Radio alarm clocks round-up: wake up to these clever bedside companions
Our selection of the best new radio alarm clocks, from smart speakers to compact DAB boxes and more
We’ve brought together the latest selection of radio alarms, compact but great-sounding devices designed to wake you up. Whether you want a smart speaker to sound out what’s happening in the day ahead, a classic alarm tone or the morning news, one of these should fit the bill, with a wildcard thrown in for fans of DIY tech.
Radio alarm clocks to wake up to
Amazon Echo Spot 2024
Amazon’s new Echo Spot is the latest piece of hardware from the world’s warehouse. If you’re already deeply embedded in the Amazon experience, the Echo Spot will keep you even more firmly in place, with Alexa on call and direct access to Amazon Music, as well as Apple Music, Spotify and others.
Unlike other smart speakers, Echo Spot has been designed from the outset to sit on a nightstand, with custom clock faces and a dimmable display. Info on display includes time, weather and song titles or show names, and the compact 1.73in speaker can wake you up with one of four dedicated alarm sounds. Alternatively, Alexa can be instructed to come up with a themed wake-up playlist.
Amazon Echo Spot, in Black, Glacier White, or Ocean Blue, £79.99, Amazon
Model Three BT by Tivoli Audio
Tivoli’s Model Three is a compact classic, a simple bedside companion that’s aimed at those not willing to eschew the analogue signal just yet. This AM/FM radio alarm clock is housed in Tivoli’s trademark wood cabinet (available in walnut, cherry or black ash), with traditional dials knobs and only Bluetooth as a concession to modern wireless tech.
Model Three BT by Tivoli, £259, TivoliAudio.co.uk, @TivoliAudio
Moment by Pure Aud
Pure Audio’s new Moment describes itself as an ‘ambient sleep companion’. In addition to DAB and FM radio tuners, and the latest Bluetooth 5.3, the Moment’s party trick is an onboard selection of over 20 themed ambient noises, from classic white noise to the sounds of nature. Intended as a soothing soundscape generator to help frazzled urbanites fall asleep in a consistently calm audio environment. The Moment also has a dimmable display and ten different alarms to snap you out of your sonic reverie.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Moment by Pure Audio, £109.99, Pure-Audio.com, @PureAudioWorld
Monda Alto by Grace Digital
Grace Digital’s Mondo Alto is a walnut-wrapped bedside companion with a huge range of alarm options, as well as the ability to hook up with many of the key streaming services in Europe and the US (including iHeartRadio, Audacy, Pandora, Spotify Connect, SiriusXM and Live365). For added flexibility you can put your favourite tune (or morning mantra) on a USB drive, and alarms can be faded in, out and snoozed. We especially like the multi-functional display, which has a number of back-light settings with a clock function that can be set to blue or red light.
Mondo Alto, Grace Digital, $229.99, GraceDigital.com, @GraceDigital
Lego 10334 Retro Radio
Finally, a bit of brick-based fun from Lego, ever adept at spotting a niche. Retro electronics are the flavour of the day and the latest set from the Danish block gives you the chance to transform over 900 pieces into a replica of a 1970s-era transistor radio. Admittedly you’ll be providing your own radio programmes or music, courtesy of the inbuilt smartphone stand, but the kit also comes with what Lego calls a ‘sound brick’, containing an unspecified but intriguing playlist.
Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
-
Three sleek new design showrooms you need to see in Los Angeles
Three international design showrooms have started a retail design boom in Los Angeles. Here are the stores to put on your radar
By Carole Dixon Published
-
Brutalism in film: the beautiful house that forms the backdrop to The Room Next Door
The Room Next Door's production designer discusses mood-boarding and scene-setting for a moving film about friendship, fragility and the final curtain
By Anne Soward Published
-
How Leigh Bowery and the Blitz Kids defined 1980s subculture with make-up
As Leigh Bowery and the Blitz Kids of 1980s London are celebrated in a new exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum, Isobel Van Dyke explores the hair and make-up looks that defined them
By Isobel Van Dyke Published
-
Aarke has created the ultimate collection for caffeine lovers, the Aarke Coffee System
The new Aarke Coffee System consists of three elegant components, part of the Swedish company’s ongoing quest to reshape the world of appliances
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Apple’s Alan Dye and Molly Anderson discuss the design of Apple Watch Series 10
In addition to the Apple Watch Series 10, Apple has also introduced a new black titanium finish for the premium Apple Watch Ultra 2; here’s what’s new
By Nick Compton Published
-
Huawei’s new MatePad Pro 12.2-inch tablet is a game-changer for digital artistry
With pro-level creative features, from delicate brushwork to myriad surface choices, the Huawei MatePad Pro 12.2-inch makes extraordinary art a possibility and a pleasure
By Simon Mills Published
-
All-new Nothing Ear (open) offers up a different kind of listening experience
If you find traditional earbuds cancel out too much of the outside world, Nothing has got you covered. We get down with the company’s new Ear (open) to experience this transparent new soundscape
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Lasting impressions: the latest Beoplay H100 headphones from B&O are for keeps
Bang & Olufsen’s head of design, Tiina Karjalainen Kierysch, talks us through the new Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H100, headphones designed to last a lifetime
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Nine new ways to game, from far-out furniture to cute consoles
Well-crafted gaming machines are all the rage, for both analogue classics as well as digital distractions
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Norway's tech supremo reMarkable reveals all about its new reMarkable Paper Pro
The reMarkable Paper Pro is the company's first foray into a colour e-ink tablet. We delve into the new device
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Huawei’s new Mate XT is the first triple-folding smartphone on the market
Three screens, three grand: the Huawei Mate XT is making a lot of waves
By Jonathan Bell Published