Alarm clocks might seem outdated, but if you’re anything like me, they’re a valuable way to get the phone out of the bedroom. Having an alarm clock that isn’t your phone might prevent you from doomscrolling all night and waking up with bloodshot eyes. At the very least, it’ll help you get up in time for work.
Nowadays, there’s a whole suite of advanced alarm clocks that can wake you up more gently, or even simulate the rising sun. Keep reading to see our favorite alarm clocks for every type of person (even morning people).
Can’t I just use my phone as an alarm clock?
You could, and many smartphones have great alarm clocks that utilize plenty of great sounds, as well as meditation and white noise apps. However, since you’re likely on your phone all day, it might not be the first thing you want to wake up to. Many people (myself included) leave their phones in another room so they don’t use them while falling asleep or first thing when they wake up. In this case, an alarm clock that isn’t your phone can be handy.
What is a sunrise alarm clock?
Sunrise alarm clocks primarily use light (and sometimes sound) to wake you up. The idea is that a light that simulates the sun might help you get out of bed naturally (like if you left your blinds open). The cool part is you can set them to any time so you can naturally wake up at 4 a.m. when it’s still dark outside. These often provide the gentlest way to wake up, instead of a jolting or annoying sound.
What is a multi-stage alarm clock?
A multi-stage alarm clock is one that doesn’t just go off full-blast when the clock strikes 6 a.m. Instead, many smart models that are multi-stage might play a different, more gentle sound that doesn’t fully wake you up for the first minute. The purpose of this is to lull you out of deep REM sleep in order to wake you up more gently. After that first minute, the alarm will switch to a louder sound, prompting you to get out of bed.
While this works with sound, it can also work with sunrise clocks that use light to wake you up. In this case, a clock would begin at a dimmer setting, and then slowly raise its brightness to get you out of bed.
Regardless of how you want to be woken up, you’ll need a good alarm clock to help you get out of bed. Here are our favorite smart alarm clocks of 2023:
How we tested
We hands-on tested each alarm clock by using it to wake up for a week. We tested models with varying price points, from budget-friendly alarms to more expensive alarms, and included new, buzzy models. While testing, here are some of the things we looked out for:
Ease of Use: We compared the alarms to see how easy they were to use, and if they were difficult to set up, start, or turn off.
Alarm Types: We compared different alarm types to see which was our favorite to wake to, including multi-stage, sunrise, and regular.
Style and accessibility: Because this will be on your bedside table, we made sure to consider style and ease of reading.
