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Tom's Guide
27-05-2025
- Health
- Tom's Guide
Eight Sleep Pod 4 vs Pod 5 Ultra+: which smart mattress cover should you buy?
Eight Sleep is at the forefront of smart bed innovation, employing world-first technology to beat your sleep woes, be they night sweats, snoring or back pain. While the Eight Sleep Pod 4 has reigned as the best smart bed on the market for the last year, the new Pod 5 Ultra+ comes with an adjustable bed base, advanced sleep tracking, temperature control and in-bed surround sound. Yes, we're blown away too. The Pod 5 Ultra+ may be discounted in current mattress sales but it's still thousands of dollars above the Pod 4. Ahead, we'll explore whether the Pod 5 Ultra+ is worth the extra expense, or if the Pod 4 is enough for your sleep needs. Eight Sleep Pod 4 smart mattress cover: from $2,449 at Eight SleepWith independent temperature regulation, sleep tracking and a vibration and thermal alarm, the Eight Sleep Pod 4 is a high tech addition to your sleep routine. It's not discounted this Memorial Day but at $2,449 for a queen, it is still far cheaper than the new Pod 5 range. Eight Sleep Pod 5 Ultra+ smart mattress cover and base: from $5,049 $4,699 at Eight SleepThe Pod 5 Ultra+ does everything the Pod 4 does, plus it comes with an adjustable bed base, surround sound and snoring mitigation. It'll cost you almost double, but a Memorial Day deal takes $350 off MSRP which is one of the biggest discounts we've seen from Eight Sleep. This brings a queen to $4,699 (was $5,049). Eight Sleep Pod 4 Eight Sleep Pod 5 Ultra+ Type: Smart mattress cover Smart mattress cover, adjustable base Trial: 30 days 30 days Warranty: 2 years (Standard), 5 years (Enhanced) 2 years (Standard), 5 years (Enhanced) Queen price: $2,649 (MSRP) $5,049 (MSRP) Packed with game-changing technology, the Eight Sleep Pod 4 and Eight Sleep Pod 5 Ultra+ are both premium buys, costing at least $1,000 more than even the best mattresses you can buy online right now. As the simpler system, the Pod 4 is the most affordable of the two, with prices starting at $2,449 for a full and $2,649 for a queen. The Pod 4 is available in full, queen, king and California king sizes, none of which are currently discounted. The Pod 5 Ultra+ overhauls smart features offered by the Pod 4 and adds a whole new dimension to the Eight Sleep system – an adjustable bed base. This upgrade inevitably brings a bigger price tag, with prices starting at $5,049 for a queen at MSRP. King and California king sizes are also available. The good news is current Eight Sleep mattress sales knock $200 off all sizes of the Pod 5 Ultra+. This brings a queen size to $4,849, a rare discount from the sleep tech brand. As well as the initial expense, you do have to pay a subscription to use the Eight Sleep Autopilot app. A Standard subscription costs $17 a month, while the Enhanced subscription is $25 a month and Elite (needed for Eight Sleep's new health check feature) is $33 a month. A subscription covers two users. For such a pricey purchase, the benefits are disappointing. There's only a 30-night sleep trial, which is significantly less than we see from most sleep brands (some beds even come with a 365-night mattress trial). The warranty period is also short: two years with the Standard subscription plan, five years if you upgrade to Enhanced or Elite. The Eight Sleep Pod 4 is a water-based smart cooling system consisting of a mattress cover and a control Hub. The pipe-lined mattress cover fits over your existing mattress like a fitted sheet while the control hub sits next to your bed. The bedside hub contains a water tank that controls your in-bed temperature and sleep tracking, vibrating sensors are laced throughout the black fabric mattress cover. Data is recorded during the night, which you can access via the connected Autopilot app in the morning, and here's a tap control panel on the side of the mattress to operate the vibration alarm. The Eight Sleep Pod 5 Ultra+ comes with the same cover and Hub as the Pod 4, with the addition of a smart adjustable bed base. This isn't a bed base in the traditional sense. It's only three inches tall and sits between your mattress and your current bed frame, allowing you to adjust the position of your sleep surface. (Although you can add a leg extension kit, to transform the Ultra into a full bed base.) There's also the option to double up on temperature regulation with a hydro-powered blanket on the Pod 5 Ultra+. This means you can sleep in a cocoon with finely-tuned thermal controls. On the other hand, primarily a smart mattress cover, the Pod 4 simply adds a temperature-regulating, sleep-tracking layer to your existing mattress. While a mattress isn't included as standard with the Pod 4 or Pod 5 Ultra+, you can add one to your order. But both pods are compatible with any mattress of the same size. You can simply fit it over your existing mattress or shop our best memory foam mattress and best hybrid mattress guides if you're after an all-new sleep set up. Temperature regulation is at the core of the Eight Sleep system. The Pod 4 offers dual-side climate control, enabling you to heat up or cool down (between 13°C and 44°C) your side of the bed regardless of your partner's sleep temperature preferences and external climes. Meanwhile, sensors will track your body temperature through the night and adjust to keep you at the best temperature for sleeping. This personalized, active temperature control earns the Pod 4 a spot in our best cooling mattress guide. Both pods offer this temperature regulation on the back while you sleep. However, there is the option to add a hydro-powered blanket (for an extra $1,000 now) to the Pod 5 Ultra+. This blanket syncs with the mattress cover's temperature on each side of the bed to create a fully immersive temperature experience. Both smart mattress systems feature the reliable sleep tracking built by Eight Sleep's AI-powered algorithm. This means sensors in the mattress cover will track your sleep biometrics — including your over night heart rate, HRV, sleep stages and sleep latency — and produce nightly sleep reports. It also produces a sleep scores to help you measure how well you sleep, and identify how lifestyle choices (like drinking alcohol or exercising late at night) impact your sleep quality. While these sleep tracking sensors are uniform in each pod, of course, the Pod 5 Ultra+ includes new innovations too. An additional AI algorithm in the Pod 5 Ultra+ is capable of detecting fever. Picking up anomalies in your overnight heart rate and respiration, the Pod 5 Ultra+ will alert you via the Eight Sleep app if you are likely to fall sick. Do note, you need Eight Sleep's Elite subscription to access this clinical-grade health check feature, costing $33/month. Both the Pod 4 and Pod 5 Ultra+ have a gentle thermal, vibration alarm feature that replaces a blaring audio alarm. Thanks to the automatic climate control system in each pod, they gradually heat up in the morning to suppress your body's melatonin production. The bed will then vibrate at your desired wake up time, gradually pulling you from sleep at the end of a sleep cycle rather than jolting you awake with a loud sound. This more natural wake up call reduces sleep inertia, helping you wake up with more energy. As a humble mattress cover, the Pod 4 cannot adjust the position of your bed. However the Pod 5 Ultra+ includes an adjustable smart bed base, enabling you to raise the head and foot position of your bed. This addition means you can customize your sleep set up and sit up comfortably in bed while reading or relaxing. Plus you can snooze in a zero gravity position, which is recommended for taking pressure off the back and joints. When paired with a top-rated mattress for back pain, the Pod 5 Ultra+ is sure to help you eliminate aches and pains to sleep comfortably. This bed base also responds to your movements through the night to keep you fully supported. Meanwhile, sensors pick up snoring and the head position adjusts to open airways for easier, quieter breathing. Ever thought we'd see the day your bed sung you a lullaby? Well, we're here. A new feature in the Pod 5 Ultra+ is surround sound. Yes, that means your bed plays sleep sounds while you drift off — great news for the 38% of Americans who struggle to sleep in silence, according to Talker Research. Eight Sleep have a library of soundscapes to help you sleep, alongside non-sleep deep rest sounds delivered by Stanford University neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Huberman. ✅ You want a smart bed primarily for sleep tracking: The Pod 4 is laced with reliable sleep tracking sensors so you can track your ZZZs without wearables. Though you must forego the illness prediction feature with the Pod 4. ✅ You're on a tighter budget: The Pod 4 is still an investment smart bed but a queen size is $2,050 cheaper than the Pod 5 Ultra+ right now. ✅ You're happy with the feel of your mattress: The Pod 4 makes minimal difference to the comfort and support of your existing mattress without elevating any part of your bed. ✅ You have aches and pains: The Eight Sleep adjustable base included with the Pod 5 Ultra+ allows you to raise your head and feet. This curved 'neutral' position reduces pressure placed on the lumbar region for fewer aches and pains. And it's customizable, so you can adjust the angle to suit your personal sleep style. ✅ Snoring keeps you awake: The Pod 5 Ultra+ has specialist sensors to detect snoring. If it does detect noisy ZZZs, the bed base raises the head position to open airways. This helps you breath and minimizes noise. ✅ You can't fall asleep in silence: A key innovation with the Pod 5 Ultra+ is its built-in speakers offering in-bed surround sound. With a library of sleep sounds at your fingertips, you're sure to find a track to lull you to sleep.
Tom's Guide
14-05-2025
- Health
- Tom's Guide
Eight Sleep launches world-first AI-powered smart mattress cover that knows when you're going to get sick — a first look at the cooling Pod 5 Ultra
Eight Sleep has unveiled its fifth generation smart bed system, calling it the first fully immersive sleep system powered by AI and real time biometric sensing that can actually predict illness. The Pod 5 Ultra starts at $5,849 at Eight Sleep from today. The new smart mattress cover upgrades the sleep tracking and thermal regulation features we know and love in the Eight Sleep Pod 4, currently our best smart bed of the year, and then some. New elements include a hydro-powered blanket and adjustable bed base offering cocoon temperature regulation, surround sound and zero-gravity elevation. Release date: May 2025Sizes: 4 (full, queen, king, Cal king)Warranty: 2 years (5 years with Enhanced subscription)Trial: 30 nights Eight Sleep take a more data-driven approach to sleep than most other brands behind the best mattresses we've tested and recommended this year, employing the latest technology to bring you better sleep and tracking. Matteo Franceschetti, co-founder and CEO of Eight Sleep, says: "Our goal is to transform your bedroom into a sleeping improvement machine." There are three models in the Pod 5 range — Core, Plus and Ultra. The Core is a makeover of the Pod 4, complete with the smart mattress cover and bedside control hub. The Plus includes the climate-control blanket too. The Pod 5 Ultra is the full sleep tech package comprising the smart mattress cover, hub, blanket and smart bed base. This model measures and responds to your movements, snoring and temperature through the night so you can cruise through essential sleep cycles undisturbed. The Pod 5 has been through clinical tests which suggest it can boost daytime energy levels by up to 34%, reduce nighttime awakenings and help you fall asleep up to 7 minutes faster, saving 3.5 hours of trying to fall asleep each month. Plus, 57% of participants in the clinical trials reported the blanket actually made it easier to wake up in the morning as it changes temperature in line with your natural circadian rhythm, so you feel more well-rested upon waking. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Essentially, this bed does everything technically possible to help you get deeper, better quality slumber and improved health outcomes, says Franceschetti. Here's everything you need to know about the Eight Sleep Pod 5... Eight Sleep Pod 5 Ultra: queen from $6,099 $5,849 at Eight SleepThe latest innovation from Eight Sleep is available with an introductory $250 discount. A queen will set you back $5,849 (down from $6,099). The Pod 5 Core (comparable with the previous Pod 4) is currently $150 off, taking a queen from $3,049 to $2,899. These are small savings (in comparison to the overall cost) but still the biggest discounts we tend to see from Eight Sleep. The Eight Sleep Pod 5 hit the market on Wednesday 14th May 2025. Building on the features of previous generations equates to an increase in cost. All models are available in queen, king and Cal king sizes, but only the Core comes in a full size. Here's the official launch prices of each size of the Pod 5 smart bed system... An Eight Sleep mattress sale has knocked $150, $200 and $250 off MSRP of the Pod 5 Core, Pod 5 Plus and Pod 5 Ultra respectively as a welcome deal. This means you can shop a queen size Pod 5 Ultra for $5,849 now. We'd like to say hold tight for even bigger discounts in the upcoming Memorial Day mattress sales, but we doubt they'll get better than this. Previously, Eight Sleep sales tended to range between just $50 and $150, making the current discount pretty good. Do note you'll have to budget for Eight Sleep's Autopilot subscription to access all features the Pod 5 has to offer. This will set you back at least $17 per month. While this may sound a large financial commitment, you will save elsewhere as you're getting a range of sleep gadgets in one and can forget bills for sleep headphones, wearable sleep trackers and bedroom fans with the Pod 5 Ultra. According to a CNET survey, which found Americans are willing to spend $78 per month ($936 per year) to improve their sleep quality, the Pod 5 is in budget (assuming it will last several years). Eight Sleep's Autopilot sleep tracker keeps tabs on your sleep architecture, cardiovascular recovery, overnight temperature and snoring habits. While the Pod 5 Ultra overhauls the existing sleep tracking, temperature control, adjustable positioning and snoring mitigation in the Pod 4 Ultra, it also packs three new key innovations including a hydro-powered blanket for enhanced cooling, a built-in sound system and a new set of AI-algorithms that are able to detect fever. Here's a breakdown of the new features on offer... Perhaps the most impressive feature of them all, the pod will be able to warn you when you're about to get sick. How will it do this? By reporting any anomalies in your heart rate and respiration. "Usually what you start seeing a few days before you get sick is your heart rate starts going up compared to your baseline, your HRV starts going down and respiration might be accelerated," says Franceschetti. The Eight Sleep algorithm kicks up on these nuances and alerts you via the app, where you also find your nightly sleep metrics. He adds that the Pod 5's new health check feature is "one of the biggest innovations from an AI perspective in health" and explains the dozens of sensors in the pod work like a doctor's statoscope "transformed to modern times and empowered by AI." Eight Sleep have always excelled at smart, personalised temperature regulation with their pods rivalling even the best cooling mattresses on the market thanks to dual-sided manual and automatic temperature regulation. Now, the new blanket offers 2x more temperature control compared to the Pod 4 Ultra, allowing you to wrap yourself up in your own controlled temperature bubble, which you can heat up or cool down according to your preferences. This makes easy work of reaching the best temperature for sleeping, regardless of whether you're a hot sleeper. Franceschetti explains: "This time we launch immersive temperature. Instead of having this temperature regulation only on your back, it will be top to bottom. There will be a thermo-regulated blanket that pairs with your cover, and you will be surrounded in this cocoon effect of amazing temperature. It doesn't matter if you like it cold or warm." The Pod 5 Ultra is also complete with surround sound speakers which play sleep sounds and a library of non-sleep deep rest sounds delivered by Stanford University neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Huberman, which help you breathe, relax and eventually fall asleep. This is great news for the 38% of Americans who struggle to sleep in silence, according to findings from Talker Research. Franceschetti says: "I really like these soundscapes because my pod starts playing them before I go to my bedroom in the night. It's almost like I have a butler who prepares the bedroom for me."
