More Sunrise Alarm Clocks We’ve Tried

Vivilumens Sunrise Alarm Clock for $36: This sunrise alarm works fine but seems better suited as a desk lamp than a true sunrise alarm. But it could be a fun pick if you live in a studio and need a device that can both work for your desk or your bedside alarm. It also has a USB-A charging port and can show time as 24 or 12 hour.

Philips SmartSleep Wake-Up Light (HF3520/60) for $109: This might sound similar to the lamp we recommend above, but it has a different shape and is missing the word “Sleep” from the name because it doesn’t offer a nighttime routine like our top pick. But it still works great as a morning sunrise lamp, and similar to the other Philips model, it’s easy to set up without any instructions on hand. It’s a good affordable model, but not as cheap as other options with similar offerings.

Lumie BodyClock Glow 150 for $129: This cute little clock worked fine, but our other picks are bigger and brighter. You could get the WiiM for the same price, or the Philips HF3520 for even cheaper.

Lumie Shine 300 for $159: This sunrise alarm is pretty similar to the Luxe 700FM but doesn’t have as many radio-forward features like the telescoping antenna and multiple channel-saving buttons, and the light controls aren’t as easy as the dial. But if you don’t mind those changes and want to spend less money, the Shine 300 is a great alternative choice. It’s out of stock right now on Amazon and Lumie’s site, but we expect it to return.

Hatch Restore 2 for $170: Hatch isn’t selling this model any longer, but you can find it on some third-party retailers and sites like Amazon and eBay. It’s a fine device that gives you the same app and sound offerings as the Hatch Restore 3, but the Restore 3 has much better controls. I recommend skipping this device for the newer model.

Philips SmartSleep Sleep and Wake-Up Light for $220: We previously recommended this sunrise alarm, formerly known as Somneo. Its name is nearly identical to our top pick, and it has the same shape. The Connected version had an app and extra capabilities similar to the WiiM, but it’s no longer available.

FAQs

How Do Sunrise Alarms Work?

Your body is built to wake naturally with the sunrise and feel sleepy as the sun sets. The light at both the beginning and end of the day is a warm, golden tone, unlike the midday bright, slightly blue sunlight that keeps you wide awake. A sunrise alarm clock mimics this transition from morning to bright daytime light, helping to signal your body to wake up (or fall asleep, if the clock also has a sunset option).

Each alarm below offers a sunrise routine, meaning you choose a time to wake up and then the alarm clock will start displaying a deep orange glow and transition to a bright light by the time your alarm is set for. Some offer customization, allowing you to choose how long you want that artificial sunrise to be, while others have set timers. Some also allow the reverse option with a sunset routine and can double as sound machines. Most of these plug into the wall like a classic alarm clock and stay put, though sometimes there’s a companion app or recharging capabilities (if it’s not mentioned, though, assume it doesn’t).

What Should You Look For in a Sunrise Alarm?

There’s a lot of features to consider in a sunrise alarm, but which ones that you’ll like best vary by person.

If you struggle to fall asleep: splurge on a lamp with a nighttime or wind-down routine. These help build a routine for you to fall asleep to.

If you need a bedside lamp and sunrise alarm: get a brighter sunrise alarm that has easy controls to switch it on as a bedside lamp. Not all sunrise alarm clocks have these, so check the details carefully (and reviews like ours)

If you want a specific bedside sound: check how many sounds are offered. Just about every sunrise alarm clock has some sound machine features and options, but cheaper ones tend to only have a couple of sounds.

If you want app control: some options in this guide don’t have a partner app or Wi-Fi capabilities, especially some of my favorites. An app doesn’t necessarily make it a better sunrise alarm, but it can be convenient to use. If you prefer an app to set up your sunrise alarm, shop the Casper, Hatch, WiiM, and Loftie.

How I Test Sunrise Alarms

I tested each recommended sunrise alarm clock on my bedside in a room with blackout curtains to see how much it could really brighten a room over the course of its sunrise routine. I slept with each sunrise alarm for anywhere between one and seven nights, depending on its performance. I also tried out the various sound options each machine had to offer to both test the speakers and see how pleasant the sounds were to wake up or fall asleep to. If there was a nighttime routine option, I tested that too.

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FIRST ON FOX: New State Department reorganization plans will cut or consolidate more than 300 of the agency’s offices and bureaus as part of a massive overhaul seeking to streamline the department, according to agency officials. 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio first announced plans in April to restructure the agency because the department was “bloated, bureaucratic, and unable to perform its essential diplomatic mission.” 

The State Department submitted a notice to Congress Thursday disclosing plans for the overhaul — the largest restructuring for the agency since the Cold War, senior State Department officials told Fox News Digital. 

The agency’s overhaul aims to cut red tape so the department can respond to threats more quickly, place greater emphasis on the agency’s “primary mission” representing the U.S. abroad and eliminate “bureaucratic overgrowth” in Washington, the congressional notice said. 

“We have too many godd— offices,” a senior State Department official told Fox News Digital. “We’re trying to shrink offices rather than create them.” 

RUBIO OVERHAULING ‘BLOATED’ STATE DEPARTMENT IN SWEEPING REFORM

President Donald Trump, left, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, right, look on during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on April 7, 2025. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

The State Department’s plans will slash or merge 311 existing domestic offices, ultimately eliminating up to roughly 3,400 State Department personnel, who make up between 15% and 20% of the agency’s domestic headcount, according to State Department officials. 

The agency currently boasts roughly 700 offices, meaning the reorganization will cut or join more than 40% of the offices. 

“We are really addressing a significant portion of the department’s domestic offices and sort of merging them, combining them, trying to make them more efficient,” the senior State Department official said. 

Staff have not received notifications regarding the reduction in force yet, but they are expected to receive an update on reductions in force by July 1. 

Whereas three offices overseeing sanctions issues previously existed, the overhaul will merge all of those branches together to make it more clear who to report to, according to the official. 

However, a few additions are in the works. The plans also include adding approximately nine new offices, the State Department officials said. 

New positions include a deputy assistant secretary for democracy and Western values, as well as new immigration security offices under the agency’s bureau of population, refugees and migration to tackle President Donald Trump‘s immigration priorities. 

Likewise, the restructuring adds a new bureau of emerging threats that will address issues pertaining to artificial intelligence, hypersonic weapons and space. 

“So we’re not just cutting these things,” the senior State Department official said. “We’re re-imagining them to advance the administration’s agenda.” 

The reorganization structure only affects domestic offices and also seeks to cut down on the layers of bureaucracy in Washington to give more power to the embassies abroad, according to State Department officials. 

The State Department has domestic offices all across the U.S., ranging from the East Coast in Boston, all the way to San Francisco and Honolulu. The State Department has more than 270 diplomatic posts outside the U.S. 

WHITE HOUSE PROPOSAL AXES UN, NATO FUNDS AND HALVES STATE DEPARTMENT BUDGET

Road sign showing the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem. (Hillel Maeir/TPS)

The status quo hampered the department’s ability to push out policy because there were so many channels of approval that needed to be cleared first as part of a “horizontal reporting structure,” they said. 

Under the new structure, regional bureau offices that handle global U.S. bilateral relationships will take on greater responsibility and oversee policy management of nearly all non-security foreign assistance, according to the congressional notice. 

“We’re really shifting the focus towards our embassies out in the field, our ambassadors out in the field, giving them the tools … so that they can effectively implement the ‘America First’ diplomacy out there in the field,” another senior State Department official told Fox News Digital. 

The officials said that Rubio has instructed that the new structure be implemented by July 1 and that the agency is so far on track to meet that goal. 

Rubio told lawmakers on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee overseeing foreign affairs on May 20 that the restructuring “is not designed to either cripple the department or in any way — it’s not even a cost-savings endeavor.”

Rather, Rubio said the change aims to “empower” regional bureaus and embassies. Specifically, Rubio said that he receives up to 15 cables each morning from embassies around the world and that’s where the “best innovations” originate. 

TRUMP ADMIN TO DIRECT AGENCY HEADS TO PREP FOR ‘LARGE-SCALE REDUCTIONS IN FORCE,’ REORGANIZATION BY MARCH 13

Secretary of State Marco Rubio testifies at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., May 20, 2025. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

“They are identifying problems and opportunities well in advance of some memo that works its way to me,” Rubio told lawmakers. “We want to get back to a situation or we want to get to a situation where we are empowering ideas and action at the embassy level and through our regional bureaus. Those are literally the front lines of American diplomacy. And so we have structured a State Department that can deliver on that.”

Meanwhile, ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., voiced caution about the reforms in April after Rubio’s initial announcement and said any changes “must be carefully weighed with the real costs to American security and leadership.”

“A strong and mission-ready State Department advances American national security interests, opens up new markets for American workers and companies and promotes global peace and stability,” Shaheen said in her April statement. “It remains to be seen how the administration’s latest proposals will achieve that goal.”