Devices that collect all kinds of fitness and health metrics populated the halls of CES this year, but Sleep Number revealed one of the more intriguing options with its new x12 bed featuring the company's SleepIQ technology. In addition to providing as comfy a night's sleep as possible through a series of inflatable cushions and the company's Sleep Number system, the bed also keeps tabs on your slumber letting you know how restful an evening you had through an accompanying app. The x12 is yet another device requiring a constant connection to your home's Wi-Fi network, but that allows it to upload details about how you slept to your personal account on the company's website. And that data can then be accessed through a phone or tablet, with the specifics laid out in easy to understand graphs and pie charts. So there's no need to remember to sync via a Bluetooth connection, or connect your mobile devices to the bed with a USB cable. The Sleep Number x12 could also be the first bed that comes with its own remote that recognizes speech commands.
And that facilitates the one feature that couples are going to appreciate most. At the top of the bed the mattress actually splits in two allowing both sleepers to set a custom angle for sleeping, reading, or watching TV. And in the middle of the night if you happen to wake up to your bedmate snoring like a chainsaw, with a spoken command you can simply ask the x12 bed to activate its snore prevention feature which gently elevates your partners head, clearing their airways so they can breathe through their nose again. A good night's sleep doesn't come cheap, though. When the x12 is available starting in February of this year, the complete bed will run $8,000. But Sleep Number plans to add the SleepIQ technology to its cheaper offerings as well, so that even us common folk can avoid having to hit our bedmates with a pillow in the middle of the night. You can track sleep with a number of fitness trackers and smartwatches, but Sleep Number is getting right to the heart of the matter—your bed.
The company's it bed features built-in sensors to monitor sleep quality, which you can view on an accompanying app. It's also filled with special air bladders, so you can adjust how soft or firm each half becomes. It's a comfortable smart mattress, but the software experience leaves much to be desired. If you're primarily interested in monitoring your sleep, you're better off with a traditional mattress and a fitness tracker. The it bed comes in six sizes and price points: Twin for $799; Twin Long for $899; King or California King for $1,499. I reviewed the queen-size mattress. It measures 60 by 80 by 8 inches (HWD) and weighs 48 pounds. Mostly made of polyester, the mattress comes with a two-inch foam comfort layer on top. Inside, there are two six-inch foam chambers that inflate or deflate with air to adjust the firmness of each sleeping side. You can control how firm or soft your side of the bed is with the free SleepIQ app, so you and your partner can have completely different settings without affecting one another.
There's not much else to mention in the design department. The mattress is an attractive, patterned light gray, but it will likely be covered by your choice of blankets and sheets. The optional low-profile base is a darker shade of gray and varies in price depending on the size of the mattress. It isn't required, and you can use the it bed with any frame. To get started, the it bed connects to the included ActiveComfort Technology Module, which is just another name for the part that pumps air into the mattress. Once connected to the bed, the Module must be plugged into the included power adapter, which must then be connected to a power outlet. From there, you need to download the free SleepIQ app to your Android or iOS device and follow the on-screen instructions to connect the bed to your Wi-Fi network and create a profile (both you and a partner can create separate profiles, for each side of the bed). Once paired, the bed automatically uploads your sleep data to the app. In the app you see your average heart rate, breathing rate, restful sleep, restless sleep, time spent out of bed, and the amount of time it takes to fall asleep, all on the main screen.
You also get the time you start and end sleep, which you can adjust if incorrect. Sensors inside the bed collect all of this data and aggregate it into a SleepIQ score, from zero to 100. You can manually input activities such as exercise and watching TV to add more info about your day. There's also advice on how to sleep better, but it's only general tips like, "Light reading or reading a bedtime story is a great way to prepare for sleep each night." Sleep Number doesn't offer tailored advice based on your particular sleeping habits. Unfortunately, results recorded in the app weren't always accurate. One day the app reported that I slept for almost 14 hours the night before, which absolutely didn't happen. And data for others nights was occassionally lost, without rhyme or reason. We've seen more accurate measurements from fitness trackers like the Misfit Ray, which also have the benefit of being significantly less expensive. And there are solutions that strap onto your existing mattress, like the Sleepace RestOn, but so far we haven't been happy with their results in testing.
On the plus side, the mattress is quite comfortable, though you can't lay on it while it's inflating. Instead, you need to inflate the mattress, then lay on it while it deflates to your chosen firmness level. The SleepIQ app doesn't tell you what your ideal firmness level is based on how you sleep, which seems like a missed opportunity. This is quite different from the Kingsdown Sleep Smart Intuitive, which automatically adjusts as you move throughout the night. And the lack of a physical remote means you can only control the bed with your smartphone or tablet. The Sleep Number it bed is undoubtedly comfortable, and I've slept many a restful night on it. If you're interested in an adjustable mattress, it's actually not that much more expensive than some other options from the company, like the c2 Classic Series. But if you're intrigued by the sleep-tracking functionality, I'd give it some time to see if Sleep Number works out the kinks in future software updates. Until then, you can pick up a fitness tracker or smartwatch that monitors sleep and continue to use your existing mattress, which will save you quite a bit of money.