Top Five Digital Radio Alarm Clocks For 2020

Oliver Trebilcock

In this article

Getting up in the morning can be a struggle, especially if you’re waking up to the sound of a shrill alarm. Investing in a good digital alarm clock – one that wakes you gently with a soft crescendo – will help you start the day on the right note.

We've picked out five of the best digital radio alarm clocks, with a range of designs to suit your preferences. Some are made specifically to be brilliant bedside companions, and others are general-use radios that scored highly for their suitability as DAB radio alarm clocks. And we've also highlighted three Don't Buy radios so you know what you need to avoid.

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Best digital radio alarm clocks

83%

£100.00

Reviewed Jul 2017

This nice-looking DAB+/FM radio has a smooth wooden finish and a handy carry strap for whenever you want to reposition it. It’s highly suitable as a bedside alarm clock radio, with alarm and snooze functions and a nice, clear large screen with good contrast, even when viewing at an angle. Sound is nice, even and clear, with vocals and speech particularly strong. It even has Bluetooth and line in so you can play audio from your smartphone and other devices, and you can even get a rechargeable battery for it, sold separately for around £20, that’ll turn this compact space-saving radio into a portable one. It’s the perfect all-rounder for the bedroom or anywhere else. Login to find out how easy the radio is to use, and whether the screen is ideal for reading at night.

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81%

£129.00

Reviewed Sep 2017

This high-end alarm clock radio has premium build quality and is ideal for the bedroom routine, with a large, clear screen, alarms with snooze function and a sleep timer for those that love to listen at night as they’re falling asleep. It even supports Bluetooth, so you can stream your music wirelessly through the radio’s speakers. It’s not quite the best-sounding radio we’ve tested, but the sound is very good and spreads out well throughout the room. It’s a radio for those looking for stylish looks a cut above the cheap plastic found in many radios. Login to find out how easy our expert lab found this radio to use, and how good the maximum volume of this radio is.

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75%

£109.97

Reviewed Jul 2018

If you’re looking for a retro alarm-clock radio designed specifically for the bedside, you’ve come to the right place. The sound is superbly balanced and there are two independent alarms, flexible sleep and snooze functions, and the alarm volume rises slowly so you’re awoken gently. The premium build is a treat, and the telescopic aerial saves you from the fiddly wire ones found on most clock radios.

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69%

£199.00

Reviewed Jun 2016

For those seeking a higher-end bedside radio, this compact radio with a beautiful build is an excellent choice. Sound quality delivers, plus it has a convenient CD player for your personal music collection, and Bluetooth to stream audio and access internet features from your smartphone.

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68%

£99.00

Reviewed Nov 2018

This dedicated alarm clock radio has a full-front screen that’s easy to read even when you've stood up out of bed. The snooze button is large and easy to hit, and there's a generous several dozen presets and two direct-access buttons to save your favourite radio stations, plus two handy USB sockets to charge your devices. Bluetooth allows you to stream audio and access internet features like podcasts from your smartphone.

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66%

£79.00

Reviewed Sep 2019

This DAB radio is simple to use with a large snooze button and well-spaced buttons. Its full-front screen is easy to read and the dual independent alarms and sleep timer are ideal for bedroom use. Presets to store your favourite stations are generous, the sound quality is good, and there’s two handy USB sockets for charging your portable devices.

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Table notes: Pricing, recommendations and test scores correct at January 2020.

Not found the product for you? Browse all of our radio reviews.

And here are three to avoid

Not all radio alarm clocks are equal, and even dedicated ones supposedly designed purely for bedside use can perform their task poorly. These are some of the worst radios from our testing that were seemingly suitable for alarm clock use. We've seen digital radio alarm clocks with impossibly small snooze buttons, tiny hard-to-read screens and ones with such low volume you might not wake up at all. Be sure to avoid these duds if you see them on the high street or online.

Three radio alarm clocks to avoid

49%

£93.00

Reviewed Nov 2019

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking big brands and spending more saves you from the duds. This DAB radio is frustratingly fiddly to use. Buttons are small, poorly labelled and often fail to register your commands, and the awkwardly-placed display is one of the worst we’ve seen on a radio. The battery life lasted barely a third of the time the manufacturer claims in our tests, and the sound is unpleasant, thin and muffled.

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46%

£49.00

Reviewed Mar 2017

This DAB/FM radio may have stylish retro looks, but it narrowly avoids getting a Don’t Buy. Available for around £50, it would be an expensive mistake to buy this radio for use as an alarm clock, with the low maximum volume making the two independent alarms and snooze function useless if you’re a heavy sleeper. Despite having stereo speakers, it sounds poor, with a rough and scratchy sound that lacks life and bass. On closer inspection the build quality is quite poor as well, and having the screen on top of the radio makes it hardly ideal for use as a radio alarm clock. It’s not worth the money. Login to find out which radios we would recommend instead with vastly superior sound quality.

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40%

£40.00

Reviewed Jan 2013

While designed primarily as a bedside alarm clock with two independent alarms, this small low-cost radio simply sounds awful. It’s the kind of radio that would annoy your partner each morning if they’re already awake. It has a thin, tinny sound with a lack of any bass or even higher treble frequencies. The screen can be hard to read as well as it isn’t very bright, and isn’t convenient to use either. You can’t display both the time and the radio station you’re listening to at the same time. The button layout isn’t good either, making it easy to get the volume and radio station buttons confused – which can make for a frustrating morning experience. Login to find out how power-hungry this radio is, and for a breakdown of how it performs across various musical genres in our test results.

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How to choose the best alarm clock radio

A good digital alarm clock can cost anything from £50 up to £250. If you like using your alarm clock radio’s snooze button to grab a few more minutes’ sleep, it’s really important to consider its size and how easy it is to reach. Ideally it should be placed somewhere prominent like on a bedside table, so you don’t struggle to find it when you’re drowsy.

Don’t forget to also look at the size of the other buttons and dials, and how they’re labelled. Some radios may look sleek, but you’ll quickly get frustrated if they're style over substance.

And if you like falling asleep to the radio as well as waking up to it, look for a radio alarm clock with a sleep timer that turns the radio off after a set period of time.

Features to consider for a good night's sleep

Choice of alarm: Most bedside digital radios offer a choice of alarm sounds, including your favourite radio station, a buzzer or a bell tone, so you're not stuck with an alarm that doesn't work for you or you begin to sleep through.
Dual independent alarms: Many dedicated DAB radio alarm clocks allow you to set multiple alarms independently, which is ideal if you and your partner wake up at different times or if you want to set a later time for the weekend.
Large screen: Dedicated digital alarm clock radios have a much larger screen than typical tabletop or portable radios. If you want to be able to check the time at a glance, pick one with a large, clear display. In addition to showing the time, some radios show track titles, programme names and what’s coming up next.
Screen brightness: Screens need to be bright enough to read but not so bright they keep you up at night. The best DAB radio alarm clocks will auto-adjust their screen brightness to match the room, and let you select different levels of screen brightness manually.
Clock design: Most will let you choose whether to show a 12 or a 24-hour clock. Some models have automatic clock updates, so you won’t need to adjust them for daylight-saving time and can be confident they're very precise.

Other features to look out for

Charging your portable devices: Some have handy USB sockets to charge your portable devices, without taking up another mains socket.
Bluetooth streaming: The latest DAB radio alarm clocks often support Bluetooth, which allows you to stream any audio you like from your smartphone, tablet or other Bluetooth device through the radio's speakers.
CD player: This is useful if you have a treasured CD music collection
Wi-fi for music streaming: Radios with wi-fi - called internet radios - often support music streaming services such as Spotify (may require subscriptions)