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I Tried the New NextSense Smartbuds and Slept Better Than I Have in Months

These earbuds tackle sleep tracking differently with EEG sensors and brainwave monitoring

By

Yoona Wagener

Published on February 9, 2026 12:20PM EST

Byte-Sized Brief

NextSense Smartbuds are available today.
Hallmarks: EEG sensors, brainwave tracking, audio boosts.
Smartbuds retail for $399 and require an iPhone at launch.

The NextSense Smartbuds have officially launched with a different spin on sleep tracking.

Rather than monitoring sleep stages, these earbuds have six clinical-grade EEG sensors to monitor brain activity and provide boosts of audio stimulation to amp up the restorative effects of your deepest sleep periods, also known as slow waves.

The app monitors slow-wave activity per hour and other big-picture insights (such as how long it took you to fall asleep, total wakings, and total time asleep) to measure overall sleep quality. The app also includes sleep sounds and even a Nap Session function.

Snapshot of sleep trends showing time spent awake asleep and in slow wave sleep with percentages and durations — The NextSense app monitors time awake, asleep, and slow wave activity.
NextSense

Fit is particularly important to capture the data points these sleep earbuds do, which is why they come with a pack of various wing tips and bud sizes for fit customization. The app also includes a fit test and a library of instructional videos to help you understand what you're looking for.

The Smartbuds work for side sleepers too.

NextSense

Because fit matters a lot with the Smartbuds, they come with atypical maintenance: The company recommends that users clean the ear tips and buds regularly and replace them monthly with a $14.99 Fit Kit subscription.

Testing Insights

I fell asleep faster and stayed asleep with fewer wakings.
I appreciated having various bud and tips sizes to mix and match, and the app-provided fit check confirms the fit.
The perfect earbuds for side sleepers are elusive, but these Smartbuds stayed put.
The library of sleep sounds, including binaural beats for sleep, actually put me to sleep rather than waking me.
Stats like time asleep, total wakes, drift-off time, and slow wave activity were more helpful and less anxiety-inducing.
TL;DR: I slept better in a little under one week than I have in the past six months!

These sleep-focused earbuds also offer custom audio playback, too, which means you could wear them all day.

At launch, Smartbuds are available to iPhone users with iPhone 12 or newer running iOS 17 or later. They're available from the NextSense site today at $249, with a typical retail price of $399, and include three free months of the Fit Kit subscription.

$399

$249 at Nextsense.io

The Bottom Line

The NextSense Smartbuds aren't the typical sleep cycle-tracking earbuds. These newly released sleep earbuds, available to iPhone users at launch, use brain wave technology to monitor and enhance the deepest periods of sleep.

I Tried the New NextSense Smartbuds and Slept Better Than I Have in Months

Byte-Sized Brief

Testing Insights

The Bottom Line

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