Best Sunrise Alarm Clocks of 2026: Hatch and Lumie Reviews

Sunrise alarm clocks use gradually brightening light, sounds, or both to make waking up less abrupt. The Hatch Restore 3 is among the most widely recommended options, while alternatives from Casper, Melalight, Blueair, Hatch, Loftie, Rise Center, and Philips offer different combinations of lighting, audio, air purification, portability, and smart-home features. Some models require subscriptions, and others are intentionally simple devices without Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

Hatch Restore 3

The Hatch Restore 3 and its previous generation are probably the most popular sunrise alarm clocks. The device is frequently recommended in gift guides and TikTok videos, and its popularity is understandable: It is controlled through the Hatch app, which offers a wide range of sounds, lights, and routines for both morning and night.

Arriving in early 2025, the Restore 3 adds more physical buttons and controls. After setting up your preferred routines, you can activate them with the push of a button. The clock is compact enough for a bedside table and does not become uncomfortably bright. Some Hatch audio content requires a Hatch+ subscription.

—Nena Farrell

Honorable mentions

Casper Glow Light — $129

The Casper Glow Light responds to touch and movement. Flip it over to turn it on or off, or twist it to make the light brighter or darker. It has no sound feature, but it is battery-powered and intuitive to use.

—Nena Farrell

Melalight Red Light Lamp — $169

Melalight is designed for people who want a simple bedside light. It uses a 660-nanometer red-light wavelength and says the light is melatonin-friendly. Red and warm light are generally considered more relaxing than blue light, which is why phones and e-readers often offer warm-light modes for nighttime use. However, the lamp will not illuminate your face enough to provide the skin-related effects associated with red-light masks.

Tap the Melalight logo on the front to turn the lamp on or off, and press and hold it to adjust brightness. Two rear buttons let you set a 30- or 60-minute timer, after which the lamp turns off automatically. It is rechargeable and portable, which is useful when bedside outlets are limited. The lamp is not bright enough for reading, although it works with a backlit e-reader. It will not wake you up, but it may help create a more sleep-friendly environment.

—Nena Farrell

Blueair Mini Restful Air Purifier Sunrise Clock — $124

The Blueair Mini Restful combines an air purifier with a sunrise alarm clock. Blueair describes the Mini Restful as its smallest air purifier, and the device is designed to clean bedroom air while gently waking you. Its app includes nine sounds and lets you start the sunrise simulation 15 to 30 minutes before the alarm. Blueair also offers a Sleep Collection.

See our guide to versatile air purifiers for more information.

—Nena Farrell

Hatch Baby — $80

Hatch Baby is an updated version of the popular Hatch Rest, with a new design and app options similar to those of the Hatch Restore 3. Previously, all Hatch devices used the same Hatch Sleep app, but the app options were much simpler.

Hatch Baby is intended for children and does not offer a gradually brightening sunrise. Instead, fun colors can light up and music can play at specific times and for set periods. Nena Farrell says her 3-year-old son looks forward to the “green light” coming on each morning, although it does not stop him from getting out of bed at 4 a.m. You can also purchase a six-month Hatch+ content subscription.

—Nena Farrell

Loftie Lamp — $280

Loftie’s lamps have three light colors, each with several brightness settings. The lamp does not include sound on its own; because of its high price, that feature requires a Loftie Alarm. Its light-adjustment window is only nine minutes, which did not prove especially useful to Farrell. The lamp does sync with Alexa.

—Nena Farrell

Rise Center Original Sunrise Alarm Clock — $199

This sunrise alarm clock has a spherical Himalayan pink salt lamp and a choice of beech or walnut wood bases. It does not require a subscription, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth, which may help users avoid their phones at bedtime.

Kat Merck tested the Himalayan pink salt version and found the light too dim and the sound too quiet to wake her. The company says the white version is brighter. She still liked the clock’s appearance, and its touch controls make it a useful bedside lamp even apart from its alarm function.

—Kat Merck

Philips SmartSleep Wake-Up Light — $109

Once considered the budget choice, the Philips SmartSleep Wake-Up Light remains one of the simplest and least expensive options in this selection. It offers 20 brightness settings, simulated sunset and sunrise modes, five natural wake-up sounds, FM radio, tap-to-snooze controls, and an automatically dimming display.

It is designed for people who want a gentler wake-up but do not need additional features.

—Molly Higgins

FAQ

Are sunrise alarms effective for people who sleep heavily?

They can be. A sunrise lamp gradually increases the brightness in the room, which may make it easier to wake from deep sleep. The most important factor is how gradually the model increases its brightness.

What is the difference between a sunrise clock and a SAD lamp?

Although they may look similar, sunrise clocks and other alarm-style lights are designed to wake you up. SAD, or Seasonal Affective Disorder, lamps are intended to simulate sunlight during the day and provide light therapy.

Sunrise alarms are primarily intended to make morning waking more comfortable, although they may help people manage seasonal depression during darker months. Both types of device can affect circadian rhythms, but they do so in different ways.

How did WIRED choose which sunrise clocks to test?

WIRED researches models in advance and selects devices that are suitable for testing. The clocks must include a wake-up function; some SAD lamps resemble sunrise alarms but are not suitable if they do not provide a gradual wake-up routine. The testing also covers different price points and feature sets, including both more affordable and higher-end models, to compare their trade-offs.

How does WIRED test sunrise clocks?

Each recommended sunrise clock was tested on a bedside table in a room with blackout curtains to assess how effectively it brightened the room during the sunrise routine. The tester slept with each model for between one and seven nights, depending on its performance. The sound options and speakers were also evaluated for how soothing they were during waking and falling asleep. Models with nighttime routines received additional testing of those features.

Source: www.wired.com