The best sunrise alarm clock overall
The Philips Smartsleep Connected can help you fall asleep gently and wake up on time with stunning sunset and sunrise simulations. It monitors your sleep environment and provides recommendations to improve it.
Pros: Smartphone connected; allows you to customize duration, color, sound, and intensity of wake-up and wind-down programs; makes recommendations for improving sleep environment; can set up to 16 alarms
Cons: Occupies a lot of space on nightstand, does not play music via Bluetooth, not a good option for those who prefer manual controls
The Philips Smartsleep Connected is a relatively large sunrise lamp that sort of resembles a glowing donut. At about nine inches wide, it takes up a quarter of my 18 inch by 12 inch bedside table. While the device is fairly large, you can place it anywhere in your room because you control almost everything from your phone via the Philips SleepMapper app, which you can download from the Apple App Store or Google Play.
The app allows you to set up and customize “wind-down” and “wake-up” profiles with your preferred sound, light intensity, and duration, and I found it very easy and intuitive to use. The stunning sunset simulation was one of my favorite features: the brightness gradually decreases from beautiful hues of bright yellows to soft reds, and is accompanied by natural relaxing sounds that fade away with the sunset simulation. Your personal sunset can last anywhere from five minutes to an hour and you can choose from four color schemes with inviting names such as “Caribbean red” and “Nordic white,” and four nighttime ambient sounds like “soft rain,” “summer lake,” or even your preferred FM radio station. I also found the meditation program, called RelaxBreathe, a valuable tool for building better sleep practices. This guided meditation walks you through deep breathing and can be customized by changing the pace anywhere from four breaths per minute to 10 breaths per minute.
After setting up the Smartsleep and playing with the controls and features, I found my personal preferences. I woke up to “summer birds,” one of the eight gentle morning sounds that gradually increase in volume over several minutes, and an “island red” sunrise with warm red and orange lights that distributed nicely throughout the bedroom. The combination made me feel like I was on vacation. You can also set up to 16 alarms; a useful option for people who tend to hit the snooze button more than once.
Obviously, Philips designers had the single intention of improving sleep quality when creating this device. The technology has been backed by research: in a 2010 study, participants reported easier rising; better mood, productivity, and quality of social interaction; and reduced sleep inertia after using Philips sunrise lamps. Philips’ “Ambitrack” technology is built into the device to track sleep habits and calculate bedroom conditions including temperature, humidity, light, and sound levels. The app recommends the ideal conditions for best sleep quality and lets you know if your bedroom is too hot, humid, bright, or loud for optimal sleep. The app also offers instructions and tips on how to take full advantage of the device’s features.
There were also a number of small features I appreciated. If you wake up in the middle of the night, you can tap the top of the device to activate a dim light instead of turning on an overhead light or using your phone’s flashlight. In case of a power outage, the internal clock and back up alarm remain active for at least eight hours, so you won’t miss your wake up call. The device also includes an integrated USB charging dock for your devices, an AUX cord to play music from your phone, and a bright reading light. Unfortunately, you can’t wake up to music from your phone or anything else connected through the AUX cord, and it does not play music via Bluetooth.
In all, I loved falling asleep and waking up with this sunrise alarm clock, and its customization and user friendly app make it the best choice if you’re investing in one of these wake-up devices.
Originally $199.95Save 15%
Originally $199.95Save 15%