Philips Wake Up Ligh
 |  |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simulation | Sunrise and sunset | Sunrise and sunset | Sunrise and sunset | Sunrise |
| Brightness settings | 25 | 20 | 20 | 10 |
| Light intensity | 310 Lux | 300 Lux | 300 Lux | 200 Lux |
| Wake-up sounds | 8 | 7 | 5 | 2 |
| Relaxation sounds | 3 | X | X | X |
| Snooze function | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Charges mobile phone | ✓ | ✓ | X | X |
| Weight: | 499 g |
| Dimensions: | 20.2 x 20 x 13 cm; 498.95 Grams |
| Brand: | Philips |
| Model: | HF3505/01 |
| Part: | HF3505/01 |
| Colour: | Yellow |
| Batteries Required: | No |
| Batteries Included: | No |
| Manufacture: | Philips |
| Colour: | Yellow |
I have had a couple of Lumie clocks in the past, both were ok, but the alarms on both were terrible. The two sounds you can choose from on this are great, starting quiet and getting gradually louder. The radio option is also a great addition.
This has been a great purchase.
The light is extremely bright and I love listening to the radio as an alarm which is much more exciting then that same song again!
Maybe if I changed it to the star wars cantina song I would like it better…
Does what it says, a warm light to wake up too with radio if that’s what you want. Setting up a bit fiddly.
So easy to set up with our instruction very happy
V good, easy to use and wakes me without frightening (& sometimes) waking baby. Display light is a bit bright tho
I received one of these for Christmas, having never even seen them before. It’s become a very welcome if unexpected gift, as I have generally hated every alarm clock I have ever owned and now, I wake up in an improved mood. I say this, as someone who doesn’t like where they work, having to get up before 6am or the near-eternal darkness of winter!
It’s really easy to set up and use. So much so, I turn it off at the wall each morning, so as to save a few pennies on the electric meter. I was quite surprised and disappointed that there is no option to power it from AA batteries. My wall socket is beyond the foot of my bed but the light is still very effective (average setting: 3/10) as it gently illuminates the room in advance of your desired wake-up time. It’s very hard not to notice that the two birdsong tunes are barely ten-seconds long and on a definite loop but still, I find it’s much preferable to the standard beeping, blaring or vibrating (and let’s not get started on the “joys” of FM radio and The Gingerman – although, FM radio is a third option, if you for some reason like being irritated awake by self-indulgent so-and-sos).
In summary: this item has greatly helped me to wake up in a better mood. But with a portable battery option and an extended and increased variety of audio to choose from, it could have been even better. I fear this may be redundant over the summer, as I typically wear an eye mask to combat the early sunrise and ear plugs to dampen the natural bird chorus. But I do suffer with insomnia.
Really lovely way to wake up, and I like the bird sound option!
Every time you disconnect it from mains even for a second, you need to set it up. Time, alarm, brightness etc.
Another beef is only one settable alarm so only one person can use it at a time.
Apart from that, it is a good product.
Totally worth the money. I am the worst person at getting up with a normal alarm and was a bit sceptical about whether this would work but thought I’d give it a try and it’s great – wakes me up no problem. It’s so much nicer waking up with light than a noise, but it’s great that it has a sound alarm and a radio too if you need it. Easy to set up and work too. Love it.
So this winter I’d survived without my daylight alarm and it was getting harder and harder. So when this one came up with a good offer I went for it, hoping that I wouldn’t suffer the same issues. It has some quirks, like you have to have an alarm “noise” but you can get round this by reducing the volume down to one and tuning the radio to static, honestly I’ve never noticed it making a noise. The clock face is always on too, however again you can reduce the brightness and it’s a minimal orange glow that neither myself or my partner notice during the night. The whole product is simple to use and intuitive, I like that I can set the brightness of the light, turn it off and that’s the brightest the alarm reaches. I love that the buttons only light up when your hand is close by and they quickly dim again. I love the shape and design too.
I have found myself using this as a bed side light far more than I ever did my Lumie, the light is softer. I also like that the light stays on until you turn it off, I was often plunged into darkness while doing my make up or getting dressed as I’d forgotten the Lumie turns off after 30 mins.
All in all much prefer this to the basic Lumie models, and it’s doing a fab job.
Normal alarms gave me a headache, made getting up for work less stressful.
I have felt so much better waking up in the morning. Honestly and truthfully, I don’t know how I survived without this alarm clock. It has boosted my mood and made me feel so much fresher in myself. My energy levels have superseded what they were before. Highly recommended!
Brilliant lamp. I bought it to replace my old dawn simulator lamp which the bulb blew and it wasn’t replaceable so I had to buy a whole new lamp. Since this one is an LED it shouldn’t be an issue. So far it’s been brilliant and I’ve had no problems with it. Couldn’t function without it!!!
The design is quite nice and the dim function is spot-on.
Wish it it had a small battery to keep charge for when the circuit breaker goes out – such a cheap simple feature to implement …
My only cons would be no snooze butto
I’ve had my lamp for over a month now, and have to say it’s a beauty. Waking to light and waiting for the birdsong is blissful in midwinter. It also wakes my cat (not included) who joins in the waking process. The controls are a bit fiddly till you get the hang of them, then they become straightforward. I like the retro design and the orange digit clock, a nice change from more common LCD. All in all a great gadget, except for one thing….
THE PRICE! I got it on Amazon deal for 49 pounds, and even that is stretching things. I suggest maybe 30 pounds would be nearer the correct value. Today’s price is 89 pounds, and I think that is a steal. It’s up to you. Maybe wait for a deal price if you haven’t got cash to throw away. But it is a good gadget. You choose.
I bought this Lumiere for my wife and she loves i
Had one of the older version Philips wake up lamps a few years ago but after the bulb went I never replaced it. Lately I had sleep problems and found it very difficult to get up when it was still dark. I was exhausted and had low energy all day and decided it was time to get another wake up lamp. I’m only using it a few days now but feel completely different. I wake up naturally even before the alarm goes off and have so much more energy during the day. The biggest plus is that it’s very user friendly: all the buttons are on the front panel, easy to use, the brightness of the digital clock can be adjusted. As soon as it senses my hand infront of the lamp the buttons (no real buttons, it’s touch screen) light up, so I can use everything in the dark. My last alarm clock had the buttons to set the alarm on the side of the device and I had to turn on the bedroom light and pick up the clock to set the alarm. I found that very annoying and stopped using the alarm function and just used my phone instead and just had to clock to see the time and for the radio function. This was one of the main reasons for choosing this model. The radio is good too. The only bad point is that it has no battery as a back up
It made my wake up routine pleasant, would highly recommend. the light fills my room (10×12 ft) and the fm is great too waking up listening to your favourite statio
I purchased the Philips wake-up light alarm after a fair bit of research. I was sceptical about how effective it would be. I chose this model because the functions seemed most appropriate for my needs and budget.
The light is natural and warm. Its brightness can easily be altered to any of the 10 options. I am able to wake up with the alarm set to a moderate intensity of number 6, though it is low light season here so I may need to increase this in the summer months. The sound volume gradually increased to gently wake you.
I have not used the radio function. I do use the nature sounds to wake to in the morning. There are two nature sound options. They are on a short loop which is repeated but still far more pleasant to wake to than a classic alarm.
I’ve found this alarm to be very effective. So effective that it’s woken me with ease for a middle of the night flight, leaving me feeling alert and refreshed. Very easy set up and adjustment of settings
I wake up a lot easier now. Highly rate this!
This is really quirky and I had it at a good price.
Does what it says on the tin what a pleasant way to wake up
Very good quality overall. Easy to figure out how to use.
Really happy with it. The only down point I’ve found is that the radio set to the minimum volume is still quite loud.
I was sceptical about this alarm clock, but it really works! Definitely recommend, well worth the money
The best alarm clock I’ve ever purchased that has help me during the dark winter periods.
Easy to set, lovely to wake up to bright light and birdsong. If the dawn chorus doesn’t wake you the cuckoo will.:-)
Great product, love waking up to the light and the bird song, it definitely makes the transition earlier on these dark and stormy mornings.
It is, as claimed, a nice gentle way to be woken up.
I had an older model of this and it recently broke and I cannot say how much I have struggled in the mornings without the light stirring me.
It is a lovely design. I don’t think it looks particularly plastic, it was nicer and more compact than I expected.
I use the radio on it. I do think that if you have it down low it seems a bit ‘far away’ from inside the clock but it’s by far clear enough.
The light fills my whole medium sized room. This was something I was very wary of, as my other did this and because this version was more of a spotlight shape, I was worried it wouldn’t. I use 9 out of 10 for the wake up light.
You can turn down the display light until it is just about visible. This is great, as any lights at night bother me. You use a separate button on the side to do this. I can’t understand how people say they can’t do this, maybe they haven’t discovered the correct button as it is tiny. The downside to this and it is the only big flaw, like people say you cannot see the light in the day, pretty much at all, on the lowest night light setting.
All the buttons are controlled by a sensor and light up when your finger is near them, this is a lovely feature. The buttons are pretty small. I don’t use the snooze or anything as it is far away from me so when I get up I just touch the alarm button and the light button to turn it off.
Overall, if you buy this for around 60 as I did, it is an absolute bargain. Still great for the 90 mark but the light feature for the day lets it down a little, although this would not put me off buying it. After all, nothing is exactly how we want it. In my opinion, it is a lovely, modern clock, exceeding my expectations.
Hope this helps.
This is a wonderful addition to my bedroom. Touch screen for light/radio/snooze and really easy to set. Love how the light gradually brightens until the dawn chorus kicks inn.
The only downside is the lack of connection to a phone to enable me wake up to my favourite music but I believe for a few more pounds this is available from the same Philips range.
It really is worth it.
It comes with 3 natural sounds. I personally use the birds ones, and it really wakes me up softly and pleasantly.
For me it works. Since I bought it I wake up “naturally” 5 minutes or so before the alarm time. No more sudden alarms sounds kicking you off of your dreams. I don’t use the radio that comes with it.
The designs is very nice, and looks good and stylish.
Conclusion: It is expensive, but what price do you put to waking up softly and starting the day with a good mood? For me is well worth the money.
This is my second Philips wake-up light. First one lasted for about 10 years, was much bigger and uglier but did the job. I’m useless at waking up, these really help. Love this one, it’s neat and keeps good time. Hope it lasts as long!
love it, works exactly how it should, helps me get up in these horrible dark winter morning
excellent device – wakes me up gently and does make it easier to get up, i think. I bought this on special offer at approx 50, though, and think even that is pushing it, value-wise. The clock is very lightweight, so moves around when you press the buttons, and surely in this day and age a digital radio should be possible at that price – poor FM reception. Also, would be happier with a clock that will reset itself in the event of a power cut.
This lamp initially feels a little cheap, but is actually fairly well built and robust.
The aerial isn’t great, and needs careful positioning to get decent FM radio reception but once done the audio quality is reasonable for a device which isn’t really designed for proper ‘listening’. Having the light and radio to wake up to is nice, rather than an offensive beep.
The lamp brightness is easily adjusted even while off so ideal if you want to have it on low for reading, but come on at full brightness to wake up.
The only downside, which isn’t really a fault of the lamp, is that I find I need to face it for the light to be effective in waking me up, so if I happen to be facing away from it when it’s time to wake up it’s not that effective.
I thought this was very good and did all that I expected of it. Easy to use and survived being knocked to the floor multiple times by the cat.
Unusual, fun and interesting way to wake up. Good quality and contemporary design. If you want something a little different a good buy.
Love it. Nice to wake up to morning sunshine and the bird sounds are very soothing to wake you up gradually. Ease of operation so would recommend buying i
No more jerking awake and jumping on an alarm screeching!! Waking gradually to the sound of local radio, and while morning not exactly stress free, (with 3 kids to feed, dress and everyone out to childminder and work by 8am) but much MUCH less grumpy. Highly recommend this product.
ealy pleased wakes you up naturally also good alarm clock and bedside light.
feel much brighter throughout the whole day
Perfect to wake you up naturally. Great features with sounds, light and FM radio! Definitely recommend to anyone who struggles with early mornings
Excellent product, highly delighted with how it works and how effective it is. Easy to use and would recommend it to anyone.
I’ve set mine to wake me up a few minutes before my normal alarm goes off, and because the light takes 30min to turn on to the max setting you selected, it wakes me up very gently. None of the trauma you get with a normal alarm beating you awake.
The only complaints I have are a) because I’ve set my max light setting to 5 (out of 10) only, if my face is turned the other way it doesn’t always wake me up (but this is remedied easily enough), and b) you cannot turn the sound OFF.
You can either select birds chirping or the radio, while I would prefer neither, the light and my Blackberry alarm should be enough.
The radio is also kind of cr4ppy.
Not to mention the bird songs kept me confused for ages, because I could never decide if it was the Phillips Alarm Clock or actual birds I could hear. So I would spent a few minutes every morning fussing with the device until I was sure the alarm was switched off and it was real birds outside chirping.
As expected with nice design touches, looks real cool as well, not as bulky as the last 1 I had years ago
Anyone who says these are hard to set up is probably not very good with these things as I found it a breeze. Set alarm, set brightness, sleep … that easy! I will say make sure you remember it takes 30 mins to get to full brightness not like we did and got woken up 20 mins before due to get up!!!
This light is brilliant as it has 10 light settings so you can use for either full light or dim light. I use it as a night light.
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I can use it as a reading light.
Its a lovely warm light. I would recommend it to anyone. I am getting one for my son as a night light in his room.
I’ve been trying this for a few weeks so far and with the dark mornings it’s certainly made it easier waking up. I’ve only used the birdsong alarm so can’t comment on the other two settings but I like how the alarm starts quietly and gets louder making it a less rude awakening! The clock itself can have its intensity changed so you can have it less bright. I use this to stop it being too bright when the lights are out. I haven’t tried the lamp function yet so I think that’s next!
The most miserable thing about this time of year is waking up when it’s still dark, getting dressed and trudging out into the gloom. This nifty gizmo makes at least part of that less awful by mimicking the effects of sunrise so your circadian rhythm adapts by thinking it’s not dark when you wake up. Every little helps, I tell you.
I’m usually woken by the light before the alarm, which is handy as the alarm is pretty grating so I just use that to tell me when it’s time to get up, not to wake. I can’t cay for certain that it’s had a definite effect on my mood or anything, but it’s certainly a lot nicer than the Today programme flicking on at 6.45 and jolting me awake with something like Ed Balls ruining my morning, For that alone, I’d give it four stars.
I have to admit i didnt expect this to work for me, i mean who would ? lights waking you up indeed !!!
It will take a bit to set this one up as there are all sorts of setting you need to in effect customise to you and how you prefer to be woken. some people may not like to be woken gradually and prefer the get up get up sound of an old alarm but thats i think because we are used to this . I found myself feeling much more relaxed with the gradual wake up sensation given by this product and will continue to use this .It does however have an actual alarm with certain sounds but only a small selection.It also works as a radio but for me the light alarm is the winner. not sure its worth the full rrp but i think compared to some i have seen this is pretty good for its money
This wake up alarm surprised me in how bright it becomes. For me I found the setup a little fiddly, there were lots of different bits to touch initially to set different things (sounds, brightness levels, alarms, time) however once you’re familiar with what you’re doing it is easy enough to use. I like that the brightness gradually increases for about 30 minutes before your alarm is set to go off however I find that it tends to wake me earlier than I intended (but I am a fairly light sleeper). It is definitely a nicer awakening than a blaring alarm. You can set the actual alarm to go off with a very small selection of sounds or radio.
The alarm clock is bigger than a thought it would be but is very slim and fits easily amongst the piles of stuff I keep on my bedside table. It works as a radio as well as an alarm if that interests you.
I think I prefer my normal alarm as this does make me wake up before I need to but if you’re looking for a softer wake up this could be for you.
Pros
+ Variable light settings from 1-10 and has a half hour sunrise function
+ Set up is straightforward and I had no problems with the touch buttons
+ FM radio is included
+ Can be used as a bedside light
+ LED so no bulb changes
+ Space saving
Cons
– No memory provided to retain settings through power loss
– Radio function is adequate but no better
– As it’s so lightweight it tends to move around as you touch the buttons
I really enjoy this wake up light, and find that I wake up more refreshed using it. The light gradually comes on to the level you have set it (a brightness between 1 and 10) starting half an hour before the alarm, and you have the option of either nature sounds or the radio at the alarm time. I choose bird song and was doubtful of it waking me, but I found it did (even if it did make me a little confused the first day). It also has a snooze function, but since I’ve found myself more awake when the alarm goes I’ve hardly used it.
You do have to set the alarm time by just using the + and – buttons to scroll through the time minute by minute, but after setting it a couple times I found it was still pretty quick and easy to do so. You can also use the light independently of the alarm, and at full brightness it lights up the whole room, or can be used for a more ambient light at lower levels.
Don’t like being dragged awake in the darkness during these winter months by an alarm clock? This Philips Wake-Up Light could be the answer. Set it for the time you’d normally get up and gradually the sunshine simulation builds up in intensity to the maximum level (which you can set)waking you up naturally before a backup alarm goes off at the time you set it. The alarm can be snoozed by simply tapping the light.
This is an upgraded version of the HF3500/01 and gives you the choice of setting the alarm to either FM Radio or two different bird sounds. It also has a dusk setting enabling it to be used in reverse to send you off to sleep. Compact sized this light fits easily on my bedside cabinet, it’s also very light and annoyingly it slides around when touching the control buttons if not held in place. The clock display is easy to read at night and not overly bright like some other alarm clocks.
Philips to a vast range of Wake-Up lights and personally I prefer the larger cylinder style one, but if you want a compact model and budget is a concern this one is is a good buy.
My Wake-up Light arrived with no instructions, so at first the array of buttons was bewildering. However, I quickly got everything working smoothly.
There are buttons on the stand. The one on the left hand side controls the brightness of the clock display. On the right hand side one button helps you set the time, while a switch allows you to choose between FM radio or one of two nature scenes to accompany your waking. Both ‘nature scenes’ feature birds, which I suppose is more logical than rainfall or sounds of the sea, but doesn’t cater for those not fans of our avian friends.
On the face of the light there are nine buttons. The first two control the volume, the third toggles the FM radio on and off. Buttons four and five don’t do anything unless you’ve already pressed the FM radio button, in which case they allow you to move up and down the FM band.
The first button on the bottom row toggles the light on and off, the next two allow you to change the intensity of the light. You have ten levels of brightness to play with. The final button allows you to set the alarm. So, as you can tell, the settings are pretty intuitive after a bit of experimentation.
It’s more pleasant to be woken slowly by the increasing light than by an abrupt alarm. The Wake-up Light is small, but it is also bright, giving you enough lux to read by.
I’ll continue to use my Lumie Brightspark Lightbox Stylish Aluminium SAD Light Therapy Lamp when I’m up and out of bed. That lamp is more powerful, though it does’t tell the time, have an alarm or play sounds. That’s where the Philips Wake-up Light scores, which makes it perfectly suited to becoming my new bedside companion.
This is a really neat unit, not too big for a bedside table.
The LED display is very clear and easy to read.
Set up could be easier, it took a bit of trial and error.
The alarm light is really good, but those bird sounds are incredibly irritating!
I’m not convinced it is worth the full RRP so look for best price on Amazo
I’ve said it before – I’m a fan of sunrise alarm clocks. They changed my mornings from “grumpy-can’t-open-my-eyes” nightmare to something approaching pleasant. Now I find I wake up naturally even before the audible alarm has gone off.
This example is at the middle end of the scale, priced slightly higher than the identical to look at, basic no frills version. The basic function is that half an hour before the alarm, the light very gradually starts coming on, simulating sunrise. The adds on this version are that when the audible alarm goes off, you have more options – you can choose between some chirping sounds – which actually are also quite gentle, as far as alarm sounds go – or the radio if you prefer. You can also snooze by just tapping the clock – something I appreciate – but is almost too easy to do! I love the design and simplicity, however it as just as light as the cheaper model.. if you find yourself flailing for the alarm in the morning it’s going to be odds on you manage to knock this over. There are other models out there that have a wider and heavier base to be more stable if this matters to you, and frankly it is something I would choose next time I get one. The light is satisfyingly bright at full strength.. don’t be fooled by the orange glow in the picture, I find it quite white. The central time display is also easy to read, and can be dimmed if the brightness of it bothers you.
Useful for people who find the mornings a groggy unpleasant time to have blaring alarms, or for people like my mother who is stone deaf but reacts positively to the light. This looks nice and slim and relatively easy to use, but is a little too light for early morning flailing arms.
The touch controls take a bit of getting used to in my experience but work well once you get the hang of them. It’s easy to change the settings and adjust the alarm time; easier in fact than traditional digital alarms I’ve had. One of the other pleasing features of the wake-up light is that there are several settings for the permanently illuminated display which allows you to turn it far enough down and so you can just see the time readout at night but it doesn’t transmit light far enough to annoy (which is to say cast a light hue around the bedside table and room).
So, in conclusion, this is an attractive bedside table alarm clock that is easy to operate and gives out plenty of light (enough for example to read in bed with). I’m not convinced about its ‘simulated sunrise’ functionality (yet) but it’s still early days; I think a little bit more experimentation with the settings is needed before I will get the best results out of it.
[Edit 25.1.14] Having now lived with it for some time now I can report that the alarm really IS effective and the ‘cuckoo’ wakes me up fine. Other things I’ve learned to like is the touch sensitive operation meaning you can alter it silently without disturbing your partner and that it provides just enough light – if that’s how you set it – for you to be able to see things on your side of the bedroom as you get up the morning again without disturbing your partner. I have thus upgraded the review rating from ‘3 stars’ to ‘4 (still misses out on a full five due to the plasticky design which I still don’t particularly care for]
This is a clever little frizbe that lights up and also tells the time except dont throw it as it might break!
This little frizbe or flying saucer is genius. The idea is that about half an hour before your alarm goes off it starts to slowly light up, getting gradually brighter nearer the alarm time to bring you out of sleep slowly like the morning sunrise and then at the allotted time (that you set) it starts to chirp like a dawn chorus waking you. You could also awaken to the sound of a cuckoo (not recommended as it is very loud, even on a lower volume) or if you prefer the radio can wake you up.All these sounds can be set to a volume to suit you and like the light, start of gently getting louder the longer you leave it. a swift tap at the top gives you 9 minutes snooze time.
I was a bit sceptical at first and set my iphone alarm as a back up in case the sweet bird song lulled me back to sleep again but it worked! And has done every morning since.
It works as a light too so you can do away with the bedside lamp if you wish as it is a really efficient lamp on its own. You can preset the light brightness from 1 to 10. I find it is better set at 8 as 9 and 10 is too bright to look at.
To set it, you have the normal buttons for alarm set time set light settings and sound settings. The control buttons are visible when you get your hand close to it, they light up automatically, most are on the front but on the side there is a button to set the time and another the other side to set the brightness of the digital clock which glows orange with the middle dots flashing the seconds. The alarm and light brightness are set from the front with a plus and minus sign to go up or down. It is very easy to operate. The alarm can be switched on daily or left on all week if you like and changed at weekends if you fancy a lie in.
I like it a great deal, one of my best alarms so far with none of the sudden loud beep or buzz yanking you out of sleep, this one slowly wakes you, slowly increasing in volume. Much better!
The radio is a little tinny to listen to but if you just want it to wake you up its fine. It has an FM Ariel in the form of a long wine running from the back of the unit but it tucks down the back of my Bedside table so its not in the way.
I do recommend this little thing and I am very pleased with mine
The Philips Wake-Up Light alarm clock makes it much easier and more relaxing to wake up in the morning. It gradually lights up on a scale on 1 – 10, 1 being the dimmest light and 10 the brightest. The scale is adjustable; I keep it on 10 but if you would prefer a dimmer light then you can change it. I use it on its brightest setting as a reading light which is very handy.
There are two settings, both birdsong. They are fairly similar but one has the sound of cuckoos and the other doesn’t. It is quite pleasant being woken up to the soothing sound of a cuckoo! It also has an FM radio if you would prefer to be woken up by the radio rather than birdsong.
I am doubtful about whether the light itself would be enough to wake me up. I often sleep with my curtains ajar and even in the summer, the bright dawn light never seems to wake me. So, the birdsong setting ensures that I won’t oversleep. I use this alarm clock but I do set my mobile phone alarm to go off ten minutes or so after I set the Philips wake-up light, as an added precaution!
The snooze function is very easy: you simply tap the alarm clock and it will alert you again in nine minutes. The light stays on when you use the snooze function and it makes it easier to gradually wake up, rather than being jolted alert by a harsh sound.
I also find it really easy to set the alarm. I sometimes set different alarm times for different days and it is not a problem to adjust. The wake-up light uses a simple touch button display
The only fault with this alarm clock is that the illuminated red digital clock face is very bright at night. I would like a way to adjust the brightness level of that. Although I am not disturbed by natural light, the first few times I used this alarm clock I found the red light quite annoying. I have grown used to it now that I have been using the clock for around 3 weeks, at the time of writing this review, but it would be good to be able to adjust the brightness of the digital display.
Overall, I am happy with the functions of this wake-up light. I have never tried any other wake-up lights so I am unable to compare this with others. But it is certainly an improvement to being woken up by a shrill, buzzing alarm clock!
I researched different makes of the Wake-Up lights, prior to purchasing the Philips model and to be honest I was rather sceptical. However, to my surprise I found this light to be fantastic! It did take a bit of getting used to and I kept my old alarm clock plugged in for a couple of days as a back up, which really wasn’t necessary because the light works as described on the box. The Philips Wake-Up light is easy to set up, easy to use and I now wake up at 6am to a pleasant sunrise(setting 07)and the dawn chorus is very calming. My mood has improved and I find that my eyes adjust easier to the spotlights lights in my bathroom.
I would recommend the light to everyone! It’s a shame it’s not a little cheaper…although it is on offer at the moment…go for it, you won’t be disappointed!!
Since I have been using this product I have been finding it much easier to get out of bed. Because you are gradually and gently woken up, you never feel like turning the alarm off. And because you are properly awake by the time the birdsong starts, you might as well get out of bed! Also, been woken with birdsong is a lovely start to the day, and puts you in a much better frame of mind than when you’re aggressively woken with a horrible beeping noise.
If you suffer with SAD as I do, I recommend this clock to counteract the symptoms of disturbed sleep patterns. However, I also supplement with a SAD light during the day time. This combination seem to work well. Do not worry about this wake-up light being too bright, as there are many light levels to choose from.
I have personally found this product very valuable.
I am not a morning person, and find it difficult to wake up. I am very moody when i wake up.
Well… That was before i bought this wake up light from Philips.
It is such a gentle and nice way to wake up, with natural light and sound!!
Now that winter is coming and it is dark outside in the morning, this device makes it so much easier to wake up.
Easy to use, great natural sound, and big selection on how strong you want the light. Plus Radio as an extra benefit.
Great product, has already improved my life
I’ve always struggled with getting up in the mornings in winter when its dark, but have been put off buying one of these wake-up lights because earlier models were really expensive and the special bulbs needed replacing ever so often. I think Philips has hit the nail on the head with this model.
Pros:
Surprisingly small and light and doesn’t crowd your bedside table.
Digital display is dimmable so not too bright
The wake up light is surprisingly bright (adjustable to your preference) and can be used as a reading light
The light gradually comes on over 30 min and then also has 2 optional natural sounds (birds tweeting etc) or FM radio for when the alarm goes off.
Cons:
No DAB radio. That’s it!
So as long as you don’t want a DAB radio, this is perfect. Its an excellent winter waking experience and I now feel much more refreshed when waking up. Get one!
I have this product, plus the Lumie Bodyclock STARTER 30 Wake-Up Light Alarm Clock . The design on this product is beautiful with some minor features that make the difference.
+The dawn light is a great way to wake up, and leaves you feeling more awake and alert
+LED light is bright, and directed forwards which makes it seem brighter if you position it facing towards you as you sleep. It also does not get hot like traditional bulb versions.
+Waking up to one of the two natural sounds is FAR nicer than a traditional alarm, especially since it starts quietly and gets slowly louder
+FM radio works well
+The light works well as a reading lamp, with 10 different brightness levels
+The readout can also be dimmed to prevent distraction at night, and the buttons light up when the unit is touched
-The light is not always enough on its own to wake me
-Since the light is powered by internal LEDs there is no way of replacing the light if it dies. Once the two year warranty is up, you’re on your own!
-Despite the name and description, the product I received is NOT a coloured simulation as advertised.
-Directionality of the light reduces the amount of ambient light emitted, meaning it is much less useful for anyone on the other side of the bed or if you are facing the other direction.
-As great as this is, 70 is still a lot for an alarm clock and many may find it too expensive.
All in all an excellent dawn light clock with a great design, but still seems a tad expensive. If this model allowed you to play / use your own MP3s for the alarm that might have made it more worth it. Sadly it seems that Lumie and Phillips are charging over the odds for additional features like this justbecause it’s a specialised product.
The radio, as you might expect is limited, a bit tinny and I didnt like the cheap wire antenna….again given the cost you would have hoped Phillips would have come up with something a bit cooler (even a metal extendable one would have been better).
My daughter loves it however, at 10 years old she likes the slow wake up process to gradually increasing light (and boy does it get bright…you can hardly look at it at full brightness!) and the sound of bird call.
At the end of the day if you like a short sharp alarm so you can jump out of bed (or easily hammer a button with your fist for a 10 minute snooze), or hate the sound of birds in the morning, this isn’t for you. If you like 30 mins to gradually surface, look no further!!
Really like this alarm clock from Philips who have a great track record in home electronics. This unit feels very well made and durable and really does what it aims to do: wake you up in a more natural way. I’m a very light sleeper so I don’t need a very loud alarm clock,,this wakes you up initially by activating the light which mimicks natural sunlight. I have found I wake up just by this alone but if you are a heavier sleeper it sounds an alarm after 30mins. This alarm is birdsong so is less shocking than a buzzer. So should you buy this over a standard alarm clock? I found it a nice change to get woken up gradually and the light feature is very handy, allowing you to use the unit as just a bedside lamp. I would say give it a go
I’ve been waking up in the light for a few years now, mostly to Philips wake-up lights, so I’m already a convert. It’s true that you do wake up more naturally, without suffering the normal (for me) morning grump of ‘invasive’ alarm clocks. I’ve actually had Philips wake-up lights with three different light sources in them – a fluorescent bulb (still in use, still great), a halogen bulb (for guests now, gets a bit hot) and now this one has an LED light-source. The new LED light-source is probably the best of all – it gives off no heat, so the light fitting can be smaller and needs no integral ventilation, and it also fades up and down very smoothly with no flickers like the fluorescent can have. Philips have taken advantage of these qualities and produced a very neat clever design, significantly smaller than previous versions and with a lot of style.
It’s very lightweight, maybe too light because it does tend to skate around the bedside table a bit, a little rubber foot at the back isn’t quite enough to prevent it. The touch-buttons on the front have a proximity sensor which detects your approaching finger and they light up so you can see what you’re doing in the middle of the night, it’s a nice touch (pun intended). The light is, of course, quite bright on full setting and great for reading by – it’s got a warm sunny colour and is nicely diffused so it doesn’t cast harsh shadows. It’s a great shame there’s no Sleep function to turn the light (and/or radio) off after a given time – Philips save this feature for more expensive versions of their wake-up lights which seems more like cynical marketing than necessity. Speaking of which, this version only has two different alarm sounds (just in case the light alone doesn’t wake you on some mornings) unlike previous (or more expensive) versions which had a wider selection. Luckily both sounds work well – they’re both birdsong loops and are long enough to avoid sounding repetitive, even the one featuring an overly cheerful cuckoo is actually pleasant to wake to. The radio sound is much less satisfying, there’s only room for a very small speaker (cleverly) tucked into the foot at back of the clock and it’s very tinny sounding – bearable for talk radio but you won’t want to listen to much music this way. Best make friends with that cuckoo…
The other downsides are that the controls which are sort of touchscreen are a bit fiddly and, if like me you have less than perfect eyesight – especially in bed without glasses on – they are difficult to see. It is also a tad annoying that there is no battery function to hold the time and other settings if the unit is unplugged.
On the plus side it looks quite elegant and it is a perfectly decent bedside lamp with sufficient illumination by which to read. So, as I don’t want to be unfairly critical as it is still early days, I am giving this a slightly generous four stars.
I sleep right under a velux window and I do not close the blinds usually. I like to wake up to daylight as I find that it makes me feel better than waking up to the sudden jolt of an alarm (no matter how nice the alarm is). Now that winter has returned, I had already noticed it was harder to get up in the morning, so I was delighted to receive this clock.
My first impressions were that it is really quite a small thing, nicely designed, unobtrusive and elegant looking. Yes, it is very plasticky, but what isn’t these days?
It was easy enough to start using and I could not wait to try it out.
The first day it woke me up 15 minutes into the 30 min cycle of increasing light. I found it a really gentle way to wake up and I got up and turned it off well before the birds started tweeting (another nice function).
The second day I woke up with the tweeting, which might be considered a fail, but I had not closed the curtains and the clocks had gone back so it was generally lighter in the room anyway.
I think this will be a great product during winter and even in the summer I will use it as I like the birdsong much more than my phone alarm!
Oh, the biggest advantage to me is that the time can be really dimmed, so you can just see it, but it is not bright enough to make my bedroom glow – unlike the clock on my phone which is now redundant!
I’m a big fan of the Philips Wake Up Light range, and I’ve already got the cheaper Philips Wake-Up Light HF3500/01 with Sunrise Simulation , which gently wakens me every morning. So I was glad to try out the fancier model. For an extra 40 you’re getting an FM radio and two natural sounds on top of the standard sunrise simulation.
Everything works fine, although I would rather stick to the alarm, ahead of birds singing in my ear. I get that from the back green. Again, the radio worked OK, but I’ve got a DAB radio on the bedside table, so it’s not going to replace that.
It’s a really good idea, well presented, but if I was picking one I’d stick to the more basic model which will save you a wedge, and do anything you need it to do. However, if money is no object, then give this a go.
This is an alarm clock radio with a light that switches on dimly 30 minutes before the set alarm time and increases in brightness over 30 minutes. If the light hasn’t woken you, either the radio or one of two birdsongs — depending on what you’ve selected — switch on at the alarm time. The idea is that the increasing brightness of the light simulates sunrise, so that you gradually emerge from sleep without that sudden shock of a normal alarm that probably sends cortisol levels even higher. The option of birdsong rather than say Radio 4 as the alarm sound continues that idea of gradually waking and, not jarring the body by harsh sounds; if you practice yoga you might see this gentle approach as ahimsa or non-harming of your body.
What’s in the box?
This is a 180mm diameter saucer shaped disc with a white translucent front, with an orange illuminated time display and function buttons in the centre. Light is from a dimmable LED that shines through the white translucent front. The disc sits almost vertically as it has a small angled support at the rear that includes a speaker, selector switches for the audio alarm and brightness of the time display and, a trailing wire for the FM radio. A mains plug incorporating a transformer provides power to the unit. The instructions state that the electrical load is less than 0.15 amps.
The intensity of the light can be varied manually by ten steps for use as a bedside light or, automatically over 30 minutes from off to a pre-set level as the visual part of the alarm. The illumination of the time display can be manually varied by four steps. A small speaker at the rear provides the audio alarm that can be the FM radio, or one of two birdsong tracks.
Setting up
The small diagram could be clearer on selecting 12 hour or 24 hour time display.
In use
I had doubts whether it would wake me if the morning daylight was in the room. My wife tells me that although the alarm light didn’t wake me, the birdsong did but it took around five minutes. My recollection is of the birdsong seeping into my consciousness and gradually waking. I was so relaxed that it took around twenty minutes to connect to the world and, my blood pressure was lower than normal. Uncharacteristically once I was awake I could remember what I was dreaming just before I woke.
It doesn’t make a good substitute for a bedside light as the disc sits almost vertically and the light is cast forward. The illumination level of the time display is likely to be at minimum for sleeping at night; however, it needs to be reset to maximum during the day otherwise it can’t be seen.
Comments
If you’ve ever woken up to find the mains alarm clock flashing as its lost power during the night, or found that the time is wrong, then you’ll appreciate that mains alarm clocks need a small rechargeable battery and all alarm clocks need the time to be set by radio. Unfortunately this unit has neither which is inexcusable at this price. Functionality would be improved by automatically varying the brightness of the time display so that the time could be seen when the room is brighter. An earphone socket would be useful who want to listen to the radio in bed without disturbing others. All of these features are low cost at the manufacturing stage. The FM radio will be superseded by DAB, but I appreciate that DAB is unlikely to fit in this price range.
Despite all of the above, I really like the concept and, the use of bird song as an audio alarm. In fact the bird song persuade me that this was a four star product rather than three stars. If I had an important appointment in the morning I would use a conventional alarm clock as back up. I will probably reinstate the bedside lamp rather than use the manual lighting on this unit.
Summary
Philips needs to add some features to try and justify the price, but if you hate being startled into wakefulness and if you can get it at a good discount, this is a rather nice way to wake up.
The problem with these nine buttons is that they are subtly coloured before they light up, and three of them have a corresponding indicator light (the one that says the light is on, and the one that says the radio is on and the one that says the alarm is on) and these lights look very similar to the buttons. All this means in practice is that you need to read the instructions and get some experience using the device, but I suspect if you had a visual disability or a tremor you might struggle.
In other respects the 3500 is a joy to use – the birdsong that wakes you up very gradually is very pleasant to listen to, although you might need to be woken up by the FM radio as it is more definite. I don’t need to leap straight out of bed when my alarm goes off, and this morning my son woke me up after birdsong had been going for 26 minutes.
The light is probably the best bit – it uses about 5 watts of power so you can leave it on whenever you want without worrying about your power bill, it goes all the way from very dim to very bright, and it works to some degree as a SAD light – something I’ve found to be exceptionally useful keeping me happy during the winter.
This Philips sunrise Alarm is a 30 minute alarm, meaning it will begin to light up 30 minutes before hitting full intensity, giving you a 30 minute dawn during those dark months to help gently wake you.
The alarm is very slim and compact yet just as intense in it’s brightness as my existing alarm. It’s very easy to set-up and configure and just as easy to use (definitely a simpler set-up than my Lumie).
The alarm function works well, gradually coming on and increasing in intensity in the 30 minutes before your alarm time. An audible alarm then triggers when the 30 minutes is reached. Unfortunately this can’t be switched off like it can in the Lumie lamps, it does however provide a choice or either an fm radio or a quite nice birdsong sound, both of which are much nicer than the alarm sounds of the cheaper model of this light.
This light also functions as an fm radio which can be turned on an off as you need it, handy for me as it’s allowed me to replace my radio and sunrise alarm with just one product and free up a power socket.
The main downside of this alarm compared to my existing is the lack of a sunset function. I really like being able to turn my alarm on with the lamp on and it slowly dimming itself and turning itself off in the half hour following. This sunset function might not be quite as beneficial as the sunrise but it is something I’ve got used to and seems to help me slowly drop off as it dims.
This is an LED based alarm, which means a long life but also means it isn’t replaceable so the clocks life ends when the bulb does. As long as the life is very long this shouldn’t be an issue but I must admit my other sunrise alarm having the option of changing is something I prefer as I know I can keep it going for years and years that way.
Overall for the price this is a good sunrise alarm and the in-built radio and birdsong sounds make it a nicer offering than the cheaper Philips Wake-up light. It’s got it’s pros and cons but I’d strongly recommend anyone struggling in the dark months and especially those with seasonally affected disorder to take a look at an alarm like this. They are a huge boost to sufferers.
In fact if you come anywhere near me before i have had at least 2 cups of coffee i am liable to rip your head off.
I do not like getting up, i hate my alarm clock with a vengeance and have been known in fact to smash them into the walls where i have hit them off the bedside tables.
So it was with trepidation that i tried this.
I was worried that i wouldnt wake up, but i was proven wrong.
It is extremely effective, however it is so annoying.
You know when you are sleeping and someone turns on the overhead light and you have to shield your eyes begging them to turn it off ? Well this is like that.
Very good for people who can stand bright light, but i am a migraine sufferer and cannot bear it, so i have toned it down a bit.
I am going to persevere with it though as i have found that i am getting out of bed quicker. I normally snooze the alarm for at least 30 minutes before i can crawl out, but with this i am getting up within 5.
As i live in the rural countryside, i have no streetlights and its very dark here and so for me the birdsong is the nicest way to wake up. Do not like the cuckoo at all, beyond annoying.
In my opinion, i think this would be amazing if you had beach sounds or diff kinds of sounds to help you wake up, maybe a variety of 10 or so to pick from would be much better.
I will update the review to give long term use opinions later on.
This is quite an appealing light with a choice of 2 alarm calls or fm radio as backup for the light – just in case the light doesn’t wake you up.
The sounds are bird song and cuckoo noise – our dog does not like that cuckoo!
The radio is not DAB but ordinary FM only which is surprising and disappointing considering that most of the radio stations are changing over to digital. Also tuning is a pain.
Instructions are very basic and, to be honest, poor.
The clock display isn’t too bad but I will admit that I have the display obscured by a several perfume bottles so it is not glowing in my face.
One other problem is the lack of battery back-up for the alarm clock – especially with the threats of power-outs that have been made in recent days.
So far the light has woken me without a problem, but I am used to using them. When I initially used the wake up light it did take me a couple of weeks to get used to it, so if you are trying the wake up light please don’t expect it to work for you straight away.
Even without the DAB radio and with the poor instruction guide in the box the wake up light works well – it’s just a shame that Philips didn’t think their customers deserved DAB and a proper instruction booklet.
Trying this was really a last hope. And amazing… the first morning he woke up… to the gentle sounds of little tweeting birds! I was walking round the house wondering why the birds were singing and was amazed when he said the light and the birdsong actually did wake him.
The Light has an inbuilt FM radio which I think isn’t really necessary – but overall a great product and well worth it for a gentle start to the day.
It was easy to set up (for a 20 year old techie)..
This is our 3rd Philips Wake-up Light and I have to say the design of these just keeps getting better.
The new design is so much nicer and less intrusive on the bedside cabinet than our previous cylinder versions which have now found homes in the kid’s bedrooms.
The Phillips wake up alarms are based around wellbeing and that we generally feel more energetic in the summer time due to the bright and sunny weather. These wake up alarms try to emulate this natural morning sun light by gradually getting brighter and brighter over 30 minutes making your bedroom fill with light before you are due to wake up. This gradual increase of light aims to stimulate you in to waking up naturally much as you would on a summers day.
At the end of the 30 minutes when your bedroom is full of light, you have a choice of either two gentle bird noises or an FM radio set to your favourite radio breakfast show to kick in. The alarm also gets gradually louder over 90 seconds just to make sure you do wake up.
Other great features include, a 9 minute snooze function by simply tapping the light anywhere. The brightness of light you wake up to in the morning can be pre-set between very dim at number 1 to very bright at number 10., ideal if you are very sensitive to too much light in the mornings.
The orange led clock is light adjustable to a brightness too suit and with the 10 adjustable light settings, the alarm can also easily double up as a bed side lamp for nigh time reading.
All in all the best Philips Wake-up Light of the whole range.
This for me is the best alarm clock I have ever had. It is also the best wake up light I have ever had. I love being woken up with the natural light especially in this dark time of the year. I did have a Philips wake up light before but it was so big it seemed to take over the bedside table that there was no room for anything else. But this is much more compact. It is so easy to set up. It is a really good bedside light going from really bright to a just on light. The alarm sound I use is a bird sound with a cuckoo. It also has a FM radio which is okay. I have used for the last 5 days and I have woken up in a better mood. I highly recommend.
The idea is simple – waking up slowly, gradually to the sounds of prerecorded nature or Radio 4 really does leave you feeling more well-rested and refreshed. And I know this because I’ve had a different Philips Wake up-light ( Philips HF3485 Wake-Up Light with Radio Alarm and USB Playback ) for over a year now and it’s worked wonders. This particular model, however, is just a little disappointing in comparison, despite not having a huge variation in price point.
The light on this unit is directional, so when on full brightness it acts more like a torch rather than lighting up the entire room, so it’s really only suitable for bedside use, rather than more general room lighting. There is also no USB port, which can be found in other models for playing other music.
Having said that, as a natural-light wake up lamp this is would beat any conventional bedside lamp. The light transition is smooth and gentle and the preset alarm noises are quite nice (although used regularly it can become less effective). The touch snoozing function means you can be gently nudged into awakeness and not have to dread hearing the alarm again. The menu is intuitive and not much fiddling is required to set the time and radio presets.
I would recommend it to anyone looking for an upgrade from a conventional bedside lamp and wanting a sexy-looking bit of furniture. But if you want more functions and you can afford a little more, then it might be worth looking at a different model.
This is currently Philips’ second Wake-Up light following this rather smart design, and the one with the most features. It includes a basic built in FM radio to listen to or use as an alarm, and two different sets of `bird songs’ to gently wake you up. I’ve tried the Philips Wake-Up Light HF3500/01 with Sunrise Simulation which lacks these features and also lacks a sunset function where the light slowly dims help you sleep.
The basic premise of both models is that the light simulates sunrise and thus wakes you more naturally. The light starts to come on slowly in the half hour before the actual alarm is set. I seem to be amongst the 8 per cent of the population who do not respond very well to the light and have found that either I’m dozing and the light wakes me earlier than I would want, or I am sleeping soundly and the light does not wake me at all until the radio comes on. I don’t think either light is really bright enough and certainly you and a partner will need two – one on each bedside table.
Nonetheless, the Wake-Up light clearly works for most people, can be used as a bedside light, and this model has a radio. The additional features are worthwhile but it does not have a dual alarm, is really a personal alarm, the radio has no memory presets and a poor speaker, and if the power fails even for a second, the clock is completely reset.
As it doesn’t work for me I’d rate the product at three stars or fewer, four stars though in the capacity of a Vine reviewer and how well it might work for others.
Wake-up lights are my favourite way to wake up, particularly in the winter. I’m not sure how well they combat SAD & personally I find the Philips HF3320 goLITE BLU Energy SAD Light far more effective for this purpose. Nevertheless, drifting in & out of a snooze over half an hour while the light increases gradually & the birdsong alarm eventually kicks in is far more pleasant than having my old audio alarm abruptly screaming in my ear-hole like a siren. I feel far more awake & less inclined to remain in bed once the half-hour is up.
As with my first Philips wake-up light alarm, the number of buttons is initially intimidating – particularly since it only comes with a small leaflet containing diagrams rather than written instructions. But because a lot of the buttons are in different places on the unit, I found I got used to them surprisingly quickly.
What I really like is that everything is adjustable – the lamp has 10 brightness settings (although my old HF3485 has 20) & the clock display has 4. You can program the maximum brightness which you want the lamp to light up to in the mornings & the volume of the FM radio. Speaking of the radio, I personally prefer using the natural sound alarms & timing my bedside DAB to come on halfway through the light-up cycle at a low volume because the FM signal in my bedroom isn’t great.
Overall I prefer the older cylinder-shaped model because its larger surface area ensures it lights up the whole room. While that one is 250 Lux & the HF3505/01 is 200, its smaller surface area means that it seems brighter on high settings when looked at directly. However, the HF3505/01 has the benefits of being less heavy, taking up less space, having a larger clock display & being very attractive.
At the time of writing, the prices of both types are very similar, so which one you go for will come down to personal preference. But I would certainly recommend getting a wake-up light to everyone, regardless of the model.
The Philips Wake-Up Light is a 20cm diameter white plastic clock radio with a slight difference. The centre of the light houses a digital clock with large orange numerals. Surrounding this display are the various buttons used in the day to day operation of the clock and they too glow orange when activated by touching near the digital display. All the clock face buttons are touch operated. Outside this circle of controls is the lamp itself and LED’s are utilised to give an even illumination around the lamp with a colour temperature approximating to early morning sunlight. At the rear the clock’s ‘foot’ houses the radio and speaker along with a number of switches that should only be needed during the initial setting up of the clock. The mains cable and FM antenna wire also exit via the ‘foot’.
In operation the LED’s in the lamp start to illuminate 30 minutes before the alarm sounds. They come on gradually up to the light level you have previously set. The alarm itself can be FM radio or one of two pre-set bird songs. The light can also be used independently as a bed side lamp.
The ‘foot’ of the unit contains the bird song/FM radio selector switch, the clock setting button and the display brightness buttons. The touch buttons on the front of the light allow you to switch the lamp on and off, adjust its brightness, set the alarm time, turn the alarm on and off, tune and turn on the radio and adjust the volume. Tapping the top of the lamp while the alarm is sounding gives you 9 minutes snooze time.
I have used the lamp for a couple of days now and after a little experimentation with the settings have found it quite effective in use. Provided you don’t have the lamp set too bright it is quite pleasant these darker mornings to wake up to a natural light.
Two things I wasn’t very happy with and caused me to dock the item a star is firstly there is no battery back-up with the clock so if the power supply fails, which in my part of the country it tends to do on a fairly regular basis, all your settings are lost and consequently no alarm. Secondly the complete manual for the lamp is not supplied with it. You get a ‘Quick Start Card’ and an ‘Important Information Booklet’ but if you want to read the full manual you have to go to the Philips web site. As the full booklet could easily be printed on a A4 piece of paper I feel this is penny pinching gone a little mad!
However I do really like this unit, perhaps these winter mornings will no longer be too dark.
This really is a visionary product and has a look and feel that I haven’t experienced before. – I think Philips have come up trumps with this sunrise lamp.
Out of the box this product looks unusual – it is effectively a white disc around 180mm in diameter and it weighs next to nothing – about 300g. It stands on its edge and is supported by small rubber feet and a stand at the rear which also contains the speaker. The lamp itself looks rather like a “mini sun” – in the centre is the time display and around it are a series of primary control icons which are normally unlit but the moment you put your hand near the device it senses that you might want to make an adjustment and the icons illuminate – move your hand away and they go out – clever. The time setting and brightness are set by two controls on the base. There are four brightness settings for the time display and the range is well thought through from just a glow in the dark to quite bright. The controls including time setting are logical and easy to get used to.
To fulfil its purpose as a wake up lamp the device has a series of LEDs radially arranged around the front of the clock – these emit a yellow light to simulate sunrise. There are 10 light settings (as people have a different level of light sensitivity) and the maximum output is 200 Lux which is actually quite bright especially when the source is close to you in a darkened room. The wake up cycle is 30 minutes during which the intensity of yellow light rises to mimic sunrise and wake you more naturally. There is a snooze facility and you can choose to wake to the radio (FM only) or one of two natural birdsong sounds. The radio/sound quality is acceptable but not by any means HiFi – it is akin to that from a smallish portable radio and uses a wire antenna that can be put out of sight. My belief is that this product is not intended as conventional clock radio – it is a sunrise alarm clock. The lamp can also be used as a static bedside light too and is amply bright for that purpose.
Philips claims that independent medical tests have proved this product wakes you more naturally and feeling more energised which improves your mood. After a few mornings use I do feel better being woken by this lamp and can believe the research. Philips claim only their sunrise lamps have been evaluated independently and are clinically proven to work.
So are there any downsides? – firstly, this sunrise light has only one alarm, and, because of the need to be in proximity of it, a couple would, arguably, need one each in a large bedroom. The second point is that the emphasis is on the sunrise LED technology not the radio/audio output and the fact that some other models don’t have the radio and only one sound option supports this view. Also, on the face of it the HF3505 does seem quite expensive but I suspect some of the cost arises from development of the sunrise technology. However, these facts are reasonably obvious to a would be purchaser so I haven’t deducted a star.
This is a unique looking and carefully developed product that delivers its core functionality of helping you wake more naturally and refreshed very well indeed. The looks will always be subjective but they are truly original and so different from other offerings I have seen. Recommended.
Innovative product from Philips that gradually increases illumination of a white plastic disc from very faint to bright in the 30 minutes before your audible alarm (two types of sound, or FM radio station) goes off. Well made (as you would expect from Philips) and about the size of a side-plate, with a stand/base that sticks out at an angle at the back. Comes complete with mains lead that plugs into the base of the unit and has a thin wire FM aerial attached too.
Controls are pretty intuitive to use, and the key ones controlling the radio, volume, alarm and light intensity are on the face of the disc. I found the ‘quick start’ guide quite easy to follow when setting it up. There are also two buttons on the supporting stand that allow you to set the time, and the brightness of the orange clock digits on a scale of 1-4. 4 is very bright indeed, and you might find that obtrusive at night – we have it set on 2, which you can only just read in sunlight, but is nice and gentle at night.
You can also set the brightness of the illuminated disc, on a scale of 1-10. Again, the top end of the scale is very bright and easily enough to read by, so you could use this as a bedside light. We have it gradually getting brighter to a point of 7 or 8, which I find is ample illumination to wake up to.
Good clear icons on the display which indicate whether the alarm is set, that the radio is on, and that the illumination sequence has started. The alarm can be ‘snoozed’ for 10 minutes at a time just by touching the edge of the disc.
Unusual and a new concept for me, but easy to learn how to use, and I like this very much.
I love the simple, almost extra-terrestrial appearance of the lamp and find the soft, but clear, digital time display very relaxing. Most of the essential controls are located on the face and are operated by touch. Some others are located on the supporting stand at the rear of the lamp. Needless to say it is beautifully made and, from past experiences of Philips products, feel confident that it will offer extended use. Their technology is innovative and very reliable. I have made great use of their SAD lamps over the past 3 years and swear by them. I look forward to being pampered with this latest offering.
It is not cheap, but quality rarely is. Some might consider it a bit of a luxury. It possibly is! Others might say it is an extravagance. Probably is! If, however, you don’t mind waking up feeling really good on chilly Winter mornings, you might feel it’s cheap at the price. Treat yourself. You’re worth it!
It looks good and initially seems well designed but it has turned out to be very annoying.
The clock display digits in a bright orange glow are far too bright in a dark bedroom but annoyingly also illuminate the background around the digits making the display an indistinct orange glow compared to the sharp display on a normal digital clock.
Edit…23 Oct…See the useful comment below……Cringe…
The biggest concern is the fact that where I live we get frequent power drop outs of only a few seconds at a time where the lights may go off for a second or two. On this device any power cut or unplugging means it goes back to the factory default settings.
You then need to set the time, the am/pm setting, the alarm setting, the brightness setting and retune and set the FM radio back to a channel.
Most clock alarms have a battery backup to retain all these settings if there is a power cut but unfortunately not this.
Option 2 on the birdsong alarm has a cuckoo which I can’t see many people wanting to select compared to the radio.
I do like the idea of a gradual build up of light prior to the alarm time but I can’t see anyway of selecting just this without the audio. You can workaround this by setting the volume to its lowest setting I suppose.
I thought it would be a really good item but overall it is disappointing .