or medium profile pillow.

You should also know that memory foam tends to soften with body heat, and memory foam pillows can feel slightly softer after a few hours of use. In other words, we would expect some "middle-of-the-night" softening with the DreamLayer and the Freeform, but not with the Harmony.