What is the Eight Sleep Pod 4 Ultra smart mattress cover and should you buy it in Black Friday sales?

Eight Sleep is the leading brand behind smart mattress covers that allow you to personalize the temperature of your bed and track every minute of your sleep. The most recent Pod 4 Ultra is currently $400 off all sizes at Eight Sleep.

Aimed at hot sleepers and those who want to understand what happens within their sleeping body, the Eight Sleep Pod 4 Ultra is a premium buy, and it's also a unique one. Although the current Black Friday mattress sale is offering the biggest discount we've seen from Eight Sleep, the Pod 4 Ultra is not at is lowest price. This is because MSRP has risen.

All our best mattresses of the year can help you improve your sleep routine, but here we'll zoom in on the Eight Sleep Pod 4 Ultra. We'll look at key areas such as price, design and comfort to help you decide whether you should or shouldn't buy it in Black Friday mattress sales. We’ve also lined up some alternatives to consider if Eight Sleep doesn't meet your budget or sleep needs.

Eight Sleep Pod 4 Ultra smart cover: overview

Let's give you a quick run down of just what the Eight Sleep Pod 4 Ultra is. The Pod 4 Ultra consists of three things: a mattress cover, a thin bed base, and a control hub. Together, these components can control the temperature and angle of your bed while tracking your health data overnight to provide personalized sleep reports.

The Pod 4 Ultra is the latest release from innovative sleep brand Eight Sleep, enhancing the previous design while adding a bed base for adjustable positioning. The dual manual and automatic temperature control makes the Pod 4 Ultra ideal for anyone who struggles with night sweats, overheating, or hot flashes, especially those who share a bed. Meanwhile the new adjustable bed base can alleviate aches and pains and the smart sleep tracking can teach you about what happens to your body overnight.

To access these features, you will have to pay a premium price. The Pod 4 Ultra pricing starts at $4,299 for a queen size (was $4,699) and there's also a subscription fee required to access the linked Autopilot app. The Black Friday sale takes $400 off all sizes of the Pod 4 Ultra. While this is the biggest discounts we've seen on this model from Eight Sleep, the caveat here is that it doesn't bring the Pod 4 Ultra to its lowest price because MSRP has spiked.

Not sure if the upgraded Pod 4 Ultra is quite what you need? Check out our guide to the Eight Sleep Pod 4 vs Pod 4 Ultra smart mattress cover to see which design best suits your sleep style (you can get the Pod 4 for $1,900 less right now).

Eight Sleep Pod 4 Ultra smart mattress cover: price, trial & warranty

The Eight Sleep Pod 4 Ultra smart cover and base is a premium sleep setup, with prices starting at $4,299 right now. While there's no getting around the fact this is an investment purchase, the price is in-line with the best smart beds and mattresses.

The MSRP of the Pod 4 Ultra has risen by $650 since Memorial Day mattress sales. This means that while the current $400 off all sizes sounds like a better deal than the $150 off back in May, the cost of the smart bed system is actually higher this Black Friday.

On top of the initial cost, you will also have to pay a monthly fee to the Eight Sleep Autopilot app. There are two subscription plans, and each covers two users: a Standard plan is $17 a month, and the Enhanced plan is $25 a month. Without this subscription you won't be able to access the Pod 4 Ultra's full range of key features including automatic temperature adjustments and sleep insights. In short, to make it a worthy purchase, you must pay the subscription.

The Pod 4 Ultra comes with free shipping and returns, plus a 30-night mattress trial. Considering the overall cost of the Pod 4 Ultra, we might expect a longer trial (some of the best luxury mattresses come with a full year to test the bed). The warranty is also pretty short: two years if you choose the Standard Autopilot plan and five years if you opt for Enhanced.

Here is the full price list:

• Queen MSRP: $4,699
• King MSRP: $4,899
• California king MSRP: $4,899

Eight Sleep Pod 4 Ultra smart mattress cover: design & materials

• Comes with a cooling cover, adjustable base, and a control Pod
• Cover and base can be controlled via the hub or your smartphone
• Optional mattress and leg extension kit

There are three key areas to the Ultra Pod 4 system: the smart cooling cover, the adjustable base, and the control Pod. Each piece works together to create a cooler, more comfortable sleep experience.

The cover is a water-based cooling and heating system with dual temperature zones. You and your partner can adjust each side of the bed to suit your exact needs, while the smart tracker will learn preferences for each person.

The Pod 4 Ultra has an enhanced cooling system, designed to reach optimum sleep temperatures in even extreme conditions. As a smart system, it's also capable of adjusting the temperature throughout the night to meet your changing needs. There are sensors across the cover that can track your sleep and health data, which you can access via the Autopilot app.

Sitting between your mattress and your bed frame, the smart base can incline at both the head and the feet to achieve a neutral angle similar to the zero gravity position. It's also fitted with snore mitigation technology. When the sleep tracker detects snoring, the head of the bed raises to open the airways.

Finally, you have the Pod itself. This is a small rectangular device that can sit by the bed or slip beneath the frame. The Pod houses the water system that essentially controls the cover, dictating what temperature based on the information from the sleep tracker.

The Pod 4 Ultra system doesn't come with a mattress but Eight Sleep promises the cover will fit on your current mattress. Alternatively, you can add an Eight Sleep mattress to your order. You also have the option of adding a leg kit, which will transform your bed base into a bed frame.

Eight Sleep Pod 4 Ultra smart mattress cover: support & comfort

• Precise temperature regulation with smart adjustments
• Pressure relieving adjustable sleep positions
• Firmness, motion isolation, and edge support depends on mattress beneath

Normally when discussing the support and comfort of a mattress, we talk abut how it the bed feels to sleep on. That's not really relevant here. There's also not much point in discussing edge support or motion isolation as, again, it will depend on the mattress beneath. The Pod 4 Ultra is slimmer and more flexible than ever, meaning it shouldn't change the feel of your bed.

Let's instead dive in with temperature regulation, an area where the Eight Sleep Pod 4 Ultra excels. The water based system allows you to adjust the temperature to suit your needs, while the sleep tracker ensures the cover can maintain this temperature overnight. Designed to work in even extreme temperatures, the Pod 4 Ultra should keep you comfortable no matter what the weather might be up to.

The Eight Sleep system doesn't offer the changeable firmness you get with some smart beds (like the Sleep Number i8 Smart Mattress), but the adjustable base does allow you to tweak the support. By raising the head and the feet you can improve pressure relief and you can customize the position to suit your needs.

And with the Eight Sleep Pod 4 Ultra, you'll also get some features that don't exactly come standard with a mattress, including in-depth sleep tracking. It also acts as an alarm, with subtle vibrations and thermal changes gradually rousing you. Woken up too early or need to adjust the temperature during the night? You don't have to grab your phone – you can control the cover via a tap control pannel on the side of the mattress cover.

For a smart mattress that's all about comfort and support, check out the Sleep Number i8 Smart Bed. Our guide to Eight Sleep vs Sleep Number smart mattress can help you get started.

Eight Sleep Pod 4 Ultra smart mattress cover: should you buy it?

Buy the Eight Sleep Pod 4 Ultra smart mattress if...

✅ You have a problem with overheating: The previous generation of the Eight Sleep, the Pod 4, has earned a spot in our best cooling mattress guide and it doesn't even contain a bed. The Pod 4 Ultra promises even better cooling, helping banish night sweats and overheating.

✅ You often wake up with aches and pains: Elevating the head and feet with the Pod 4 Ultra base places you in a neutral position, taking pressure off the spine. It's great at reducing pain and also very comfortable if reading in bed is an essential part of your wind-down routine.

✅ You want to learn more about your sleep: The Pod 4 has tracking devices installed across the cover, measuring your sleep and health metrics throughout the night. This provides an in-depth look into your sleep habits, offering personalized advice to help enhance both the quality and quantity of your rest.

Don't buy the Eight Sleep Pod 4 Ultra smart mattress if...

❌ You need a new mattress: If your old mattress is sagging and unsupportive, an Eight Sleep Pod 4 Ultra won't improve it. You'll need to get a new mattress for supported sleep, but the Pod 4 Ultra can be an exciting addition to that new bed.

❌ You're on a tight budget: While the Eight Sleep Pod 4 Ultra isn't unusually priced for a smart bed, it's still an expensive purchase (even in the sale). If you want to add a cooling element to your bed on a smaller budget, consider one of the best mattress toppers.

❌ You want to make a one time purchase: Like many of the best fitness trackers and wearables, the Pod 4 Ultra requires a monthly subscription. Compared to the overall cost, the subscription price is small but it is important to factor that payment into your budget.

The bottom line

The Eight Sleep Pod 4 Ultra smart mattress cover and base is expensive, but unique. It delivers personalized cooling under even extreme circumstances. and with the addition of the bed base, the Eight Sleep Pod can do even more, including relieving snoring and reducing pressure on the lumbar region. The price is hard to ignore, but if you don't mind investing, the Pod 4 Ultra really can supercharge your sleep. That said, we don't recommend rushing to buy it right now considering the spike in MSRP.

Eight Sleep Pod 4 Ultra smart mattress cover: alternatives