Pictured Above: Sandman Doppler Smart Clock
Phones are jealous of sleep, because they’re never allowed to rest. So they do everything they can to wreck your rest faster than a crying baby or barking dog. Not only do phone screens frequently light up with notifications, phones also provide a bedtime distraction full of the reviled blue light, which is likely to make falling asleep harder. Whereas, if you go with an actual clock, you’re more likely to slumber well, and you get added features. Which is why you need one of these 12 smart alarm clocks that are better than using your phone.
Amazon Echo Show 5
Everyone’s favorite nosy assistant, Alexa, comes standard on the Show 5, so she can be up in your bedroom business, literally. You can make calls and take meetings from the Show 5, access your calendar, and even stream music or television, which means you never need to talk to the person lying next to you. Being part of the Amazon family, this will likewise hook into other devices that are Amazon friendly, but won’t play as nicely with Google gear.
Lenovo Smart Clock 2
No true baron or baroness should need to get out of bed to execute total control over their smarthome fiefdom. The Smart Clock is a Google device, meaning it can pair with 40,000 different products from 5,000 companies so that you can monitor your family, turn your living room into a dry sauna, or watch your adulterous neighbors across the street without incurring peeping charges. Best of all, you can broadcast throughout your manor so that no one can actually get the last word in an argument.
Sandman Doppler Smart Clock
Device fiends have cluttered nightstands loaded with smart watches, phones, rings, headsets, fitness trackers, and e-readers, all of which need to recharge as much as they do. This can lead to a snarled nest of cords. The Doppler cuts the clutter with 6 USB ports for plugging in all your cybertronic gear. It also comes with pretty serious speakers for a clock, because it knows you’ll want to blast “Enter Sandman” every time you check the time. Multiple mics pick up commands, even when you’re buried under shoes in your closet.
Loftie Smart Alarm Clock
Loftie stands out among smart alarm clocks in that it doesn’t just want to make you master and commander of your home. It also cares about your health and wellness. It awakens you with a gentle sound, though if you don’t get the lead out it will then show you who’s truly boss with a much louder tone. The speaker isn’t a screamer, so those fortunate few who sleep like the dead might need something a bit more aggressive. A whole host of meditation, relaxation, and sound bath apps come pre-set to help you pump your serenity like a Zen master on a schedule.
Oct17 Wooden Alarm Clock
For those with more rustic decor who can’t bear the thought of wrecking their homespun aesthetic, there’s this wooden-looking alarm clock. It’s intended for luddites who want some whistles and bells, but not a huge host of operations. As far as smart features go it’s fairly stupid, in that it doesn’t come with an assistant or an interface for the rest of your home. It does provide sound control and a pair of USB charging ports, but you’re not going to be turning off outlets or watching to ensure your gardener prunes your azalea bushes while you laze about.
Google Nest Hub
Less an alarm clock and more a tablet that watches you sleep, the Nest Hub is your home control panel for all your Google capable devices. You can control anything and everything with your voice, your touching finger, or even a theatrical wave of your hand to remember your days as a stage magician. The Hub has most everything you’d expect from a tablet, which means streaming choices aplenty along with some features for both waking you up gently, or calming you down after a rough day in the coal mines.
Anker Soundcore Wakey
Instead of being an alarm clock with a speaker, the Wakey is more of a speaker with a clock. The full-range drivers give you a respectable amount of bumping bass and thrilling treble for when you just gots to blast Marvin Gaye in your boudoir. You won’t get full smart features, but it does connect to an app, giving you remote control and some settings to guarantee you always wake up on the right side of the bed. For charging there’s a Qi-compatible wireless interface that pumps the juice into any device that can use it.
Hatch Restore Smart Alarm Clock
The glowing sunrise alarm clock is a new development, with a lot of pretenders out there. If you want a warm glow to greet you, to give you a less stressful start and manage your rage levels, few are as good as the Restore. It comes with lots of soothing noises to help you chill down, or rise up gradually to avoid the shock and awe of a standard alarm buzzer. It can also be tailored to create a custom sleep routine via the app, in case going to bed when you’re tired isn’t part of your hard-rocking lifestyle.
Amazon Echo Dot
People who hate having any screens in their bedroom, but still want a digital assistant ready for orders should consider the Echo Dot. Alexa lives inside it, which provides some home voice control, along with any of her auditory features, but doesn’t force you to stare at a display. Instead you get a tasteful, modern globe that can connect to your phone should you need a temporary way to see what’s up with all your other connected contraptions.
Dekala Arches
An alarm clock is not supposed to reach for the stars, but the Arches certainly aims high. It combines nearly every desirable feature from every other smart alarm clock out there. The arch itself has a glowing light that wakes you up with a false sunrise, should you need it in a fallout shelter where Earth’s star cannot reach. It offers a wireless charging station for your phone, and will work with either Alexa or Google assistant. However, there’s some flaws such as harsh volume and difficult manual controls that spoil the intent with poor execution. Caveat emptor before you drop the cash.
Tribit 25W Powerful Home Speaker with LCD Time Display
Sometimes you just need a rave that fits on your bedside table. The bright LED lights can be tuned to flash along with music to give you a little more sparkle with the substance. This is another speaker-turned-alarm-clock which provides a lot of music options, then happens to also tell the time. You’ll get reasonably precise treble and some pleasant mids which is especially nice for when you want to wake up to something classical. You’ll also have loads of noise options to help you get to sleep before the disco dance party lights tell you it’s time to make the donuts.
Lametric Time Alarm
The eight-bit pixel display is ideal for the retro gamer who longs for the halcyon days of stacking digital blocks. But, the Lametric is far more than just an old-school showpiece. It can throw out phone notifications, including social media data so that you never need to go a moment without knowing who liked your food pics. It comes loaded with music apps, whether you prefer Spotify or internet radio, along with weather and other time styles, such as a stopwatch for doing wind sprints in your bedroom.