Radio clocks

A clock radio wakes you in the morning with an alarm buzzer or your favourite radio station and can play beside your bed in the evening. This category includes classic Thomson and Lenco FM clock radios, Pure Moment clock radios with both DAB+ and FM reception, and the Jamo HYG Reflect alarm clock, which plays music from your phone over Bluetooth instead of having a radio. All have a display showing the time. They differ in reception, how they wake you and whether they can charge your phone overnight.

FM, DAB+ or Bluetooth: which clock radio do you need?

Reception	Models	What it can do
FM	Thomson CR50, Lenco ICR-230	wake you with radio or an alarm buzzer, stored stations
DAB+ and FM	Pure Moment, Pure Moment Charge	digital stations, Bluetooth, sleep sounds
no radio	Jamo HYG Reflect	Bluetooth speaker with an alarm clock and AUX input

FM is traditional analogue broadcasting that you can receive almost everywhere. DAB+ is digital broadcasting with more stations and no hiss, but it only works where there is signal coverage. If you mainly want to listen to the radio, take a look at DAB+ Digital radios too.

Which clock radio helps you fall asleep and wake gently?

Pure Moment and Pure Moment Charge have more than 20 calming sounds, including white noise, and a light that gradually brightens like a sunrise before the alarm. You can dim the display or switch it off completely so it does not disturb you in the bedroom. Jamo HYG Reflect has warm ambient lighting, three soundscapes, a sleep timer and a snooze function.

Thomson CR50 is a simple FM clock radio without Bluetooth. You can set two alarm times, wake to the radio or an alarm buzzer, and use the snooze function to get a little more sleep.

Will the clock radio charge your phone, and what happens in a power cut?

Pure Moment Charge has a 10 W wireless phone charging pad, while Jamo HYG Reflect has one rated at up to 15 W. Cable-free charging only works with a phone that supports wireless charging. Pure Moment Charge also has a more powerful speaker than the basic Pure Moment, with 10 W instead of 5 W.

Pure Moment clock radios have a CR2032 backup battery that keeps the alarms working even during a power cut at night. Thomson CR50 has space for 2× AAA backup batteries. For a radio for the bathroom or a holiday cottage without a power socket, look under Portable radios.