Hi ecollins,
I’m glad you found us
The first place I would start your research is the tutorial post here which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choices … and know how and why to avoid the worst ones.
I would also treat the purchase of a mattress and an adjustable bed as two separate purchases. A mattress choice will be much more of an individual choice while the purchase of an adjustable bed which all have similar features and options available will be more of a “price vs features” purchase. There is more about buying an adjustable bed in post #3 here and the adjustable bed thread it links to which includes some sources that you can use as a “value reference”.
If you are looking at an adjustable bed then it’s also important that you confirm that any mattress you purchase will work well on it but other than this is won’t affect which mattress is best for you.
Yes … the air bladder is primarily a support system not a comfort layer and air is either fully compressed or not compressed at all and has no “progressive resistance” that can adapt to changing conditions or sleeping positions (outside of manual adjustments) unlike other types of support systems or components. There is more about the pros and cons or airbeds in this article.
You can see some of my thoughts about buying from Costco in post #4 here.
You can read about one of the conversations I had with Sleep Science in post #2 here.
My thoughts about the 11" Black Diamond are in post #4 here and the posts it links to.
My thoughts about the Sleep Science Emma (Costco’s 10" mattress) are in post #2 here and the posts it links to.
Phoenix