Can the Beurer WL 50 sunrise alarm clock brighten up the shortest day of the year? I found out

Even the best wake-up light needs to function as a traditional alarm clock. So, it was time to investigate the audio settings.

The WL 50 has just three sound settings: a beep, bells chiming and birds chirping. There’s nothing especially exciting – by contrast, the Lumie Bodyclock Luxe offers fairground music and sitar with tanpura – but I think Beurer has a better understanding of what sounds people actually want from a sunrise alarm clock. There’s no danger of being spoiled for choice.

I tried all three sound settings on the Beurer WL 50 and I consistently woke up to each of them. The audio quality is crisp, and there’s no chance of the alarm sound working its way into my dreams.

Incredibly at this price, you get full Bluetooth connectivity and FM radio, as well as a USB port, so you can play your own music or calming podcasts. I missed the dials found on the Lumie Bodyclock Luxe, which make it smoother to cycle through different stations and DAB radio would offer clearer sound quality, but the Beurer WL 50 is perfectly serviceable.

At this price, you’re inevitably going to lose some premium features. The Beurer WL 50 doesn’t feature DAB radio and the adjustable sunrise and sunset settings could use some refinement. I couldn’t in good conscience give it the same score as our Best Buy.

But at less than a quarter of the price of a Lumie, it puts in quite the performance. The cordless mode is invaluable for smaller bedrooms with awkwardly placed plug sockets and runs for at least three nights before needing a recharge. The audio quality is crisp, it doubles as a reading lamp and mood light, and the entire device is intuitive to use. Most importantly, I’ve been waking up on time every morning.

If you’re keen to try a sunrise alarm clock for the first time, but you don’t want to spend a bomb on our Best Buy, the Beurer WL 50 is for you.