The 10 Best Alarm Clocks With a Radio of 2024

Who doesn’t hate getting up in the morning? What an inconvenience. Some people get up with the sun. Normal people need a bit of help. Enter the alarm clock. Since the rise of the cellphone, alarm clocks have declined in popularity, but maybe we need to reembrace these devices. When something becomes less popular, they have to adopt the model ‘innovate, or die.’

So, in the spirit of innovation, we decided to look for the ten best alarm clocks with a radio and some other aspects that make them unique and must-have products.

The 10 Best Alarm Clocks With a Radio:

1. Our Choice: HeimVision Sunrise Alarm Clock

Specs:

• Dimensions: 6.5 x 6.5 x 2.76 inches
• Item Weight: 1.17 pounds
• Batteries: 1 CR2 batteries required

So first off, doesn’t this simply look awesome? This is a fascinating concept that we came across while searching for interesting and cool yet practical alarm clocks. Well, we found one that does all three! We rate this as our top pick. 

So the basics, it tells time, obviously. But beyond that basic function, the HeimVision Sunrise Alarm Clock has a vast amount of abilities that set it apart. For starters, the Sunrise and Sunset simulation. Light gradually increases and illuminates your room, making this an aggressive tactic to wake you up. It does the opposite, sunset, to help you fall asleep.

Have an Amazon Alexa Echo? Connect it up and command away. HeimVision also has an app for your phone for additional control because humans should control robots, not the other way around.

It has seven kinds of unique alarm sounds, from Hawaii Waves to valley nature sounds. Beyond the provided for alarm sounds, it also has FM radio. It also has a feature that offers ambient noise in the evening to drown out disturbing noises from outside your room. Great if you have a roommate.

2. Sony ICFC1TBLACK Alarm Clock Radio

Specs: 

• Dimensions: 4 x 4 x 4 inches
• Item Weight: 1.08 pounds
• Batteries: 1 CR123A batteries required. (included)

We all know and love Sony. They create and manufacture reliable and sometimes incredibly popular products. So why would a Sony alarm clock be any different? This alarm clock cube is stylish in design and really gives the alarm clock a 21st-century appearance. 

There is an interesting feature included in the Sony ICF-C1T, which is a projector function that puts the time onto a solid surface. Necessary? Debatable. Cool? Pretty much. 

You can set multiple alarms to satisfy the needs of both you and your partner. The sounds range from radio, buzzers, rings, nature sounds, and more. It comes with that ever necessary USB port to ensure you can charge your phone as well. The Sony features a wake-up system that introduces the alarm sound and gradually escalates its volume to ease you in.

3. USCCE Digital Alarm Clock Radio

Specs:

• Dimensions: 4.25 x 3.27 x 2.56 inches
• Item Weight: 12.6 ounces

Based on reviews alone, this alarm clock is incredibly popular. The USCCE Digital Alarm Clock Radio is stylish in design and very practical when it comes to priority features. 

It comes in black and wood grain. It has an interesting snooze button on the top with countless buttons on the back—set alarms for specific days such as workdays and weekends. They break the options down as; Monday to Sunday, Monday to Friday, and Saturday to Sunday.

You can adjust the brightness from 0-100% with the adjustable dimmer. It comes with a built-in FM radio and has the ability to charge two devices at once with two USB ports.

4. Sangean RCR-20 FM-RDS

Specs:

• Dimensions: 13.8 x 13.1 x 4.9 inches
• Item Weight: 2.75 pounds
• Batteries: 2 AA batteries required. (included)

This alarm clock is serious, especially in size. You will need to make some space on the side table next to you. The reason for its unusual size? Sound quality. The Sangean RCR-20 is specifically fitted with a ported bass and adjustable controls for bass and treble. 

These elements allow it to deliver a powerful sound output for FM/AM radio or music from a device connected via Bluetooth 4.1 and AUX. You can also charge your phone with the USB port available or make use of the headphone jack. 

If you like a bright LCD or a slightly toned-down LCD screen, you’re in luck. The Sangean allows you to determine the brightness. If you like to wake up to the morning radio news, or a specific radio channel, set that as your alarm or choose some of the available buzzer sounds. 

It also sports a nice feature where you put a sleep timer which then plays music until a certain time.

5. Brandstand | CubieTime

Specs:

• Dimensions: 4.5 x 4.5 x 1.75 inches
• Item Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Batteries: 2 AAA batteries required. (included)

This small, stylish, and highly effective alarm clock is one of the best on the market. Brandstand’s CubieTime is a wonderful product that really does everything that it needs to do and more while not taking over a large amount of space on your nightstand. 

The CubieTime is capable of charging any device you can think of, thanks to its multitude of ports. It is also capable of facilitating back-up batteries in case the power goes out in your neighborhood. The device has surge protection on both 110V outlets and USB ports, so if lightning strikes and power surges, your alarm and plugged-in devices will survive. 

One of the most interesting additions is the pass-through plug which means you can plug something else into the same plug, in the same wall.

6. iHome Bluetooth Dual Alarm FM Clock

Specs:

• Dimensions: 8 x 3.43 x 5.04 inches
• Item Weight: 1.28 pounds
• Batteries: 2 AA batteries required

How you want to wake up is in your control. Wake up to the sound of whichever radio station you prefer, music directly from your phone (or watch), or some of the various available alarm sounds. 

You can also use the iHome Bluetooth Dual Alarm FM Clock Radio to listen to music with the Bluetooth speaker available. You can have backup batteries to ensure it never needs a reset in the case of a power outage.

7. iLuv TimeShaker Wow Vibrating Bed Shaker Alarm Clock

Specs:

• Dimensions: 8 x 2 x 3.5 inches
• Item Weight: 1.3 pounds

There are actually a few similar types of alarm clocks on the market that do exactly what the iLuv Time Shaker Wow Vibrating Bed Shaker. 

The iLuv Time Shaker Wow comes with a vibrating disc that goes underneath your pillow. This disc aids the noise factors of an alarm. They further add to the noise and distraction that are meant to get you awake in the morning. 

The alarm sound is 120 decibels and can be adjusted even higher to ensure you truly hear it. There are even three LED lights that are meant to act with the alarm’s vibrations and sound to add a full sensory overload. All these available options are optional and can be disabled if you believe they aren’t necessary. 

The vibration pad comes in three vibrational settings; normal, strong, and super earthquake. The iLuv also has the ability to charge your phone, set dual alarms, and adjust display brightness.

8. USCCE Loud Dual Alarm Clock with Bed Shaker

Specs:

• Dimensions: 6.14 x 4.88 x 4.33 inches
• Item Weight: 1.04 pounds

Here is another brand embracing the idea of a vibration plate to make waking up even more effortless. 

The USCCE Loud Dual Alarm Clock is equipped with dual alarm clock capabilities, as well as battery backup capabilities to ensure you never miss your alarm and have to reset. The volume of the alarm has seven levels getting as loud as 110db. 

That is not including the three levels that the vibration place has. These vibration plates are not only great for heavy sleepers but, more importantly, for people either hard of hearing or completely deaf. 

The USCCE Loud Dual Alarm Clock comes in Black (with a grey circle) or white (with a blue circle). It features the standard capabilities of FM radio, USB charging ports, and a 0-100% dimmer for the LED display to ensure it doesn’t keep you up at night.

9. DreamSky Alarm Clock Radio FM

Specs:

• Dimensions: 9.1 x 3.8 x 2.9 inches
• Item Weight: 10.6 ounces

As far as alarm clocks go, this one is pretty run-of-the-mill. That isn’t to say it’s terrible, but it’s more to say that it is very standard. It features all of your standard features such as; FM radio, two USB ports that are annoyingly located on the alarm clock’s rear end, among others. It features a large LCD display which can be adjusted from 0% to 100% very easily. 

In terms of what you wake up to, you have the choice of either waking up to built-in sounds from the alarm clock, or the radio. You can set a sleep timer which allows the radio to play for a certain amount of time before automatically shutting off, meaning you can fall asleep to some relaxing music. 

It will enable for 8-minute snoozes over the course of an hour, just don’t abuse it before you wind up being late.

Overall this is a solid, reliable, and standard alarm clock that features many of the necessary needs of any alarm clock user at an affordable price.

10. Echo Dot

Specs:

• Dimensions: 3.9″ x 3.9″ x 1.7″
• Item Weight: 10.6 oz.

This is technically not a true alarm clock. However, it does have alarm clock capabilities, among many other features. Play music, listen to the radio, ask Alexa some questions, and set your alarm to seize the full capabilities of this incredible device.

Alexa and its subsequent companion products have become some of Amazon’s most successful products. Alexa features 10000+ skills, and that number is only growing with every update. It is able to communicate in multiple languages and is designed to make your home smarter and your life easier. 

You can make your Alexa Echo Dot friendly for your children. With FreeTime, you can set Alexa to respond in a kid-friendly manner, block purchases, filter explicit content and un-approved calls. The Echo Dot is easy to set up, safe to use, and incredibly useful to have in your home. You’ll be waking up knowing that Alexa has your back.

What to Look for When Buying an Alarm Clock with a Radio

Did you ever think that you’d be reading a buying guide for alarm clocks? Well, you’re here now, and you want to know what needs to be considered when making a decision over what alarm clock you need to purchase.

Backup Battery

Have you ever woken up and realized that your alarm never went off? You’re late! But why didn’t it go off? Sometimes it’s a human error, for example, with cellphones and having the volume turned down or on silent. 

Another factor, especially when it comes to alarm clocks, is a power outage. Some alarm clocks, when the power goes out, need to be reset when power is restored. Not all of them encounter this problem, but many do. 

Noise

I always find that what gets me up is volume and aggressive noise. So you need to know what kind of noise works for you. If you’re a light sleeper, avoid the alarm clocks that are specifically designed to prepare you to ship out as if you’re off to war. 

If you’re a heavy sleeper, avoid an alarm clock that is designed to play cute soft sounds of waves and other nonsense.

Vibrations

In connection with noise is vibrations. The use of vibrations can be highly effective. Causing an additional noise means it improves the chances of waking up. Some can vibrate violently, but you can usually adjust the intensity of vibrations as you adjust the volume of the sound.

Sound and vibrations are something to focus on in your decision-making. This is a preference-based decision.

Tuning and Channels

When shopping around for an alarm clock that has a radio, you need to find one that has digital tuning. Digital tuning essentially does quick scans that search the spectrum to find a fine-tuned stations and will then lock onto that channel for the best reception.

You can also preset your alarm clock for the news, certain music stations, talk radio channels, etc. This means you’re never constantly searching for the right fight and instead are already presented with your preferred options.

USB Charging

Over the years, this feature has become more common than rare. With nearly every person having a phone these days, it means needing to charge that phone.

Alarm clocks that have a USB port making it more convenient to charge your phone. It also makes it easier for plug management as now you don’t have to worry about how to account for both the charger and alarm clock plugs. 

The unfortunate thing to account for is that chargers are changing, and now we are seeing double-sided USB-C.

Style

It seems silly to have a topic like this when talking about alarm clocks, but you’d be surprised by how many companies have released incredibly interesting alarm clocks that don’t have the standard design. 

While you’ve seen some on this list, many more exist beyond just these ten options. They have made an effort to take a somewhat boring yet practical product and create aesthetically pleasing versions as well as out-of-the-box approaches as well.

Beyond these items, we also need to consider things such as a snooze button and other novelties that may be important to you.

FAQs

Do I still need an alarm clock if I have a cellphone? 

Yes, oh yes. As we mentioned above, lots can go wrong with a cellphone alarm. If you are late for work or miss a meeting, it is not going to help to say your phone was on silent or the battery went flat. A quality alarm clock is always a good idea. 

Is the radio going to wake me up?

Well, this all depends on the person, the station you select, and the volume. But the simple answer is yes, radio alarm clocks work very well for most people. 

What if the radio station is off the air when my alarm clock goes off?

While this might happen for a few seconds, dead-air, as they call it radio, is something they avoid at all costs. It is highly unlikely that the station will be silent for more than a few seconds at most. 

Final thoughts 

Hopefully, one of these alarm clocks will finally get you out of your nice warm bed in time for work. We hope that you have found an alarm clock that works for you from our list of the ten best alarm clocks with a radio. Now, what are you waiting for? Wake up, and get your alarm clock now!