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 launched recently, and now you can get a cooling and heating blanket in addition to the dual-sided mattress cover and adjustable base. It’s a completely personalized bedroom setup that monitors your sleep and health metrics, automatically adjusting as needed to help you sleep.

The Pod 5 is quite the investment. A queen-size Pod 5 Core model starts at $3,049, and Pod 5 Ultra Plus is $5,049. Eight Sleep’s new hydro-powered blanket is not included and costs an additional $1,050. As with previous models, Eight Sleep’s mattress is sold separately.

Access to the Pod’s new and improved Autopilot and Health Check features requires a monthly subscription fee. Options range from $17 to $42 a month, depending on your chosen plan and the features you want to use.

Here’s what to know about the latest generation of Eight Sleep.

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 say 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.

Health and sleep metrics

The Eight Sleep Pod does more than 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?

Pod 3 is no longer for sale on Eight Sleep’s website, but the base model of Pod 4 (cover and hub) is still available. If you’re a current user of Pod 3 or 4, you can continue using your setup as usual with the previous generation’s technology. If you want to upgrade your system, you may receive discounted pricing through special member access.

1. Hydro-powered blanket

In addition to the mattress cover, hub and adjustable base, Pod 5 now offers an optional 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.

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.

3. Cover control buttons

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 people 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 health metrics 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 metrics. 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+ and add the nifty hydro-powered blanket. A queen-size Pod 4 (hub and cover) retails for $2,649, while Pod 5 Core (hub and cover) sits at $3,049 — an increase of $400.

A queen-size Pod 4 Ultra (no longer available) retailed for $4,699, while the Pod 5 Ultra+ (hub, cover and base) is $5,049 — an increase of $350. The blanket is an additional $1,050, bringing the all-inclusive total to $6,099.

To unlock the Pod’s features, you’ll pay an Autopilot subscription fee, billed annually. For Pod 5 Core, the options include Standard ($17 a month), Enhanced ($25 a month) and Elite ($33 per month). Pod 5 Ultra Plus options are Standard ($17 a month), Enhanced ($25 a month) and Elite ($42 a month). Autopilot is required for the first 12 months, after which you can cancel at any time.

Trial and warranty

Eight Sleep offers a 5-year extended warranty through its Enhanced and Elite plans. The Standard plan offers a two-year limited warranty. The brand offers free shipping and free returns, as well as a 30-night trial period.

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. Until we test Pod 5 ourselves, we can’t say for sure whether we recommend upgrading your current system to this new generation, so stay tuned for a review from our sleep team.

Eight Sleep Pods compared