Early favourites: the 9 best alarm clocks for late risers
More of an afternoon person? These clocks will help you negotiate that tricky time known as A.M...
Still getting woken up by your iPhone’s classic Sencha jingle?
Oh dear, it’s time to invest in a proper alarm clock. Not only does this your poor phone a rest from doing, well, everything, today’s alarm clocks are a suprising source of gadgety delight.
Okay, they can’t quite compete with Wallace and Gromit’s ‘Snoozatron’, but as you’ll see below, they can make your morning brew, wake you gently or let you voice control the kettle.
We’ve also collected our favourite ones for more simpler tastes, if you prefer your pre-commute life to be a tech-free zone…
How to decide
1. Radio daze
If you’re getting a digital alarm clock, there’s a decent chance it’ll play old-fashioned FM radio.
Check first, though – and also make sure you can get a decent FM signal in your bedroom.
2. Power nap
A lot of modern alarm clocks have a USB port for charging your smartphone, so you can sleep soundly knowing you’ll wake up to a mobile companion with a full battery bank.
3. Silent night
If you’re an analogue fan but can’t stand the tick-tocking of a clock while you’re trying to get to sleep, make sure your alarm clock’s hands have ‘silent sweep’ movement.
4. Sleep talking
You’ll find a lot of alarm clocks that have Alexa built in now.
Amazon’s own Echos offer the greatest range of AI powers, but there are many alternatives if you fancy a different design.
The projector: Electrohome Projection (£25)
Some mornings are so tough it takes a mammoth effort just to turn your head to check the time.
Luckily, as well as charging your phone, this alarm clock will project the time onto your bedroom ceiling – so you’ll see how late you are for work as soon as your eyes creak open.
Where to buy
The block-head: Gingko Cube Walnut Click Clock (£30)
Home so minimalist that anything more ornate than a plain block of wood would upset your interior design consultant’s chakras?
This digital ticker looks like a bare cube of walnut, only displaying the time once you clap your hands. There are marble, maple and copper options too.
Where to buy
The foghorn: Sonic Bomb SBB50SS (£32)
If you’re a really heavy sleeper, you probably don’t care for stylish smart-arse clocks – you just want to be able to wake up on time every morning.
The Sonic Bomb has such a loud alarm that not even your grandpa dosed up on sleeping pills would be able to snore through it.
Where to buy
The simple stylist: London Clock Forme Analogue (£30)
Nobody wants to wake up next to something frightful – which is why you shouldn’t have a mirror on your bedside table.
This suave clock, though, won’t scare anyone. Inspired by Scandinavian craft, the curvaceous wooden base helps to complete its simple yet elegant design.
Where to buy
The classic clanger: Acctim Zeno Twinbell London (£16)
Sure, this is possibly the most stereotypical design there is for an alarm clock, but that doesn’t stop the Twinbell being a cutey.
Its painted metal casing and chrome features give it a classy finish, and since it’s available in grey as well as this muted blue it’ll feel right at home in most bedrooms.
The drinking buddy: The Barisieur (£340)
If you’re anything like us, you’re not truly awake until you’ve had a few sips at something hot.
That’s why the designer behind the Barisieur decided to mash together an alarm clock and a coffee/tea brewer, which guarantees you’ll have your caffeine fix waiting for you as soon as you open your peepers.
The rise-and-shiner: Philips Somneo (£150)
You know those days when you wake up in a bad mood? Perhaps it has something to do with the rude awakening your alarm insists on giving you.
Avoid biting your colleagues’ heads off in the morning by coming round to the gentle simulated sunrise of this genius wake-up light.
The hide-and-seeker: Clocky Robot (£33)
You’ve probably slammed the snooze button so often now that you can do it in your sleep… but that kind of defeats the purpose, doesn’t it?
Clocky makes you work for that extra few minutes in bed by jumping off the table and wheeling around the bedroom like a hyperactive child.
Where to buy
The bedside butler: Amazon Echo Spot (£120)
An alarm clock is the perfect home for Alexa. She can give you a weather forecast, read out the news or even let you show off your bed hair to your friends with video calls.
Best of all, though, you can silence the alarm by issuing a voice command. No need for blindly swatting for the snooze button.
Where to buy
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