CNET’s sleep team has long been testing mattresses, bedding and sleep accessories, and Eight Sleep has always been a crowd favorite. The latest generation of Eight Sleep’s AI-powered system launches on Wednesday — and this time, it includes a temperature-controlled blanket in addition to the mattress cover, hub and adjustable base. As with previous models, Eight Sleep’s mattress is sold separately.
The Eight Sleep Pod 5 is quite the investment; a queen-size Core model starts at $3,099, and the all-inclusive Ultra is $6,099. On top of that is a monthly subscription fee for accessing the Pod’s high-tech features, ranging from $17 to $33 per month, depending on your chosen plan.
Here are the new upgrades to the Eight Sleep Pod, a product significantly influencing the sleep fitness industry.
What is the Eight Sleep Pod?
The original Eight Sleep Pod launched in February 2019, and each iteration since has seen improvements in functionality, comfort and durability. Eight Sleep’s primary function is to offer sleepers (both hot and cold) relief with its temperature-regulating mattress cover. Through real-time sensing and automatic adjustments, this smart cover helps sleepers fall and stay asleep by regulating body temperature throughout the night. It’s dual-sided, so you and your partner can each have personalized settings.
How does it work?
Many brands claim their sleep products are cooling, but we find Eight Sleep to be one of the few that live up to the hype. It works by pulling water from the connected hub and circulating it through a network of thin tubes within the cover. Its ability to heat and cool is impressive, with temperatures ranging from 55 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit. The Pod has helped our own sleep and mattress experts find better sleep while sharing the bed, forgoing blanket battles and disagreements about bedroom temperature.
The hub sits on the floor beside your bed and connects to the mattress cover, pumping water through its tube system.
Health and sleep metrics
The Eight Sleep Pod does more than simply keep you temperature-neutral at night. It has clinical-grade sensors that connect with Eight Sleep’s app to provide a detailed sleep and health metrics report, allowing you to analyze your data with what the brand calls Autopilot. The data includes your sleep (time asleep, time to fall asleep, time awake and sleep phases), cardiovascular biometrics (heart rate, heart-rate variability and breath rate) and snoring (snore times and intensity).
What is new with Pod 5?
Say goodbye to Pods 3 and 4, as these older models will no longer be available for purchase on Eight Sleep’s website; however, if you’re a Pod 3 or 4 user, don’t fret. You can still use your current setup as usual and access the upgraded algorithms of the new Pod 5. If you want to upgrade your system, you’ll receive discounted pricing through special member access.
1. Hydro-powered blanket
In addition to the mattress cover, hub and base, Pod 5 now offers a hydro-powered blanket. Using a similar network of thin tubes, the blanket connects to the cover at the foot of the bed to provide complete heating and cooling coverage across your entire body, not just beneath you. Our team is particularly eager to test and share our thoughts on this new feature.
The blanket can also be inserted into a duvet cover if you’d like to change the look of your bed
2. Surround sound
Also new is the integrated surround sound speaker system built into the Pod’s base, which plays calming soundscapes intended to relax the nervous system. Selections include various white noise and meditations created in collaboration with Dr. Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist and Stanford University professor. Through the Eight Sleep app, you can control the sound and choose if you want the audio to turn off once the Pod senses you’ve fallen asleep or continue playing throughout the night.
There is no Bluetooth connectivity option, so you can’t play your own sounds — only what the app offers. We have yet to determine whether this feature meets the same criteria as the selections in our lists of the best white noise machines and meditation apps.
Another improvement with the fifth generation of Eight Sleep is that there are buttons on the side of the cover for controlling your Pod settings. The Pod 4 had a flat sensor area you could tap to adjust, but many users found it difficult to tell what it was set to and what was changing without referring to the app.
The sides of the Pod 5 cover have three distinct physical buttons, so you know exactly what is being changed when you press them. You can program the middle button through the app to control certain settings, such as hitting snooze, stopping the alarm or turning on and off the audio.
In addition to the vibration and thermal alarms, you can now choose to wake up to certain sounds. I already love Eight Sleep’s alarm feature. Its gentle vibration and warming sensation are much nicer to wake up to than an immediately stress-inducing and annoying phone alarm.
4. Adjustable base and snoring mitigation
Like the Pod 4 Ultra, Pod 5’s base offers zero-gravity elevation, gently lifting your head when it detects snoring. This adjustable base can also be elevated whenever you please, so you can lie in a more comfortable position while reading or to improve your circulation.
So, picture this: You program your Eight Sleep base to automatically move into an upright position for reading before bed. At the time of your choosing, soothing audio, such as a crackling fireplace, begins to play softly, setting the perfect background noise. The mattress cover and blanket have already started to warm as you slide into bed. It’s a cozy setup for reading and relaxing as your personalized environment eventually lulls you into a peaceful slumber. If you prefer, the bed can return to its original position, and the sound can turn off once the sensors detect you’re asleep.
Pod 5 Ultra’s adjustable base fits most bed frames and can be used on its own with Eight Sleep’s optional leg kit. The cover is designed to fit mattresses up to 16 inches tall.
5. Health Check and Autopilot
Pod 5 detects and reports all the same biometrics and sleep information as Pod 4, but it now includes enhanced algorithms programmed to monitor cardiovascular and respiratory abnormalities or disturbances as you sleep (such as abnormal heartbeat, increases in respiratory rate or drops in heart-rate variability). It compiles the information into a daily Health Check intended to be used as a preventative health solution. Because it’s all monitored by the embedded sensors in the cover, you don’t have to wear any tracking devices. It’s also said to match the accuracy and performance of clinical-grade electrocardiograms.
Autopilot uses AI trained using nearly 10 million hours of sleep data to monitor and analyze your real-time sleep and health biometrics. It automatically adjusts as needed to keep you asleep throughout the night, learning and assessing your trends over time.
What is the price of Pod 5?
You’ll pay a pretty penny for the Pod 5, especially if you opt for the Ultra. A queen-size Pod 4 (hub and cover) retailed for $2,649, while Pod 5 Core (hub and cover) sits at $3,049 — an increase of $400. A queen-size Pod 4 Ultra (hub, cover and base) retailed for $4,699, while the Pod 5 Ultra (hub, cover, blanket and base) is $6,099 — an increase of $1,400.
The Pod 5 also comes in a mid-tier Plus model, retailing at $4,099 for a queen. It includes the cover, hub and blanket, so you’ll have double the cooling and heating capabilities with the hydro-powered blanket. However, you won’t have the adjustable base, snoring mitigation or surround-sound audio features.
To unlock all the features of the Pod and Autopilot, you must pay a monthly subscription fee. There are three options: Standard ($17 per month), Enhanced ($25 per month) and Elite ($33 per month). Elite is a new tier that Eight Sleep has introduced, which is required to access the Health Check feature.
Like Pod 4, Eight Sleep will offer Pod 5 through a monthly rental program (in the US only) for a flat monthly fee. You can cancel anytime by returning your Pod. This program only applies to the Core model with the cover and hub, not the Plus or Ultra models.
Is the Eight Sleep Pod 5 worth it?
Caroline Igo, a CNET sleep and wellness writer, recently tested and compared Pods 3 and 4, concluding that the upgrade wasn’t worth the extra cost. If you’re new to Eight Sleep, you’ll have no choice but to purchase Pod 5, as the older models are no longer for sale. Until we test Pod 5 ourselves, we can’t say for sure whether we recommend upgrading your current system to this new generation — but stay tuned for a review from our sleep team.
For years, members of CNET’s sleep team have been testing and reviewing various models of the Eight Sleep Pod.
