Fitnexa SomniPods 3 review: Can these earbuds improve your sleep?

What if your wearable could not only track how you sleep but also help you improve it? Enter Fitnexa SomniPods 3—sleep earbuds that can block out noise or play calming sounds to help you drift off more easily. Unlike regular wireless earbuds, these feature a thin profile that creates no pressure or discomfort while you sleep.

Most of us can benefit from better sleep, so I got my hands on Fitnexa SomniPods 3 to see whether they can make a difference in sleep. While wearing them over several weeks, I tested their comfort, noise masking, battery life, and usability to find out if they’re worth investing in. Keep reading for my full experience.

Product name	Fitnexa SomniPods 3
Type	Wireless active noise-cancelling (ANC) sleep earbuds
Design	Ultra-thin low-profile build (9.9 mm thick)
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.4
Battery life	Up to 12 hours
Charging case	Holds 48 hours of power, includes wireless charging
Sleep features	Sleep tracking, ANC, sound masking via ambient soundscapes, and AI Sleep Coach
Audio and noise control	ANC (up to 42 dB), passive noise isolation, sound masking
Controls	App and tap controls
App Support	Fitnexa Companion App
Compatibility	iOS and Android

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What are Fitnexa SomniPods 3 all about?

Retailing for $174.99, Fitnexa SomniPods 3 are wireless earbuds designed to track and support sleep. They are Fitnexa's very first physical product, as the brand previously focused on developing AI health assistant apps.

Even at first glance, it’s clear that these earbuds aren’t your conventional earphones. Their thin, flush design puts them in a category of their own, alongside sleep-focused features like motion sensors, active noise cancellation, and calming sounds.

The earbuds are meant for light sleepers or anyone who could use extra help with drifting off. They’re not meant to be used as your typical earbuds (though you could in a pinch), as sound quality isn’t really their top priority.

How are SomniPods 3 designed for sleep?

To be comfortable for sleep, SomniPods 3 have quite a few thoughtful and interesting design choices. They’re 9.9mm thin with a flat and rounded profile that is meant to sit flush in your ear bowl. To me, they resemble a pebble—I can’t find a better way to describe them.

They’re lightweight, with each earbud weighing 3.3 grams. The outer body is made of durable plastic that is soft to the touch. Meanwhile, the earbud tips and wings are constructed from soft, medical-grade silicone.

The brand ensures a stable fit for every user by providing a wide variety of earbud tip and wing sizes. It’s important to take your time to find the right fit, as comfort, stability, and sound isolation all depend on it.

The battery also lasts throughout sleep hours, so you don’t have to wonder whether the tracking function is interrupted. Each morning you can then place the earbuds into their charging case. It also makes it easy to take them on the go, as the charging case holds an additional 48 hours of power.

Getting ready to use Fitnexa SomniPods 3

Setting up your SomniPods 3 and customizing them to your liking is the most crucial part so the sleep earbuds can deliver the full experience. So I took my time finding the right earbud tip and wing sizes until I felt like the fit was comfortable and not loose.

Wearing them correctly also takes a bit of practice since they aren’t designed like your typical earphones. The step-by-step instructions on how to do that can be found in your user manual.

After doing so, download Fitnexa and set up your account. Then connect your device to the app by following the provided instructions. You’ll also need to update the earbuds to the latest firmware before use to ensure their optimal performance.

Sleeping with SomniPods 3: How comfortable are they overnight?

I don’t usually fall asleep listening to music or podcasts using my earphones, so the sensation of having earbuds when going to sleep was unusual for me at first. However, it wasn’t uncomfortable, and after a few nights I got used to it, and my experience from that point on was positive.

Since SomniPods 3 sit flush in the ear, they didn’t cause me discomfort when lying down. Even as a side sleeper who likes to change sides throughout the night, I didn’t experience any pressure or discomfort with them. They didn’t fall out of my ear either. They stayed in place all night after customizing them to my ears for a good fit.

How well do they block noise?

When testing out this device, I was most intrigued by its noise-canceling capabilities. The brand claims 42 decibels of noise reduction. The physical seal for isolation, combined with active noise-canceling technology, should reduce sounds like snoring, traffic, and AC without issues. Keeping in mind that they aren’t meant for cancelling out louder sounds than that.

Since I go to bed earlier than my partner and we live in a smaller apartment, I usually have to sleep through the faint sounds of the TV. Because I can still fall asleep—it just takes me a little longer—it never dawned on me to use earplugs or other measures. So, when I got my hands on these earbuds, I wanted to see if they would help me drift off faster despite the background TV noise and the occasional airplanes I hear at night.

I’m glad to report they withstood my test. I couldn’t hear the background noise anymore, and I fell asleep faster. I can say this confidently because the earbuds tracked my sleep directly in the app. On the nights my partner stayed up later, I fell asleep in 20 minutes rather than the 25 minutes my old tracker used to log. It may seem insignificant, but I take it as a win, since every extra minute of rest counts.

I also tried wearing them on a train ride to and from a friend’s house, and I can say that the ambient sounds were subdued enough for me to doze off—even though that rarely happens for me. I did get startled by the train attendant offering food, but other than that, I found the noise cancellation sufficient. Though it didn’t cancel all noises completely, it muffles them enough to provide calmer rest.

Sound quality and sleep audio: How well do they mask noise?

While I personally found the masking sounds more distracting than calming, users who prefer sleeping to ambient noise may find this feature useful. The earbuds include curated sleep sounds stored directly on the device. You can start playing them without your phone by tapping three times on the left earbud to enable sleep mode (this gesture can be customized in the app under "Tap Control").

If you prefer your own audio, switching to Bluetooth mode allows you to stream music, podcasts, or other sounds from apps like Spotify. While they aren't meant to replace your regular headphones, the sound quality is adequate for overnight listening. The volume range is enough to mask environmental noise without being harsh, and playback remains stable throughout the night.

The private alarm that delivers a gentle, in-ear wake-up call also has solid sound quality without making the wake-up experience jarring. Plus, it’s very handy if you need to wake up without disturbing the person sleeping next to you.

Battery life and charging

The brand indicates 8 to 12-hour battery life, and in my testing, the earbuds lasted through the night. If you stream audio continuously and use Bluetooth mode, battery life leans closer to the 8-hour mark. However, to conserve power and avoid running out of power overnight, you can adjust the active noise cancellation (ANC) to turn off automatically once the earbuds detect you have fallen asleep.

The charging case allows for an additional 48 hours of charge, so realistically you’ll need to recharge your earbuds once a week, which is definitely not bad. What I really like about the charging case is that it has a wireless charging feature. It weirdly gives me a lot of joy (it’s the little things, isn’t it?) as I already charge most of my electronics using my wireless charger. It’s so much more convenient than looking for different charging cables for each device.

App, controls and sleep tracking

While you can use the triple-tap gesture to manually switch between sleep and Bluetooth mode, most of the earbud controls are done within the app. There are a total of 3 modes you can switch between in the app:

• Sleep mode: Once on, it disconnects the earbuds from Bluetooth and starts playing the earbud's built-in audio to mask external noise.
• Bluetooth mode: It makes sure the connection to your phone is active at all times and allows you to stream any audio from it.
• Auto mode: This one helps to extend runtime by switching from Bluetooth mode while you’re awake to sleep mode when slumber is detected. The battery can be further extended by configuring ANC to turn off after a specific timeframe.

In the app, you can also adjust the sound settings, boosting or lowering the bass and higher frequencies to your preference. This is quite impressive because it’s a feature that more expensive earbuds from brands like Apple don’t offer.

Since the device includes motion sensors, it monitors your sleep duration, sleep stages, sleep position, and turnover frequency. All of this data, along with a daily sleep score, can be easily found on the app’s dashboard. There’s also a built-in AI sleep coach that spots trends and can offer tips and routine adjustments. I found these features useful for helping me realize when I need to slow down during busy periods of my life.

Additionally, the app features a bedtime reminder that sends a push notification to your phone to help you wind down. Overall, I found the app easy to use—it wasn't overly packed with frustrating features. This is especially important because when you’re getting in bed, you’re usually already sleepy or looking to wind down, so complicated controls are the last thing you want to deal with.

Fitnexa SomniPods 3 vs. other sleep earbuds

Regarding competitors, the products we typically see in the sleep earbuds category include Ozlo Sleepbuds and Soundcore Sleep A20. While neither of these is a universal winner, as sleep is very personal, we compare them so you can find the right fit depending on your preferences.

Fitnexa SomniPods 3 vs. Ozlo Sleepbuds

The first difference you'll notice between them is visual. The Ozlo Sleepbuds' design is more reminiscent of an earplug, yet they offer the same overnight comfort as the Fitnexa SomniPods 3. Both do a solid job of masking background noise, but when it comes to audio, the SomniPods 3 offer more customization via an equalizer that the Ozlo Sleepbuds lack.

However, the Ozlo Sleepbuds generally provide a more comprehensive data experience for sleep tracking and a longer battery life. If you’re on a stricter budget, I’d say go for Fitnexa, as it offers similar features at a lower price point.

Fitnexa SomniPods 3 vs. Soundcore Sleep A20

The Soundcore Sleep A20 is a more affordable option, yet it lacks active noise cancellation, essentially functioning as advanced earplugs that use audio to mask sounds. By comparison, Soundcore’s sleep tracking and audio quality are also more basic. However, Soundcore boasts the longest battery life of the three and offers similar overnight comfort. If you’re looking for a budget-friendly option and don’t mind giving up advanced noise cancellation, this device is worth considering.

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Verdict: Should you buy Fitnexa SomniPods 3?

After thoroughly testing the Fitnexa SomniPods 3, I’d say don’t sleep on them (pun intended).

Yes, they might be a bit pricey considering they’re only meant for sleeping, but the sleep tracking, overnight comfort, solid noise cancellation and masking, as well as the overall ease of use, make them well worth it if you’re someone who appreciates a calmer night's sleep.