I Slept on the Eight Sleep Pod 4 for a Month. Here’s Why You Shouldn't Upgrade Your Pod 3

My boyfriend and I are both hot sleepers. Before we turned to cooling sleep tech, we used to wake the other one up at night, tossing and turning, trying to find relief. Then we switched to the Eight Sleep Pod 3 -- a temperature-controlled mattress cover that pumps water throughout the embedded coil system on the surface. I could finally stay cool throughout the entire night, even during a North Carolina summer. 

We slept on the Eight Sleep Pod 3 for a little over a year. When my boyfriend and I moved to Florida for a month, we brought the Pod with us. And it was the best decision we made. I don’t see how we could’ve slept -- or survived the southern heat -- without it. 

We swapped out our Pod 3 model for the new Eight Sleep Pod 4 two months ago. This upgrade promised two times the cooling power, improved feel and less noise. While I don’t see us ditching the Pod 4 and putting the Pod 3 back on our bed, I’m not convinced that others should upgrade like us. As a self-proclaimed Eight Sleep expert, here’s why you shouldn’t spend the extra money on the Pod 4.  

Eight Sleep Pod 4 $2,649 at Eight Sleep

Read more: We Tested the Eight Sleep Pod 4 Cover. Here Are 8 Things You Should Know

Eight Sleep Pod 4 new features 

The newest Eight Sleep Pod includes a few new features that the earlier models don’t have. For the most part, the Pod 4 delivers on the improvements that it promises. 

Increased comfort

My biggest complaint and drawback with the Pod 3 is the wirey feel. At times, when I was sleeping on my side, I could feel the wires on my hip. While I do think that the firmer mattress we had at the time contributed to this discomfort, you can feel the Pod 3’s wires just by running your hands over the cover. Plus, this model made our mattress feel even firmer. 

The Pod 4 has addressed this issue with a new cover design. There is extra comfort foam in the first layer that covers the wires, mimicking the feel and firmness of my mattress below it. When I really press down on the cover, yes, I can still feel the wires, but the extra foam makes sleeping on my side so much more enjoyable. It is also slightly thinner than the Pod 3, so it feels more like a fitted sheet than a mattress cover. 

My fellow sleep writer, Aly Lopez, also tested the Pod 4. She concluded that it made her mattress feel a bit softer. I hoped this would be the case for me (I love soft mattresses but had to compromise with a medium firmness for my boyfriend), but the Pod 4 doesn’t make my mattress feel softer or firmer. In my opinion, it feels just the same as my bed below -- which is great news for those who like the firmness of their mattress. 

Read more: I Sleep on the Eight Sleep Pod 3 Cover Every Night. Here's How It Cured My Night Sweats

Control without a device

The Pod 3 can only be controlled with your phone via Eight Sleep’s app. While I didn’t have a problem with this while using that model, I understand why the Pod 4 was updated with device-less controls. It was definitely distracting -- not to mention a bad habit -- to always sleep with my phone by my side in case I needed to turn down my Eight Sleep. Now, I can control the temperature by simply tapping the side of my bed.  

Since the cover is split in half in terms of my preferences and my boyfriend’s, the bed's left and right sides have touch sensors. Two taps and the temperature is turned down; three taps and it’s turned up. The cover vibrates right below your back after each tap in response. 

Temperature isn’t the only thing that can be controlled with a tap on the Pod 4. I also can dismiss and snooze my alarm via a side tap. My boyfriend uses this feature more than I do, since I prefer a sounding alarm, but he frequently will turn off his side of the bed’s alarm with a simple tap. When he gets up before me, I hardly hear this. 

Better cooling power

The Pod 3 gets cold, almost too cold. When I was using the older model, I never turned it all the way down; I never had to. Around a seven out of 10 was usually the lowest I would make my side. Now, the Pod 4 gets even cooler. 

My boyfriend sleeps significantly cooler than me and finds the extra cooling power useful on warmer nights. On the Pod 3 he usually had it around a 10, the lowest that it goes. Now, he keeps it at around an 8 or a 9, but hardly a 10. We both agree that the Pod 4 gets colder than the older model, but I wouldn’t call it “two times the cooling power,” as the website says.  

Quieter performance 

This is another feature that I didn’t have an issue with on the Pod 3. Throughout my time testing, I never thought that the Pod 3 was noisy or loud by any means. I wouldn’t consider it noiseless, but the quiet sounds that it did make never woke me up or kept me from sleeping. The only times it would make small fan noises was when it was first turning on for the night, and it was not distracting. 

The Pod 4 is also very quiet. While it is technically quieter than the Pod 3, I’m not sure it’s something that users will notice. 

Pod 4 Ultra: snoring migration

In addition to the Pod 4, Eight Sleep now offers the Pod 4 Ultra. This model includes an adjustable base that will lift your head and side of the bed when the Pod detects that you are snoring. The Pod 4 I have been sleeping on doesn't come with the base, but this feature is available for those who choose this option. But it does come at a price; the Pod 4 Ultra is a $2,050 increase from the Pod 4, bringing to total to $4,600.  

The Eight Sleep Pod 4 has all the old features, too 

Here are the features the Pod 3 and Pod 4 both have.

Heating and cooling

The best part about the Eight Sleep Pod is its ability to heat and cool you throughout the night. While connected to a sleek tank of water underneath the bed, the Pod pumps water throughout the coils in the mattress pad. Based on your preferences inputted into the app, it can heat or cool you from a range of -10 to +10. The very middle is a 0, neutral ground, with no heating or cooling power. I like to keep mine around a -5, give or take two ticks warmer or cooler. 

There are also dual temperature controls so that I can control my side of the bed, and my boyfriend can control his. This is great for couples with different sleep preferences.     

Autopilot 

While this feature is not required to use an Eight Sleep Pod, it is recommended. Autopilot is the system responsible for cooling you down or heating you up in the middle of the night. It will compute what temperature to make your side of the mattress based on your preferences, the room’s temperature, the season, the time of night and the stage of sleep you are in. It often adjusts the temperature automatically for you so you can stay cool all night.  

An Autopiolot subscription starts at $17 a month.  

Health metrics tracking

In addition to heating and cooling, the mattress cover tracks your total sleep, sleep stages, bedtime routine, heart rate, heart rate variability, breath rate and snoring. However, I have found that these metrics aren’t as reliable as my Garmin watch or Oura ring. My dogs like to sleep in our bed, and when they take naps on my side, the Eight Sleep will confuse them for me and my metrics. Overall, I enjoy seeing my sleep quality and score immediately in the morning. 

Thermal and vibrating alarms 

While I prefer an alarm on my phone, my boyfriend uses the thermal and vibrating alarm features every morning. Based on preferences, the bed can get uncomfortably hot or cold when it’s time to wake up. It can also slowly vibrate underneath your back until you wake up and turn it off. The Pod 4 allows you to turn off any alarm with a simple double tap on the side of the bed. 

Snoring detection 

Snoring detection is a fairly new feature to both Pod models. The mattress cover will detect movement, determine if you are snoring and then give a morning report. This data includes how long you spent snoring and a timestamp of when the snoring occurred.  

How does the Pod 4 compare to the Pod 3?

The Eight Sleep Pod 4 and the Pod 3 are very similar, and they are both great products. If you are considering which model to get, here are a few highlights.

Is the Pod 4 worth the extra money?

If you upgrade or opt for the Pod 4 over the Pod 3, you will have to pay an extra $354. After testing this new model, I’ve concluded that the new features aren’t worth the extra money. While they are nice to have, they also create new, unique challenges. Here are a few aspects to consider about the Pod 4:   

• Snoozing the alarm is too easy: Since upgrading, my boyfriend has been having a harder time getting out of bed on time. It is so easy for him to just tap the side and snooze the alarm rather than getting out of bed and manually turning it off on his phone. 
• Touch controls can’t display data: I do enjoy the touch controls. It’s very nice to be able to turn the Pod up or down in the middle of the night without having to look at my phone. However, when I wake up and double-tap the side, I have no idea how many notches I have turned down. When I look at the app, I know the exact numbers and settings I enjoy. However, the bed can’t tell me what number I have turned it to. Plus, I’ve also had the issue of turning it up when I meant to turn it down. 
• Cooling power is much different: It is hard to tell if the Pod 4 has “two times the cooling power” as it claims. I appreciate that it does feel slightly cooler, but I don’t think the average user will be able to tell the difference.  
• It doesn’t include the adjustable base: If the Pod 4 came with an adjustable base for snoring migration, I could justify the price. However, the Pod 4 Ultra is an extra $2,050.