Smart Cover

First Impressions

Orion Sleep arrived on the scene in late 2025 with $18 million in seed funding and a clear mission: build a better Eight Sleep at a lower price. The system consists of a mattress cover embedded with biometric sensors, a compact "Control Tower" (their hydro-cooling unit), and a mobile app. Setup took about 45 minutes — comparable to Eight Sleep — and the optional at-home Sleep Optimization Test ($50) personalized the AI from the first night rather than requiring a learning period.

Sleeping on It

We tested the Orion for three weeks. The cooling range is impressive — reaching 50°F, which is 5 degrees colder than Eight Sleep's 55°F minimum. On the coldest settings, you can feel the difference. The surface becomes genuinely cold, not just cool. For extreme hot sleepers or those in warm climates, those extra 5 degrees matter. The heating tops out at 115°F, matching the ChiliPad Dock Pro's range.

The AI optimization is competitive with Eight Sleep's Autopilot. After the Sleep Optimization Test, the system started adjusting temperatures through the night from day one — cooling during deep sleep phases, warming slightly during lighter stages. The biometric tracking captures heart rate and breath rate, with sleep stage analysis that seemed reasonably accurate when cross-referenced against a wearable tracker.

The dual-zone control works well for couples. Each side has independent temperature and tracking, managed through individual app profiles. The Control Tower runs quietly — noticeably quieter than a ChiliPad, though perhaps slightly louder than Eight Sleep's latest hub. We'd estimate 25-35 dB depending on cooling intensity.

What We Loved

The price-to-performance ratio is the strongest argument for Orion. At $2,295 for a Queen, you're getting Eight Sleep-comparable cooling and tracking for roughly 25% less than the Pod 5 ($3,049). The wider temperature range (50-115°F vs 55-110°F) is a genuine technical advantage. The lower EMF emissions are a thoughtful differentiator for health-conscious buyers. And the financing option ($65/month at 0% APR) makes it more accessible than Eight Sleep's payment plans.

The Sleep Optimization Test is clever. Instead of waiting a week for AI to learn your patterns (like Eight Sleep), Orion front-loads the personalization. You take a test, it analyzes your baseline sleep, and the system is optimized from night one. Small touch, meaningful difference.

What Frustrated Us

Orion is brand new. We're talking months of market presence, not years. There's no long-term reliability data, no customer service track record under stress, and no guarantee the company will be around in five years to honor warranties. The $18M in funding is reassuring, but hardware startups fail regularly. Buying Orion is an early-adopter bet.

The annual subscription ($200/year, increasing to $250) for the intelligence features is also a concern. Without it, you lose the AI optimization and detailed sleep analytics — which are arguably the main reasons to buy this over a ChiliPad. Eight Sleep's subscription model draws criticism too, but at least they have years of proven performance behind it.

The Verdict

Orion Sleep is the most promising new entrant in bed cooling technology. The specs match or exceed Eight Sleep on cooling range and biometrics at a meaningfully lower price. If they deliver on reliability and build a reputation for quality, they could seriously challenge Eight Sleep's dominance. For early adopters willing to bet on a new brand, Orion offers exceptional value. For risk-averse buyers, wait 12-18 months for reliability data before committing. Either way, Orion's existence is good for the market — competition will push everyone to do better.