Most smart-home gadget manufacturers would have you believe that tapping an app is the pinnacle of convenience. Turning on a light bulb? How about your robot vacuum? What if it was a speaker that could also answer questions?
It’s all fun and games until the smart system breaks down and turns it into something worse than an old-fashioned dumb gadget. A camera is just a camera, unless it's a compromised security camera that threatens to show everyone in the world your home address. A bed is (usually) just a bed, unless, in my case, you're sleeping on a smart bed stuck halfway between Flat and Zero Gravity modes.
The Sleep Number Climate360 Smart Bed is a behemoth, in both size and price. $10,000 for the cheapest queen-size setup? In this economy? The cost is egregious. While many aspects of the sleep setup are the pinnacle of luxury, I thought this bed was going to change the way I slept forever. I thought I would miss it when it was gone. I still might, but not for the reasons its creators intended.
One advantage of this sleep system compared to others I've tried: There's no setup necessary. No lugging in a big box, unfurling the rolled-up mattress, and waiting for it to air out and inflate. Sleep Number includes delivery and setup with the purchase of the bed. Simply clear out the area where you want your bed assembled and the nice delivery people will do the rest. Unfortunately, this adds another $250 to the cost.
The best parts of this sleep system are so, so nice. The two sides of the bed are individually adjustable. You can control the firmness and temperature of each separately. Each side has two built-in climate control zones—one in the core, which measures roughly from your shoulders to your calves, and one near the feet. You can warm both zones, and you have the option to cool down the core as well. I LOVE HAVING A FOOTWARMER. My partner loves it too—no more Raynaud's toes freezing his legs off in the winter.
This climate control technology means that whether it’s 80 degrees or -20 outside, I can always achieve that perfect sleeping temperature. You know when your blankets are cozy-warm but your window is letting in cold air, and your one foot is sticking out from your nest and you just feel so sleepy? My bed feels like that all the time now. It rocks.
The head and the feet of the mattress can be raised from flat to nearly in half. Sick with a cold? No need for extra pillows to avoid postnasal drip—just raise up the head of the bed. The same can be done for snoring partners. And there are preset modes for tasks like watching TV or reading. My favorite is the Zero Gravity mode, which makes it feel like you’re floating on a cloud. The smart base can also light up the floor softly when you exit the bed (like going to the bathroom in the middle of the night), which truly is convenient.
It’s also nice being able to adjust the firmness of each side. There are a range of selectable numbers from 5 to 100, with the higher numbers equating to more firmness. The bed’s Responsive Air technology fills up any gaps you create when moving your body—so if you roll over and readjust your position, the bed automatically inflates or deflates to maintain the same level of firmness. This can alleviate your pressure points. My partner’s Sleep Number is 100. Mine ranges between 40 and 70 on any given day. In theory, we both could get really good sleep.
But what it gets wrong, it gets really wrong. I have many a gripe with this sleep system that costs as much as a used car.