Former than expected but better than expected.
The bed was slightly firmer than I was expecting so the first couple of days I was expend guessing my purchase (for reference, my old mattresss was a 10 yr old pillow top that was very soft). After giving the mattress a week or so I realized how much better sleep I was getting and how less back pain I had after I woke up. At this point, I love it. Oh, and the free pillows that came with it are awesome too.