The new J seat comes with the mattress, much like the Skybed MkII. The usual pillow and the thick blanket combine to serve up a very comfy bed.
The foot-well is narrower than the seat, and for reference, my feet is size 8 (UK size). If you have large feet, try to get a row 1 seat, although you'll probably get distracted by the lights from the galley, especially with a toilet located past the curtains.
It's also a good idea to make sure the mattress and blanket are going into the foot-well when the seat is changed into bed mode, as they might get stuck between the seat and the bulkhead. It's hard to tell from the photo, but things are somewhat squished in.
Refreshments were served about an hour-ish before landing. Unfortunately, I fed my stomach before I fed the phone... But no matter, here's the (hazy) view of SIN for the approach to rwy 20L.
All in all, I find it to be a very good seat, and it is indeed a competitive product. I also notice how narrow it is to enter some of the seats where the table console is on the aisle. There's a narrow gap you need to fit through, and I guess it would feel a bit claustrophobic. In a way, it's very much like a flying capsule hotel, and that's a good thing when onboard an aircraft.
However, there are some small flaws, probably came from a rushed design process. The mattress can be kept on until after landing, however, it covers up the sash belt, so quite a bit of fishing needs to be done to find the belt (used for both take-off and landing). The headrest can also swings downwards, and, at its most extreme end, also gets in the way of the sash belt. The seat recline mechanism is designed to slide forward, and then down. It goes forward quite a long way though, to the point where the tray table cannot be used in certain positions. Also, the leg rest rises up to meet the foot-well, but there is no other support. Hopefully, it wouldn't go the droppy way of the Skybed MkII.
And I guess the most important question is, how does this compare to SQ J (A380/77W long-haul) and CX (Cirrus)? Having been on all 3 in the past 3 months, I would say that it's really up to your personal preference.
The SQ seat is known for its massive space available. If that is what you want, then it serves that purpose the best. However, the flip bed is an annoyance to some. It is also starting to show its age as well.
The QF seat has the largest work area available, and arguably the best bed as well, although not everyone is in love with the mattress, and the foot-well is pretty small. It does a lot of things very well, but at times, it seems a little unpolished too. It's good to have the little things such as the DND button, but it misses other details, such as the extreme ease of having the blanket caught and stuck between seat and the bulkhead when you try to change the seat to flat bed mode. I haven't found a solution to it yet, apart from basically picking up and holding everything, blanket, mattress, etc, out of the way with 1 hand, while holding on to the screen/button with a finger from my other hand.
The CX seat is a few years old, but it's still very competitive. These days, it doesn't really win any individual comparison categories in its own rights, although I feel that it's a more rounded product and is generally quite comfortable. I also don't seem to run into any issues with them, such as having my legs squashed between the seat and the tray table when I play with the seat controls after the meal, or having to perform awkward yoga-like exercises to make sure nothing gets caught/stuck.
I'm not sure if I can choose a winner though, they are all excellent products. In summary, I really like some aspects of the QF seat, but it also has the most annoyance factors. So yes, it's definitely bring QF back into the fold with a competitive product, but I don't think it is ground-breaking as such.
Sample AFF with no advertisements? More..
