Eight Sleep is one of the first names that springs to mind when you think 'smart mattress', and its core range consists of high-tech covers that slip over your existing mattress to bring app-controlled cooling, heating, sleep tracking and more to your once 'dumb' bed. But you can also choose to bundle the Eight Sleep Pod cover with an official Eight Sleep mattress, and many people are naturally curious about whether this bed is worth the money in addition to the smart cover.
When choosing the best mattress for your body and budget, we always recommend taking into account the position you sleep in as well as any issues that could potentially derail your slumber. These include feeling too warm to fall asleep and stay asleep through the night. The Eight Sleep mattress cover is designed to give you real-time power over how cool or hot you want your bed to be. It's also smart enough to check the local weather forecast and automatically heat or cool your bed accordingly to create the optimal sleep environment.
The actual Eight Sleep mattress, meanwhile, is a medium-firm, five-layer bed made from different layers of foam. These include airflow-boosting and cooling gel layers, plus a layer of FlexSpring tech to boost responsiveness and bounce. This one specific layer makes Eight Sleep's mattress a different breed to many of the best memory foam mattresses, as those usually have very little bounce due to being dense slabs of foam. You can opt to buy the Eight Sleep mattress with the Pod – and right now you can save $150 at Eight Sleep when buying the mattress and Pod together.
Here we're looking at the Eight Sleep Pod 2, the brand's cheapest sleep system, and discussing whether it's worth buying in the upcoming Presidents' Day mattress sales. The Pod comes in two other versions (the Pod 3 Cover, from $2,045, and the Pod 3 Cover with PerfectFit, from $2,145), but the Pod 2's price drop and features are seen across all models, which is why we're focusing on this model in particular. Here's what you need to know...
The Eight Sleep mattress cover Pod 2: Overview
Pros
- Individualized heating and cooling
- Tracks your sleep and heart rate
- Integrated vibrating silent alarm
- Promotes deeper sleep
Cons
- Membership costs are extra
- Limited mattress size options
If you're looking to buy one of the best smart mattresses and smart beds in the world right now, it's worth considering the Eight Sleep Pod 2 cover. It's the cheapest model in Eight Sleep's Pod smart mattress cover range, yet it includes a lot of the same features as the Pod 3 and the Pod 3 PerfectFit.
The only differences between the Eight Sleep Pod 2 and Pod 3 is the improved comfort, while the Pod 3 PerfectFit also has improved comfort and is compatible with all mattress sizes (the Pod 2 and Pod 3 covers are only compatible with 10" to 11" beds).
So, what features does the Pod 2 cover have? One of the main attractions that makes it a popular choice among pro-athletes is sleep and heath tracking. The Pod 2 Cover uses medical-grade hardware and software to track your sleep duration, plus your heart and respiratory rate. Data is turned into health reports, which you can access using the free Eight Number / Eight Sleep app (iOS, Android).
Another major feature is individualised cooling and heating technology, which automatically adapts to your sleep stage (the phase of sleep you're in), the weather outside, and your bedroom conditions. In addition to tracking and improving your sleep, the Pod 2 cover also has a thermal vibration alarm to help your rise in the morning. Eight Sleep's GentleRise Wake Up Technology uses gentle vibration at chest level to wake you without any blaring alarms, while simultaneously cooling the bed so you rise easier.
There are some drawbacks though. For instance, the smart bed cover only comes in four sizes (full, queen, king and Cal king) and a lot of the features can only be unlocked by signing up to a 12-month Eight Sleep Membership, priced from $15 a month.
The mattress trial is also skimpy: Eight Sleep mattress covers come on a 30-night trial and a five-year warranty. For context, all of the best mattresses in a box offer sleep trials of at least 100 nights, while the best luxury mattresses often offer 365-night trials. The standard mattress warranty we see on beds sold online is 10 years, though some brands, including Saatva, Nectar Sleep and Nolah Sleep, offer lifetime warranties. However, it does come with free shipping and returns.
The Eight Sleep Pod 2 mattress cover: Prices and trial
While it's the cheapest model in the Eight Sleep mattress cover range, the Pod 2 doesn't come cheap. Still, it's a more affordable alternative to full-fledged smart beds. Here's the price for each size:
- Full: $1,795 (usually discounted to $1,745)
- Queen: $1,895 (usually discounted to $1,845)
- King: $2,095 (usually discounted to $2,045)
- Cali King: $2,095 (usually discounted to $2,045)
Eight Sleep regularly takes $50 off the Pod smart covers outside of major holiday events, while the big holiday discounts can range from $75 off to $250 off. The $250 off discounts tend to be reserved for Black Friday mattress deals and Cyber Monday mattress sales, but we've seen them for other holidays such as Memorial Day.
However, for last year's Memorial Day and President's Day, Eight Sleep knocked $100 off the smart bed cover; double the evergreen discount, but nowhere near as big as the Black Friday deal.
While it's currently $50 off, going on last year's offering we're expecting to see a bigger discount this Presidents' Day in February. So if you're in the market for an Eight Sleep mattress, we suggest waiting to buy until February.
The Eight Sleep Pod 2 mattress cover: Design and materials
- Breathable polyester-cotton knit blend cover
- Compatible with 10" and 11" mattresses and only four sizes
- Comes with a Pod Hub (an external water reservoir)
The Eight Sleep Pod 2 contains a Pod Hub, a power cable and The Pod Cover itself, which is made from a soft polyester-cotton blend. The material is spot-clean only and isn't waterproof, so Eight Sleep recommends using the best mattress protector you can to keep it safe from spills and stains.
As part of the set-up process, you'll need to connect the Eight Sleep Pod Hub (an external reservoir) to your Wi-Fi and download the Eight Number / Eight Sleep app to unlock the features.
Within the smart cover there's a network of water tubes known as the Active Grid, an automatic temperature-adjusting system that connects to the Pod Hub to warm you up or cool you down depending on your sleep stage and bedroom temperature.
There's also the sensors, which is the Grid's sleep-tracking function that monitors your sleep duration and quality, along with heart and respiratory rates. It then gathers the data and combines it into a daily sleep score within the app.
Last but not least is the GentleRise Wake Up Technology, which an in-built thermal and vibration alarm system which gradually wakes you up before the set wake-up time by cooling the mattress and using gentle vibration at chest level. To set your wake-up time (along with bedtime and preferred temperature), you simply input it into Autopilot, which personalizes the Pod to fit your sleep needs.
Should you buy the Eight Sleep Pod 2 mattress cover?
The Eight Sleep Pod cover is one of the best smart mattresses around as it allows you to convert any 10" or 11" mattress into a high-tech sleep oasis. We recommend it to anyone with a memory foam mattress who enjoys the body-hugging feel but would rather have a cooler sleep surface (foam is prone to trapping heat).
The Pod 2 is great for anyone leads an active lifestyle and who therefore need to maximize their rest and recovery. Plus, it's great for people who want to monitor and improve their sleep and overall health. Thanks to its automatic and customizable temperature control, the Eight Sleep Pod 2 is worth investing in if you live in a warm climate or suffer from overheating and night sweats.
However, there are drawbacks. The first is a paywall blocking many of the mattress cover's best features, which can only be unlocked by signing up to a one-year membership. The set-up is also long, the sizes are limited, there's limited mattress compatibility, and the cover isn't waterproof, meaning you have to invest in a waterproof mattress protector to shield it from spills and more.
Overall, if you can hang around for a good discount in the upcoming Presidents' Day sales, and you feel the excellent features will help you in the long run no matter the yearly cost, then the Eight Sleep mattress system is definitely worth buying.
The Eight Sleep Pod 2 mattress cover: Alternatives
Firmness: Adjustable
Height: 12"
MSRP: $3,399 - $5,799
Like the Eight Sleep Pod 2, the Sleep Number i8 Smart Bed has temperature control and integrated sensors that track your sleep and health and condense the data into a sleep score via the Sleep Number app. However, this is a mattress rather than a cover, so it's a lot more expensive but it does come with more features. While the Eight Sleep Pod 2 focuses on temperature balance, sleep tracking and vibrating alarms, the Sleep Number i8 Smart Bed focuses heavily on sleeper comfort; it adjusts the mattresses' firmness levels to your in-bed movements and provides plush pressure-relief via foam layers.
Firmness: Soft (3) to Firm (7)
Height: 13"
MSRP: $3,295 - $5,495
Saatva is the brand behind the world's best hybrid mattress the Saatva Classic (read our Saatva Classic mattress review for more). While this fully adjustable mattress isn't as high-tech as the Eight Sleep Pod or the Sleep Number i8 Smart Bed (you control it with a remote rather than an app), it does come with 50 firmness levels and is a superb choice for people who don't know what level of firmness they'd sleep best on. With it's remote control and heavy focus on soothing aches and pains, the Saatva Solaire is the better choice for those who are less tech savvy and their main need is comfort.
