Eight Smart Mattress Review

Eight may be famous for their sleep tracker, but they also have a solid lineup of mattresses. Which is the one for you: the Saturn, the Jupiter or the Mars mattress? Find out here.

By Mario Esposito
Last Updated: May 15, 2019

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New York-based Eight started as a crowdfunded darling when it launched in 2014. Their first product wasn’t a mattress, but a smart sleep tracker! Unlike most available during that time, it wasn’t wearable sleep technology. The Eight sleep tracker is a combination of a smart hub and smart mattress topper.

Eight added their first mattress—now called the Eight Jupiter—to their product line in 2016. In 2017, the company came out with two more mattresses: the Eight Saturn and the Eight Mars.

front view of Eight Jupiter+ smart mattress
The Eight Jupiter+ smart mattress

What Does This Review Cover?

This review discusses the all of Eight’s mattresses! What makes the flagship Eight Jupiter different from the Eight Saturn or the Eight Mars? Which one would be the best for your sleep needs? Read up on all three to find out.

We’re going to talk about the sleep tracker, too. How effective is it? Is it worth getting both an Eight mattress and sleep tracker? Could it be a better idea to just buy the sleep tracker and use it with your existing mattress? Let’s explore your Eight mattress and sleep tracker options together below.

What Does the + After an Eight Mattress Name Mean?

When there’s a plus sign added to the end of the Eight mattress name, it means that it’s being sold with the sleep tracker.

For example: The Eight Jupiter+ smart mattress includes both the Eight Jupiter mattress and the Eight sleep tracker. Note that you can buy the Eight sleep tracker on its own. You can also purchase any of the Eight mattresses without an accompanying sleep tracker.

About Eight Sleep

Before we discuss all the Eight mattresses and the Eight sleep tracker at length, let’s talk about how they do when it comes to customer support. This includes the availability and helpfulness of their customer support team. Trial periods, return policies and warranties included in every Eight product purchase will be noted below, too.

front view of Eight Saturn+ smart mattress
The Eight Saturn+ smart mattress

How Is Eight’s Customer Support?

Eight’s customer support is comprehensive at the surface, but a closer look reveals more than a few imperfections.

Eight Sleep is a BBB accredited business with a prominently displayed telephone number on their official website. They also have a live chat option and several social media accounts that are active.

They have an extensively populated, if not well-organized, Zendesk-run Support Center. This doubles as their FAQ section, as there is no actual collected FAQ to be found anywhere. We have no doubt that there’s a wealth of information there, but it’s just not very intuitive.

This brings us to our actual experience with Eight’s live chat customer support when we asked about the foams and textile they use in their mattresses.

What we liked: Initial response was very fast! We appreciate the attentiveness, although we do want to point out that Eight uses the live chat option to upsell—not terrible, but not a good look.

What we didn’t like: In the first place, we wouldn’t have needed to bother their support team with our questions if those very basic details were easy to find.

We had to ask twice to get the information we wanted about the specific foams. Words like “reactive” or “support” don’t reveal what the actual material is—they’re just descriptions of their use. Then we asked about the mattress cover, and this is where it all went bonkers!

It took us five tries to get through the Eight support that we wanted details on the actual mattress cover—not the technology layer of the sleep tracker, not the fire sock, and definitely not a separate mattress protector.

Our takeaway: Eight support is very helpful, but not very knowledgeable. We make it a point to interact with all customer support teams we come across, so trust us when we say that this was not a good experience. We can only hope that they are more efficient with it comes to processing returns.

front view of Eight Mars+ smart mattress on white rug between two bedside tables and lamps
The Eight Mars+ smart mattress

Does Eight Offer a Sleep Trial, Return Policy and Warranty?

Eight mattresses each come with a 100-night sleep trial, a return and full refund policy, and a 10-year limited warranty. The Eight sleep tracker comes with a 30-day money back guarantee and a one-year limited warranty.

Mattress returns are as expected, and typical of an online-based mattress startup: Contact customer support, arrange a mattress pickup for donation or recycling, and then wait for the refund once the return has been verified by Eight.

Returning the sleep tracker is trickier, as you may need to accomplish that yourself. Note that you should do this within the relatively shorter trial period of 30 days! Purchasing an Eight smart mattress bundle does not automatically include the Eight sleep tracker in the industry standard 100-night sleep trial.

About the Eight Sleep Tracker

The Eight sleep tracker is the brand’s oldest product and its true flagship offering. It is composed of a smart mattress topper and a smart hub, plus two connector cords. One is to link the two main parts together, and the other is to plug the entire thing to a regular power outlet.

How Does the Eight Sleep Tracker Work?

The Eight sleep tracker collects your sleep data, warms one or both sides of your bed, and connects to your phone via an app.

Through your smartphone, it can sync with smart home connectivity brands like Alexa, Nest and Philips Hue. The Eight sleep tracker can also integrate with other smart devices through an app that can set automation triggers, like IFTT.

Eight sleep tracker hub and mattress technology layer cover, shown with phone displaying app

The Mattress Technology Layer Cover

The great thing about the Eight sleep tracker is that it turns any mattress into a smart bed! You’re not limited to using an Eight mattress. Note, though, that the smart mattress topper comes in only four sizes: full, queen, king and California king.

This polyester smart mattress topper or technology layer cover is fitted with sensors that do all the data collection. With the Eight app, it uses a technique called ballistocardiography to come up with visualized data about your breathing, movement, and over 10 other factors.

It’s also fitted with warming tech, which allows you to control the temperature of your mattress per side of the bed. How do you do this? Through the Eight app, you can set your ideal temperature. There are ten levels of warmness to choose from.

Note: This cover is stain and water resistant, but definitely not waterproof. Spot clean with a damp cloth very carefully. It is not machine washable.

Eight sleep tracker app shown on phone held by hand against white background

The Smart Hub and Eight App

The smart hub is the “brain” of the sleep tracker, and it’s what you plug into a power outlet. Along with the Eight app it connects to, the smart hub functions as the sleep tracker’s health monitor.

Remember the data collected by the smart mattress topper? The Eight app shows you a report containing important highlights and insights every morning when you wake up. As you use the product more, emerging sleep trends and patterns will be identified by the Eight sleep tracker.

The Eight app also has a smart alarm, designed to wake you up within 30 minute period before your set time. Why not at the exact time? That’s the smart part. The app works with your sleep tracker to wake you gently during the lightest stage of sleep.

Working sleep data and connectivity into your routines doesn’t stop with the smart alarm. You can also set your lights to dim as you start falling asleep or when you get in bed. Remember the bed warming feature? You can set that even when when you’re out of the house.

How Does the Eight Sleep Tracker Hold Up Over Time?

The Eight sleep tracker has been around the longest among all the products that Eight offers. Complaints about Eight mattresses can sometimes be subjective, but that’s not true for the Eight sleep tracker.

We take negative customer feedback about the Eight sleep tracker more seriously because it’s not about how it feels, but how it performs on an objective level.

While the Eight sleep tracker enjoyed a ton of good press and glowing reviews early on, recently it hasn’t been doing so well! Users have reported incidents of inconsistent or wrong data: the sleep report showing a high score when they remember tossing and turning, the tracker incorrectly noting sleepers leaving the bed in the middle of the night, and more.

Others claim that their Eight sleep trackers simply stopper connecting to other smart devices, stopped working, or only worked half the time. They did mention that Eight support was eager to provide repair or replacements, but some experienced very long wait times.

This is not to say that all feedback about the Eight sleep tracker is negative—far from it. Rather, the negativity is just more noticeable because it’s usually what people focus on. In comparison, there are far less complaints about the mattresses.

Our advice: Should you choose to buy an Eight sleep tracker, please do establish communication lines with their support team quickly! This will make it easier for your to return it if you’re not satisfied, and get usage recommendations should you be unsure of anything.

About the Eight Saturn+ Smart Mattress

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The simplest and most affordable of their celestial-themed product line, Eight notes that their Saturn mattress provides a medium-firm feel.

Eight Saturn+ smart mattress against gray background with delivery boxes beside it

What’s in an Eight Saturn Mattress?

The Eight Saturn is a mattress made up of three layers of CertiPUR-US approved foam. 

Let’s go into more detail:

  • 2 inches of responsive polyfoam. The top layer is soft enough for that initial feel of comfort, but supportive enough to ease pressure points on your back and hips. This is the cornerstone of Eight’s “medium-firm” promise.
  • 2 inches of transition polyfoam. The middle layer is that Eight calls a transitional foam. It’s denser than the layer on top, but not as dense as the bottom one.  It’s there to provide sleepers some stability, and Eight notes that it helps to lessen motion transfer.
  • 6 inches of high density support polyfoam. The bottom layer is typical of foam mattresses. The high density material provides structural support for the mattress and deep compression support for the sleeper. This part is also adds to the durability of the product.

Eight wraps a fabric-knit fire sock snugly around the stacked foam layers, using that as a chemical-free flame retardant. The entire thing is then encased in a flexible, hand-sewn polyester mattress cover.

Spot cleaning is the way to go when it comes to maintaining the mattress cover. It’s non-removable, so that rules out machine or hand washing.

Eight Saturn+ smart mattress interior

How Does the Eight Saturn+ Smart Mattress Feel?

Generally, all Eight mattresses offer a medium feel. The Eight Saturn definitely leans more to the firm side, though. It’s as the opposite end of the Eight Mars, which provides the softest feel out of the three Eight mattress products.

The Eight Saturn is not that noteworthy, compared to the industry average Eight Jupiter and the premium Eight Mars. The feel is comparable to most regular all-polyfoam mattress. No big surprises, no big advantages.

It may be a little firmer than you’d think, though! Remember that unlike the Eight Jupiter or the Eight Mars, the Eight Saturn has no memory foam layer. The top foam is the least dense and the softest of the foams that make up the Eight Saturn, but it offers more bounce and way less sinkage that you’d expect.

When we checked for customer feedback, we were honestly a little surprised at the amount of glowing reviews! We were hard pressed to find negative experiences, too. Our theory is that the affordability of the Eight Saturn+ Smart Mattress package does a lot to ease the nitpicking that inevitably happens with new purchases.

Eight Saturn+ smart mattress against gray background with half of mattress showing inner layers

How Much Does the Eight Saturn+ Smart Mattress Cost?

Like many of its competitors, Eight offers free shipping and free returns. On both Amazon and the official website, the queen size Eight Saturn+ smart mattress is listed at $899. Note that on Amazon, it’s easier to navigate to product pages for just the Eight Saturn mattress and the Eight sleep tracker. For some reason, it’s more difficult to find them on the official website.

Want to buy just the mattress? It’s listed at $699 on the official website and is at an even lower price point than that on Amazon—as of this writing. The cost is comparable to that of the most affordable mattress we’ve reviewed so far: the Endy mattress.

Final Words on the Eight Saturn+ Smart Mattress

The Eight Saturn+ smart mattress is a great deal. For the price of an average foam mattress, you get an Eight mattress and the Eight sleep tracker. What’s not to like? In fact, if you’re not in the market for a sleep tracker, even just the Eight Saturn mattress is a great purchase. It’s easy on the budget, and just as risk-free as any other mattress-in-a-box model.

The bottom line: We admit that our customer support experience wasn’t the best, but with such a simple design, there’s no reason to not give this mattress a chance. This gets higher marks than the other two Eight mattresses simply because of its affordability.

About the Eight Jupiter+ Smart Mattress

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As Eight’s first and flagship mattress, the Eight Jupiter’s design was informed by data gathered by the Eight sleep tracker. The brand notes that the Eight Jupiter provides a medium-firm feel. It is not as firm as the more affordable Eight Saturn, but not as soft as the Eight Mars.

Eight Jupiter+ smart mattress set up on gray foundation with white rug underneath and delivery boxes beside it

What’s in an Eight Jupiter Mattress?

The Eight Jupiter is a 10-inch mattress made up of four layers of CertiPUR-US approved foam. 

Let’s go into more detail regarding the foam layers:

  • 2 inches of reactive synthetic latex foam. The top layer provides support and breathability. It’s also said to be hypoallergenic and fire retardant.
  • 2 inches of visco elastic memory foam. This layer sits under the more reactive latex-like foam to provide comfort and contour—that familiar “hug” you get from memory foam—without the rick of excessive sinkage.
  • 2 inches of transitional polyfoam. The penultimate layer is meant to provide additional support and aid in weight distribution throughout the surface of the mattress. It also creates a graduate shift of material density from the memory foam to the thicker, denser bottom layer.
  • 4 inches of high density support polyfoam. The final layer is a foundational block of support foam that is four inches thick and is designed to be the base of the mattress. It also provides the sleeper with deep compression support.

These layers are stacked together and wrapped in a chemical-free, fabric-knit fire sock. The non-removable mattress cover, like the technology layer, is made of polyester. The custom and hand-sewn fabric is said to be flexible and also fire retardant.

As the mattress cover can’t be removed, any maintenance is limited to spot cleaning. It is definitely not hand or machine washable.

Eight Jupiter+ smart mattress interior layers

How Does the Eight Jupiter+ Smart Mattress Feel?

All Eight mattresses can be described as having a medium feel, but the Eight Jupiter is the closest to “just right”—if we’re using Goldilocks’ terminology. A smattering of customers have mentioned that it can be a little too firm and a little too prone to motion transfer, though.

Overall, very few negative reviews we’ve seen actually complain about the mattress. Originally, the Eight Jupiter was a “one fits all” design—and for the most part it has performed well. Most complaints involve the sleep tracker: random resets, incorrect readings, the technology layer increasing firmness and trapping heat, and the like.

Eight Jupiter+ smart mattress set up against gray background while showing mattress layers

How Much Does the Eight Jupiter+ Smart Mattress Cost?

Like many of its competitors, Eight offers free shipping and free returns. On the official website, the Eight Jupiter+ smart mattress is listed at $1,099. The price point is the same on Amazon, as of this writing. We’d also like to point out that it’s easier to navigate to product pages for just the Eight Eight mattress and the Eight sleep tracker there. For some reason, it’s more difficult to find them on the official website.

Final Words on the Eight Jupiter+ Smart Mattress

Who is the Eight Jupiter+ mattress best for? If you are below 250 pounds and enjoy a medium-firm bed, you will probably like the Eight mattress. If you love new gadgets and enjoy electronic interconnectivity—if you have a smart thermostat or smart appliances, for example—you may also want to take the Eight sleep tracker for a spin.

Our take: If you’re not very picky, the relatively higher price tag of the Eight Jupiter+, compared to the Eight Saturn+, may be a deal breaker. We understand that the latter is said to be firmer, but the difference can’t so extreme that it warrants a $200 price difference! We’re using the queen size price tags for this comparison, by the way.

The bottom line: If you absolutely will not settle for a foam mattress without a memory foam component, then the Eight Jupiter+ could be the Eight mattress for you. With that industry standard 100-night sleep trial, you can try it risk-free, too.

About the Eight Mars+ Smart Mattress

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The Eight Mars is the brand’s premium mattress offering. Eight notes that this mattress design features improved airflow and back support, without sacrificing comfort.

Eight Mars+ smart mattress on a rug with delivery boxes beside it, shown on black background

What’s in an Eight Mars Mattress?

The Eight Mars is a mattress made up of three layers of CertiPUR-US approved foam, plus a layer of pocketed spring coils between the middle and bottom foams. 

Let’s go into more detail:

  • 2 inches of reactive synthetic latex foam. The top layer provides support and breathability. It’s also said to be hypoallergenic and fire retardant.
  • 2 inches of visco elastic memory foam. This layer sits under the more reactive latex-like foam to provide comfort and contour—that familiar “hug” you get from memory foam—without the rick of excessive sinkage.
  • 4-inch pocketed coil system. Individually sleeved coils typically make for better weight distribution, pressure relief, and less heat retention. The sides are bolstered by polyfoam to provide more edge support.
  • 3 inches of high density support polyfoam. The bottom layer of any mattress is always going to be for foundational support. It’s there to increase the durability of the product. Upper layers support the sleeper; the lowest one supports the structure of the mattress itself.

These layers are stacked together and wrapped in a chemical-free, fabric-knit fire sock. The non-removable mattress cover—not the technology layer, let’s be clear—is said to be made from a custom hand-sewn fabric. Eight says that it is flexible and also fire retardant.

Because you can’t completely take off the mattress cover, only spot cleaning is recommended.

Eight Mars+ smart mattress interior

How Does the Eight Mars+ Smart Mattress Feel?

Although the general description of all Eight mattresses when it comes to their comfort level and feel is medium, the Eight Mars in particular is said to be medium-soft.

This distinction may be in part due to the added inch of thickness. The real difference is the addition of pocketed coils, though. This is probably the reason why the Eight Mars is the truly premium Eight choice.

As noted earlier, the design is meant so be pressure-relieving and very breathable. The coil system likely helps with ideal weight distribution and that bit of bounce that you just can’t get with foam-only mattresses. Pocketed coils are also great for inhibiting motion transfer and lowering heat retention.

We combed through a sizable amount of customer reviews, and for the most part the feedback about the mattress itself was positive. There are a select few that found the Eight Mars not to their liking—one mentioned that it slept hot, which was very puzzling!—but that’s par for the course, and honestly what the sleep trial is for.

Eight Mars+ smart mattress on white rug between two bedside tables with a lamp on top of each, mattress interior shown

How Much Does the Eight Mars+ Smart Mattress Cost?

Like many of its competitors, Eight offers free shipping and free returns. On the official website, the queen size Eight Mars+ smart mattress is listed at $1,399. The price point is a little higher on Amazon, but it’s also easier to navigate to product pages for just the Eight Mars mattress and the Eight sleep tracker there. For some reason, it’s more difficult to find them on the official website.

Final Words on the Eight Mars+ Smart Mattress

The Eight Mars+ smart mattress is definitely not for the traditional or the budget conscious.

People wanting a more traditional mattress won’t really appreciate the sleep tracker, and would probably be better off with a different hybrid mattress. Why would you buy the most expensive mattress model of a brand known for its sleep tech if you’re not interested in the sleep tech?

If you appreciate innovation but don’t have the financial leeway to try out the Eight Mars+ smart mattress, consider getting the Eight Jupiter+ or the Eight Saturn+. You can also get the Eight sleep tracker separately and try it on your existing bed—although if you purchase just the Eight sleep tracker, the trial period for it is only 30 days.

We admit that our customer support experience colors this conclusion somewhat. If we got frustrated, how much more frustration will a person returning a mattress feel?

However, we do believe that the mattress design itself is great. We love the foam and pocketed coil combo. We love the synergy between the synthetic latex and memory foam. If you agree—and are rich in patience as well as money—there’s no reason not to try this out. There’s a sleep trial and return policy in place, after all.

Comparing Eight Mattresses: Saturn+ vs. Jupiter+ vs. Mars+

First things first: Should you buy a smart mattress or just a sleep tracker?

We’ve already noted above that you can purchase the Eight sleep tracker and use it on your existing mattress. Before deciding on which Eight mattress is best for you, considering that simpler alternative may be better.

Still thinking of purchasing an Eight mattress with the Eight sleep tracker as a bundle? Here’s a handy “cheat sheet” that you can use to compare all three Eight mattresses quickly and efficiently:

  • Eight Saturn. The most affordable choice is this one, by far! However, it features an all-polyfoam interior with three layers of varying density. No synthetic latex or memory foam here. It’s also said to have the firmest feel. Eight recommends this 10-inch mattress for back sleepers. Out of all three Eight mattresses, this is the Good Night’s Rest favorite.
  • Eight Jupiter. This is Eight’s medium-firm flagship mattress, offered at an industry competitive price. It was designed using data gathered by their sleep trackers. Like the Eight Mars, its materials include synthetic latex and memory foam. Eight recommends this 10-inch mattress one for stomach or side sleepers.
  • Eight Mars. It is the most expensive mattress Eight offers, though it is also the only one featuring a hybrid foam and spring design. It’s also a full inch thicker than the other two, at 11 inches. Among the three, it is said to have the softest feel and greatest breathability. Eight recommends this one for side sleepers. We at Good Night’s Rest recommend this one for heavier sleepers, too.

Eight Mattress Details: Sizes, Compatible Bases, Weight Limits

There are details that are mostly the same across all Eight mattresses. In this section, we focus on the things that can be deal breakers when deciding between an Eight mattress or another mattress that you can easily order online.

Can You Customize an Eight Mattress?

No, but you can decide on two things: the mattress size, and whether to purchase the Eight mattress by itself or with the Eight sleep tracker.

Like the sleep tracker’s smart mattress topper, Eight mattresses also come in only four standard US mattress sizes: full, queen, king and California king. Twin and double bed users, you’re out of luck.

Which Bed Bases Can Be Used with an Eight Mattress?

You can go with most bed bases and bed frames. Slatted bases with gaps not wider than three inches are highly recommended, though.

Why slatted bases? Currently, Eight recommends that any base you choose should be breathable. However, we also found “any standard foundation” as a response to a similar question within the Eight Support Center.

To be safe, check with Eight’s support team before using a solid platform bed or foundation, or placing the mattress on the floor. Again, the issue is breathability—although this may be more of a concern when it comes to the all-foam mattress variants: the Eight Saturn and the Eight Jupiter.

Remember: You will also need to make allowances for the Eight sleep tracker. The bed’s top left corner should be near an electrical outlet, or should at least have enough clearance for a cord connection. Don’t have it flush to a wall.

What’s the Weight Capacity of an Eight Mattress?

The Eight Mars mattress can support 300 pounds per side, for a total of 600 pounds. The Eight Saturn and Eight Jupiter variants can support 250 pounds per side, for a total of 500 pounds.

This is precisely why we recommend the Eight Mars mattress for heavier sleepers, even though our overall favorite is the Eight Saturn. Not only is the Eight Mars thicker by an inch, but it’s designed to withstand more weight, as well.

How to Set Up Your Eight Smart Mattress

You’ve finally decided on which Eight mattress to buy. Great! Now, how do you set it up?

Whether you went for just a mattress or for a smart mattress bundle, the steps are mostly the same. We’ll go through them quickly below.

The Eight Mars mattress and the Eight sleep tracker will arrive in two separate boxes. The bigger box contains the mattress, and has cut-out handles that make it easy to carry from your doorstep to the bedroom. If you didn’t opt for the sleep tracker, expect just this larger package.

Setting Up Your Eight Mattress

Do not keep your Eight mattress stored in its delivery box for more than two weeks. Unpack it as soon as you can to avoid compromising its shape and quality.

Unboxing an Eight mattress is easy, and without surprises. If you’ve seen even one mattress in a box being set up, you’ll know what to do. Take the rolled up and compressed mattress out of the box, lay it on your bed base, and carefully remove the plastic packaging.

Once you’ve got all the plastic cleared away, you can adjust the mattress so it sits at your desired position. Wait for it to expand and decompress—it should be at its final shape within minutes or hours.

Clear out the packaging material from the bedroom and open a window or the door, especially if you pick up on that “new mattress smell” that foam-based products can have. These emissions should dissipate quickly and shouldn’t be at harmful levels, especially because all the foams are CertiPUR-US approved.

Eight sleep tracker hub

Setting Up Your Eight Sleep Tracker

Now that you’ve got the mattress set up and liberally aired out, it’s time to deal with the Eight sleep tracker.

When you unbox the Eight sleep tracker, you should find the following: the smart hub, the smart mattress topper or technology layer, a manual, and cords.

Slip the smart mattress topper right over the Eight Mars mattress. There are instructions printed right on the technology layer to show you the correct direction and placement.

See that socket near the top left corner? Connect that to the smart hub using the provided cord. Now plug the smart hub into an electrical outlet. There should be another cord to help you accomplish that.

The manual can guide you through syncing the sleep tracker to the Eight app. It’s easy enough to figure out, though. Just download the app to your smartphone. You can find it listed at both the Apple App Store and Google Play.