Philips Wake-Up Light Alarm Clock Coloured Sunrise Simulation, 5 Sounds and Radio Function – HF3520/01
 |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simulation | Sunrise and sunset | Sunrise and sunset | Sunrise |
| Brightness settings | 25 | 20 | 10 |
| Light intensity | 310 Lux | 300 Lux | 200 Lux |
| Wake-up sounds | 8 | 5 | 2 |
| Relaxation sounds | 3 | X | X |
| Snooze function | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| SleepMapper app enabled | X | X | X |
| Charges mobile phone | ✓ | X | X |
| Weight: | 1.11 kg |
| Size: | 5 Sounds and Radio |
| Dimensions: | 7.39 x 18.69 x 28.4 cm; 1.11 Kilograms |
| Model: | HF3520/01 |
| Part: | HF3520/01 |
| Colour: | Transparent |
| Pack Quantity: | 1 |
| Batteries Required: | No |
| Batteries Included: | Yes |
| Manufacture: | Philips |
| Colour: | Transparent |
| Quantity: | 1 |
| Size: | 5 Sounds and Radio |
The size is bigger than I expected but once I started to use it I really love the design. The light is very comfortable and very good as a reading light. I think the instruction is really easy to follow – only took me about 3 minutes to understand all the functions and how to use different buttons etc. I really love the bird sound feature which is very enjoyable experience in the morning listening to the bird sound when getting up from bed. I only give 4 star as I agree with other reviewers – the button is not obvious so when you want to stop the alarm or change the light etc. you have to carefully see the buttons on top of the clock and choose the right one. It’s a design flaw. Also I think the clock/light is on the expensive side – the radio is useless. Philip can actually take off the radio function and reduce the price to something around 5-60GBP which would be more reasonable for a wake-up light.
1. There is no battery backup so if power goes out it loses the time.
2. There is no 7-day schedule, so if you want to get up later on a Sunday you have to set it every Saturday night, then set it back again every Sunday night (it will remember 2 wake-up times).
3. The built-in sounds are good, but they’re just sound files. Why can’t it play mp3s? In addition the speaker hisses badly at anything above half volume.
4. The radio is only FM, not DAB. That means you get a choice of 11 stations all playing bad pop music.
5. The product has a sleep light, which starts dim and gets dimmer over a short period of time. You enable this mode manually, but sometimes instead of turning on at the preset brightness, it turns on at full daylight brightness. This is far from ideal and only serves to wake you up at bed time.
I suspect most of the above limitations are due to insufficient competition in the marketplace. Maybe someone will make a replacement circuit board for the device that fixes all this. The light itself is excellent, the device is easy to use and it looks great. I got the 5-sounds version with the red-to-yellow light.
Leave the phone in another room and buy yourself on of tese!
Best alarm clock, for all the reasons states in many other reviews.
The ergonomics are very pleasant and the whole appliance just delivers. The radio function is not to rave about but, if you end up using it, it will work well enough. The addition of red light hues is a plus, in my opinion, and, despite the price, I think the product is worth every penny. It has “calmed” my wake ups, made them immensely pleasurable, and allowed me to start the day in much better mood. Thanks to the “going to” bed and dimmable settings, it is also great for easing slowly into sleep.
I honestly find that I’ve been sleeping better sinceI’ve placed this light next to my bed and excluded all electronics form the room, particularly the phone I used to use as an alarm
Very large light but like the fact you can touch anywhere on it to snooze. Haven’t yet found diff sounds on it, just birds and radio
I purchased the 5 sounds and radio version. The radio works well and the sounds will wake you up without being jarring. You can set two alarm times and turn them off easily by pressing either of the dedicated buttons. It’s also very easy to change the time of the alarm as and when you need to. It definitely helps me wake up in the morning especially with the winter creeping in with the dark mornings.
It was absolutely worth spending the extra for the top model, as it allows for more adjustment to get the most comfortable wake-up call.
This product works well i.e. for waking up on dark winter mornings!
Nice bright light by the time the alarm goes off – much easier to get out of bed in the dark winter mornings.
Easy to set up and use. A must have for all those who struggle to get out of bed in the dark winter months.
I wake up easier than before. However, it is not a miracle I still snooze it 🙂
Definitely better than classical as you don't get shocked when you wake up immediately.
One missing feature is the battery, as the clock resets when electricity goes out.
Pros:
– it works, I wake up without problems once the light reaches my eye lids;
– I love its ability to change light colors smoothly from dark red to bright white;
– helpful gentle nature sounds.
Cons:
– annoying interface, always ending up pressing wrong buttons;
– have to set up alarm everyday, no function to save for specific days;
– bit annoying shape, keeps falling when pressing buttons in the morning.
In general, recommended. It does the job, just sometimes lots of work.
Love this, although to turn alarm off you need to switch it off which means I need to then switch it on again. Also snooze only turns music off, not light. Other than those small nagging things, works well
My previous alarm clock was a bog standard 25 Philips one. It was a no frills item and did the job. However I HATE getting out of bed on a morning. I’m one of these people that has 8 alarms set on my mobile phone (that is hidden across the bedroom so I have to physically get out of bed to silence it) along with alarms set on my alarm clock.
I’d recently managed to kill my old alarm clock when vacuuming behind the bed (the vacuum ate the wire) so figured I’d check out amazon since I’m a prime member and get the free delivery. I’d set out with a 30 budget but once browsing amazon I discovered the wonders and promises of these wake up light alarm clocks and the 30 budget went out of the window.
So. First impressions. It is nicely constructed and has a reasonable weight to it. As another reviewer has said it wouldn’t look out of place in an Apple showroom. In terms of build quality I don’t see any issues.
For me (I’m 28 and quite into tech) it is very easy to use and operate. Although I did have to sit for 10 minutes with the user manual to figure out how to change the alarm sound effects, alarm volume and wake up light brightness.
When it comes to the wake up light alarm feature. It really does work! I don’t spring out of bed on a morning full of beans. But I no longer need multiple alarms and I no longer fall back asleep after the alarm has sounded.
There have been a few days where I wasn’t quite sure if the wakeup light had woken me up before the alarm had sounded or if I’d been woken by family members clattering about the house. I have mine set so that the gradual sunrise effect starts 30 mins before the alarm sounds… by the time the 30 minutes is up the sunrise has completed, the sound effects start and the light is burning a hole in your eyelids if you have it set to its brightest setting and on a bedside unit.
There was one day where the wake up light feature didn’t really work because I’d slept facing away from it… however once the alarm itself started to sound I woke up and stayed awake because the bedroom was light from the wake up light feature.
This morning confirmed it for me. At first I thought I was dreaming. It was one of those weird half dreams where you’re half asleep and half awake. I was dreaming I was stood on a hill watching the sun rise, but then I mentally woke up a bit more and realised it wasn’t a dream and what I was seeing was the light from the alarm clock, through my eyelids, nearing its brightest setting prior to the alarm sounding. I opened my eyes and woke up properly just as the alarm started with the sound of birds tweeting. I felt refreshed and properly awake…. something that never usually happens for me at 5am!
In a nutshell…. For me it does work and I’m very happy with it. Yes it is expensive at 120 but it makes waking up on a dark winters morning much easier. It is nicely constructed and knowing what I know now, if I was to go back in time I’d have no hesitations in buying this item again.
For improvement – It’s a pretty short loop for the alarm sounds. As others have mentioned, although you can get the radio to work with the sundown function the alarms don’t which I was annoyed by at first but then reasoned that the short loop on the sounds wouldn’t have made for great experience anyway. The buttons are quite small around the edge – It’s fine if the light is on and your looking right at it, but in the morning or night when you’re leaning over from the bed (which is when you’re more likely to be using it) then you will hit the wrong buttons. It’d be nice if the 2 alarms could have different tones/volumes.
This product is expensive and I wouldn’t say it was really worth how much I paid (even on an Amazon lightning deal). It is a good product but isn’t perfect and I don’t think it needs to be this expensive.
bit pricey for an alarm clock LOL, but it does make a difference as im the type who has at least 4 alarms on my phone and an alarm clock and i just about wake up after a good 7-8 hour sleep session. i now have 2 alarms on the clock and 1 on my phone as a backup just in case. only used it for a few days but already feel it works and can tell.
the light is suuuuper bright so when you wake up you already feel like waaahhh and forces you up and out to switch it off… which is a GOOD thing and what you want specially in cold winter months like jan/feb where i wake up daily at 5am.
I can categorically say yes they are!
When you put the clock into going to sleep mode – it really helps me personally drop off to sleep as the light slowly dims like a sunset would. And the wake up feature works the opposite way and I find myself waking up just before my alarm goes off making it easier to get out of bed for me. And as you are used to the light, when you visit the bathroom, the lights are not so much of a shock!
I like the alarm tones as well. You can choose from a few but I wake up to the sound of birds and spa music.
A few people have mentioned the lack of DAB and honestly? I was disappointed that it doesn’t come with it. However, as I use it as just an alarm clock, I don’t miss it at all and don’t think it detracts from the experience.
So to conclude – it definitely is not a gimmick in my opinion and an excellent investment to help you sleep and to wake you on a morning. The build quality is excellent and I would highly recommend!
Pros:
— Well made
— different buttons for the different functions (alarm 1, alarm 2, sleep, light and light level, radio and radio volume)
— by far the best point is the light is not directional, compared to my previous products, which means it wakes you up even if you aren’t directly looking at it
— the colour changes work really work well, especially on the sleep timer as i find the deep orange/red very relaxing before falling asleep
— not plasticy and has enough weight to not move easily or get pushed over by wandering cats
Cons:
— the built in sound effects aren’t very good
— the led time display is still a little too bright for me even on the lowest contrast, however, it didn’t take long for me to get used to it
— the touch sensitive menu buttons on the front can be a bit fiddly but once you’ve set it up you don’t really have to use them, instead you use the physical push buttons around the edge
The brightest setting is quite strong but I wouldn’t call this a SAD lamp, but as a dawn simulator it’s very good.
As others have said if it had DAB radio and better sound effects it would be great.
Tell you what, it bloody works and that’s pretty much all you need to know. As a prolific snooze button hitter and general hater of alarms, this wakes you up ever so gradually and with minimal trauma – it’s marvellous. Even my fiance (who is the last person out of bed even on a good day) is dead impressed with it. Wish I’d bought one years ago
Have used this to wake myself up on winter mornings. Works well and the light quality is very good, perhaps a greater variety of sounds could help to improve this product. Reasonably easy to use without instruction.
My partner and I love it – we fall asleep to a slowly dimming light and wake up gently to a brightening light and, when the alarm is ready to go off, bird song. It can take a few days to get everything just the way you want it – the light this bright, the alarm this loud and so on – but you’ll wake up slightly before the alarm if you’re anything like us and the bird song is gentle enough not to jerk you awake. I’d advise having a secondary alarm as a backup – on your phone or the like – but so far, we haven’t needed it.
If you have trouble getting up in the morning, it’s worth the money!
I bought this to replace the Lumie Bodyclock Lumie Bodyclock GO 75 Wake Up Light Alarm Clock with Sounds and much prefer this.
Compared to the Lumie, this is brighter (I think, haven’t had them side by side but that was one of the reasons I sent the Lumie back).
Also, this can double as a bedside lamp, which the Lumie can’t quite because it turns itself off after 90 minutes.
Looks like some reviewers don’t, but I like the button placement on this. It’s clear which of the two alarms you are turning on/off as they are on opposite sides.
And I like the way you tap the whole thing to snooze the alarm.
Granted I bought this when it was discounted to 75. If I was paying full price I would think it should offer a little more at that price e.g. a function to come on and off at random to act as home security.
I bought this to replace the Lumie Bodyclock Lumie Bodyclock GO 75 Wake Up Light Alarm Clock with Sounds and much prefer this.
Compared to the Lumie, this is brighter (I think, haven’t had them side by side but that was one of the reasons I sent the Lumie back).
Also, this can double as a bedside lamp, which the Lumie can’t quite because it turns itself off after 90 minutes.
Looks like some reviewers don’t, but I like the button placement on this. It’s clear which of the two alarms you are turning on/off as they are on opposite sides.
And I like the way you tap the whole thing to snooze the alarm.
Granted I bought this when it was discounted to 75. If I was paying full price I would think it should offer a little more at that price e.g. a function to come on and off at random to act as home security.
I’ve had this for 4 months. I’m not jumping out of bed wide awake but the gentle wake up, by either light or sound, is much nicer than a standard alarm shocking me out of a deep sleep! It took me a few weeks to get the optimum brightness, sound (I prefer the radio option) and volume, since then it’s great. The going to sleep feature is particularly useful.
There are cheaper options and I considered them, however this does everything I want and I’m glad I didn’t compromise. As some other reviewers found the only downside is that the buttons are a bit small and fiddly.
It looks good too.
Snooze function great, and the light is perfect. Would be five stars but turning off the alarm is slightly fiddly and you have to switch it on every evening. Doesn’t automatically come on at the same time every day.
It was bigger than I was expecting, and it’s a little confusing to work, but that will go over time; but I had one of the most peaceful wake ups I’ve ever had! A beautiful light sunrise (in the middle of winter) and a lovely nature/bird song.
This is an excellent alarm clock. I’ve found it much more pleasant waking up to the sunrise function that starts with warm soft light and proceeds to full daylight. It’s easier on the eyes and is already helping me regulate my sleep better. The sunset function for going to sleep is also great and the fine control (20 settings) of the intensity of the light makes it great for bedtime reading. Currently rather than the radio I’m using one of the preset sounds – a cuckoo and various forest noises. It’s great 🙂
Love this, very happy with the gradual wake up and also the ‘go to sleep’ function which I didn’t think I would use beforehand but have really liked. Very glad I chose this over the other cheaper options on amazon. I was quite confused by the user ratings which seem to be dominated by cheaper products which do not have the same functionality but are dominated by 5 star reviews from people who have been given the item for free or a vastly discounted price. My advice would be to ignore any review which cites this & instead look for the features you want in a wake up clock.
We purchased the light when the clocks changed for British winter time. The light is really helping my daughter to wake up on a morning who suffers from Chronic Fatigue, she is no longer in the deep ‘coma’ type sleep although still not fully awake it is certainly helping the waking up process. The only downside, the radio is very poor and not a good sound.
I don’t know how, but it does make waking up at 7:30am less traumatic! For me, having used it for about 2 months, since November, I have found it has a very subtle but real effect. Your body really does respond to the simulated sunrise – easing you gently into consciousness. For those of you who are afternoon, rather than morning people, I’d recommend.
It’s very well made and my only criticism is that it’s an FM radio, but I think they have brought out a newer model to address this. Plus that’s not the reason I bought it.
Since i bought this amazing wake up light from phillips i am waking up much more refreshed no matter how much sleep i have. if it’s just 3 or 4 hours, it doesn’t matter with this light, i always wake up fresh and no loud screeching from one of those old fashioned alarms.
Overall this is a must buy if you want to be woken up gradually, not jolted awake and be fresh all day.
I bought this for 80 on a deal of the day and I cannot believe how well it works, it really does light up the dark mornings of winter. The transition from dull deep red to bright gold followed by the dawn chorus makes getting up a really pleasant experience. having two different alarm settings is great for the workday/weekend routine. Its works so well I bought another for my daughter.
The only niggle is the positioning of the push switches around the edge of the lamp, they are not visible when viewing face on, problem solved with a sharpie pen.
Living in deepest darkest Scotland where the darkest day only has about 6 hours of light managing to wake up and function without feeling permanently hung over is sometimes quite a trial.
I’d heard about wake up lights before and was keen to see how well one worked I have been using this in tandem with my normal alarm on my phone and have noticed a positive difference on waking with this alarm clock.
This alarm mimics a sunrise with the light increasing from a deep red through orange to a yellow/white sun like colour and it does wake you up gently over the course of 30 minutes. There is then an alarm such as the sound of birds to indicate that the actual alarm time has been reached.
The brightness of the lamp is impressive if I forget to turn on another light source before switching it off my room is plunged back into darkness.
The lamp also includes an fm radio but I have never used this feature. I might were it DAB.
Pros – definitely an easier way to wake up.
The lamp intensity and timing is adjustable.
You can also use the lamp as a bedside reading lamp.
Time display is not overly bright so it doesn’t disrupt sleep.
Cons – Alarm has to be reset daily for it to go off the next day.
It’s not obvious where to hit the click to stop the alarm.
FM radio is becoming obselete.
Having to reset the alarm trigger each day is really the only annoying aspect, but I feel it is significant enough to remove a star from the rating. All in all though this is a decent bit of kit to help you get through the winter months of darkness.
The light is bigger than I expected but once you make space on the bedside table, it’s smooth lines and Apple-esque design are quiet a pleasing addition to the bedroom. The mechanical buttons on the edge of the light are a bit disappointing in this age of touch-control, but I suppose economies must be made – that said, this is a pricey light (and I bought it in the sale).
Does it work? Well, the light is certainly bright but fails to wake me up in the morning – I rely on the recorded birdsong to stir my stumps. Irritatingly – and inexplicably – this is played on a short and rather conspicuous loop.
I have been using it for a number of weeks and I have not noticed any improvement to my health or energy levels. I’m not sure that the wavelength of the lamp light is that which is used to treat SAD (if it was, I’m sure Philips would publicise it). With regard to the health claims, I would recommend that expectations are carefully managed and that you should be prepared to return it if it does not work for you.
For my own part, I am happy using it as a bedside lamp.
There is a ‘sunset’ feature, which I have set for fading from maximum brightness through dim red and off, over 5 minutes. It really does seem to take me gently into a state of remarkable relaxation, from which I just drop off – after decades of frustration at myself for not being able to get to sleep, it’s a revelation!
Waking up is equally impressive. I have my light set to fade up to full brightness over 20 minutes, and I find that just as it reaches full brightness, I’m awake, and not even groggy – I’m ready to get going. This too is impressive, after years of feeling like death warmed-up first thing in the morning! I used to use 3 alarms – my phone, an actual alarm clock, and an internet radio, but now I just need the light – I am genuinely amazed.
I’ve been using the light for a few months now, and I’m delighted that I bought it. It is expensive, and it took a leap of faith for me to trust in the claims Philips make, and to justify the cost, but it’s really been worth it for me – I wouldn’t be without it.
Just one slight negative – the sound quality is terrible! It’s OK if you just want a bit of radio, but all the alarm sounds are distorted and coloured (especially the bird-song, sadly), and I found that the poor sound made me wake up feeling annoyed! Fortunately, you can have the sound off during the wake-up-light function, which I do.
There are plenty of cheaper wake-up lights available, but I wanted one which fades all the way from bright white through red, and I feel it’s worth it – if I open my eyes as I’m dropping-off and see that dim red sun-on-the-horizon effect, I relax even more, which is really nice. As I’ve mentioned, this light has genuinely improved my quality of life.
OK, I’d better stop this review before I start writing poetry about the light!
Highly recommended.
I decided to try one of these clocks as part of my routine of wellness. I picked this one because it had good reviews. I’ve had it for about 6 months now. I started to see some real differences fairly quickly and I’m now into a much better routine. I’m not dragged from my sleep by my alarm, which means I’m not tired and grumpy when I start the day like I used to be. I am also starting fewer days with a huge migraine (I should put a medical disclaimer in here, as this is one of a number of things i have been doing).
I like that i can set a different alarm for the weekend if I want to and the light is bright enough to light the room if I want it to.
It wasn’t cheap, but it was worth it. A colleague has also bought a similar one in the last couple of weeks and is feeling benefits already.
Loses a star for being way overpriced, even though i got it at half price. Looks nice, a proper little sunrise in the morning. It keeps good timing & its good to wake up to my favourite radio station. Though i usually wake up to the light coming on itself. I like the fact you can put the light on and then set it to gradually go off over a set period of time…..
Good sturdy design, larger than i expected. Even with contrast set to its lowest, the time display is not as dim as I thought it would be in the dark but it’s not a major issue. i bought this more expensive version primarily because of the battery backup, in case the clock resets during any power outage.
It’s a shame the radio isn’t digital as obviously depending on where you are there is interference.
The tapping anywhere snooze function is good, the getting ready to sleep dimming down light function is good. I don’t find a problem with the buttons being on the edge, you get used to it pretty quickly.
I’m not sure if it’s waking me up but either way it’s nice not to have to wake up in the dark. I definitely still set my phone alarm just in case.
overall I would recommend this version of the wake up light. I looked at the Lumie in store and it just isn’t as sturdy.
One major pro is the LED light so you have long lasting and it’s not hot to touch, the Lumie was really hot when I felt it.
But so far – on balance – its exceeded expectations and I’m pleased with the thing – but in a four and a half stars rather than a five star way.
The only real concerns I do have are: ‘Tho it stands on a rectangular base, the shape and mass still makes me wonder could a carelessly swung out sleepy arm knock it to the floor? And being all glass and plastic would it survive that?
It looks pretty fragile. Have to trust the Philips engineers specified tough glass and plastic I guess.
Its pretty easy to set up. One minor set-up concern – The controls are a mix of touch screen areas on the face and buttons around the rim. Its easy to touch and trigger the face controls inadvertently. If there’s a way to lock the settings so that doesn’t happen I haven’t found it yet.
Honestly when I unwrapped it I thought what for is that much money. After using it for couple of weeks I realised that it is much easier to wake up, no need to snooze or get instantly annoyed by alarm sound. There is no magic though. You should set the annoying alarm as extra if you dont want to risk not waking up. My boyfriend never heard the alarm. Anyways considering my issues of sleeping too many hours, it helped a lo
I love this alarm clock! It is so nice waking up without some abrupt sound when you’re in the middle of a dream!
The light naturally wakes me up with ease, every morning. Even though I’m awake, I tend to stay lightly snoozing until the ambient sounds kick in, but the light wakes me up without fail each time and I feel great for it!
My mood has massively improved too. I used to really struggle with the dark mornings and would find myself staying in bed way past my alarm time.
It’s also really easy to use.
I would highly recommend this clock 🙂
Much prefer waking up with this alarm than my old phone alarm. Waking up is more gradual and there is no shock which is nice.
Overall a good product but I think there could be more customisable features for the price paid.
I really like this clock. The sunrise is beautifully done, and waking up to beach sounds (there are several options) suits me fine. The lighting is good, it’s a decent size. I do need to watch out that I don’t push too hard on the side buttons as the base is quite small compared to its overall size; add to that it’s roundness and it can have a tendency to roll. But this clock is stylish, dresses my room up actually and it just has a nice vibe. I feel good using it. Is it worth its hefty price tag? Well, if I had a do-over I’d still buy it, so clearly it’s worth it to me.
Easy to set up and adjust. The radio sounds okay, but I wasn’t expecting a big booming system. I like the light fading in and out, even when used as a nightlight. DEFINITELY a better way to wake up in the morning.
I have found this to help, but you also need to be realistic with you sleep pattern and make sure you are going to bed at the right time to get up at a specific time. On average we sleep in 90 minute cycles (varies slightly between individuals) and trying to wake up in the middle of a cycle is harder.
So once I’ve set my alarm I work out when I need to go to bed so I wake up in a better part of the sleep cycle, as well as having the sunrise and bird song. On average I go to sleep at about 11pm and have my alarm set for 6.30am. I feel better waking up now with these settings.
it starts with a lovely red glow, becomes more yellow and moves to bright white over 30 mins.
(remember, it only wakes you up, you still have to choose to actually get up).
Software settings arent very user friendly and its a pain having to re set the alarm every night. The radio quality isnt great, but i never expected it to be and dont plan to use it.
be aware there is no beep beep type alarm. only various relaxing sounds. I live near a nature reserve so bird sound wont wake me up. I use the soothing piano music. You can set it very loud so it works fine.
Crazy expensive for what it is, but it does work as hoped!
I wasn’t sure whether this would be worth the money as there are cheaper wake up lights out there but it really was.
Firstly the gentle, soft light is a nice light to be woken up by. It can be quite close to the bed without hurting your eyes first thing in the morning which I have had with other alarms.
I agree the alarm sounds are a bit harsh and naff for a product of this price, but I’ve always preferred the radio anyway.
the gentle light also means that those light sleepers are woken up as soon as the light starts coming on, which is a problem I’ve had with other lights
It definitely works, and has made waking up much easier for me. I am always awake before the actual alarm turns on.
It makes a nice night time reading light too.
For those who struggle to wake up in the dark and it’s cold, this actually has helped counter it. I really like that it brightens slowly before your alarm goes off, and by the time you wake up it’s much easier to get out. Your mood is in a good place and makes for a nice ambient beside lamp! The price is a bit of a punch, but would highly recommend for those who might have the winter blues due to the lack of sunlight. Or anyone who might wake and sleep when it gets dark. I’d say it was a good investment in the long run!
The instructions are also fairly easy to get around as well. Would recommend 🙂
I’m pleased with this although I’m not sure why it’s so expensive!!
Touching the lamp doesn’t seem to snooze it as it says in the booklet I’m not bothered by that.
Nice bright light and I’m definitely waking up better. The sunset function is a nice touch. Alarms offers good variety of sounds and volumes. Easy to programme if you just work through the booklet.
My only real gripe is that you can’t turn the clock light off. As someone who wakes up a lot i don’t want to know the time or see the light . I’ve had to cover up the clock at night!!
Overall I love the functionality of this clock and would definitely recommend it as a sunrise wakeup alarm clock. I particularly like having 2 different alarm settings which I use for weekdays and weekends. On the downside, the control buttons on the rim are difficult to locate, especially in the dark – I have stuck little blobs of white tack to raise the profile of the on/off buttons and am very happy with the result. Come on designers – sometimes a bit of practicality is needed over sleek design!
Buy it and don’t look back!
The light alone isn’t waking me up yet but as I’m suffering fatigue at the moment, I’m hopeful it will in the future. I really love the different sounds and find it much nicer to wake to these rather than my phone alarm. The ability to adjust the light level is fantastic and I’ve used the dusk setting a few times too. Downside is that it’s a bit fiddly to hit the right button on the sides and it’s a shame you can’t automatically set the 2 alarms by day of week.
Completely different way to waking up. Took a little getting used to it but once that happens mixed with a regular bed time your body feels completely improved all of a sudden. It’s a lot easier to wake up in the mornings. Only 4 stars as the radio does receive a fair bit of interference and it seems I can only get two stations, one really clear and the radio one with patchy signal. In my other devices radio seems to work fine. Anyhow, I did not buy it as a radio, so the wake up mode is absolutely fabulous. It’s my first alarm of this type but now going back to a mobile phone alarm clock seems rudimentary to say the least. Would highly recommend. Even at the steep price tag.
Brilliant alarm clock and the light is very bright and did actually help me wake up more naturally. When the alarm does go off it isn’t as much of a shock to the system as the light has already gradually brought you out of your deep sleep.
This isn’t a magic alarm clock that will make you love getting up in the morning (would be great if one existed though) but it definitely did the job for me.
Only slight downfall is the buttons on the top are hard to see/feel to switch when in bed. As they are only slightly raised and arw white the same as the casing. (this does make it look more stylist though in my opinion).
Just imagine waking up to sound of birds quietly singing, slowly opening your eyes and feeling content, a little stretch and straight out of bed and on with the day – no snooze needed no grumbles and even a romantic sunset at the end of the day! This actually happens everyday now, they say you can’t buy happiness but they are wrong, best buy ever!!
Love this – very pricey and would have given 5 stars if a bit cheaper – but makes getting up on dark days so much easier. A bit more attractive than the internet photos.
The wake up alarm is great. The number of settings for light and volume are more than enough to get whatever effect you like. The clock is easy to set and the buttons are easy to use. It does take up a substantial amount of space for an alarm clock, so I’ve used it to replace my bedside lamp as well as my alarm clock. I’d highly recommend this for anyone who needs a bit of light to wake up.
I bought this model after poring through the reviews and asking several questions. In summary, I am extremely pleased with it. On the positive side, it’s solidly made, has two separate alarm times, and has five different audio alarms, including radio. You can adjust the brightness and time of the sunrise, the type and max volume of the audio alarm, and it doubles up well as a bedside lamp. The menu controls are initially a tad bewildering, but once you understand the ‘philosopy’ of the menu, it’s very straightforward. The birdsong alarm is very pleasant, and also ramps up in volume over a while.
On the negative side, as some other reviewers have commented, the button to turn off the audible alarm and the light are fiddly and it’s easy to press the wrong one if you wake up a little dozy and the light is shining in your eyes – if you do. the light goes off or the radio comes on or other annoyances you don’t want to happen when you’ve just woken up. I’ve worked around this by using the no. 2 alarm (closest to me) for my weekday alarm and remembering that the alarm off button is at ‘2 o clock’. The birdsong alarm is very nice wo awaken to, but if you have it on a loud setting, you noticea fair bit of background noise.
The instruction manual is mediocre. It’s largely pictorial, and there is a lack of connection between what’s shown in the pictures and what you are actually adjusting. If I I were to recommend changes to the design, I would suggest the radio and light functions be kept on the circumference of the globe, as they are, but that the 1 and 2 alarm on/offs be made touch sensors on the front face, respectively left and right of the time display and safely away from the string of touch sensors for the menu.
All round, a good product and I gladly recommend it.
I have only used this for a few mornings and love it.
I am not yet too sure how effective the light is at waking me up and I seem to wake up about 20 times throughout the night and early morning anyway but the simple fact of waking up to a room illuminated in a lovely warm glow rather than the miserable winter darkness is worth it!
I bought this whilst it was on offer and I am so glad I did as I don’t think I would have ever managed to pay full price for it.
The bird song isn’t too offence and there are a number of options to choose from, or no option at all. I like the fact the light changes from a warm glow to a bright light rather than the same light.
I have also used the sunset mode which I really like – I think I am usually asleep by the time it finishes the 20 minute cycle – not for good though but that’s just my sleeping habits.
I found it easy to install and the display is simple to understand. You can set two different alarm times which I find useful as I work in two different locations so get up at two different times throughout the week. Rather than having to re-set the alarm every night I can just select alarm 1 or 2.
This was a fantastic buy. The novelty still hasn’t worn off, and I’ve had it for over a month. I’m not having to wake up in the dark yet, but my boyfriend is and it definitely seems to have a great effect. So much easier to get up. I love the transitions in light, and the fact that you can change how fast it transitions, too. The sunset option is great at night! Very happy with this.
For those looking to buy, and who may be confused by some posts, there are 3 key things you need to know:
1. It has a lamp which can increase its brightness levels over 20 steps. As a wake-up lamp, you choose how bright you want it to go up to. I have mine set to the maximum of 20.
2. The lamp has a timer which you set between 20 and 40 minutes. This is the time scale over which the lamp will step-up in brightness, up to your maximum level set in 1. above. I have mine set to the default of 30 minutes.
3. It has a sound alarm: any one of 5 built-in sounds; or the FM radio station which you pre-set. You set the alarm time for the sound alarm **NOT THE LAMP**. The lamp will come on before the sound alarm in the time scale you have set in 2.
So, as an example, I want to wake-up to the 0700 news headlines on the radio, so I set the sound alarm to 0659. Why not 0700? Because.the sound starts off quietly and increases, so as not to startle you. So you would miss the first 30 seconds of news! So set it a minute before.
Because I have the lamp set to the 30 minutes time scale, the lamp comes on at 0629. And over the 30 minutes, it gradually increases its brightness from a low orangey-red, to brighter red, to brighter yellow, to brighter white, to the brightest white set at the 20 level. Then at 0659 the radio comes on.
What I’ve found is that I tend to nod off several times over the time that the lamp is on. But the step change in light levels pulls me back out of it, stopping me crashing into a deep sleep. And so I need the radio to gently snap me out of sleep mode. But when the radio comes on, I don’t feel groggy or tired – just “chilled” and ready to get up. Quite remarkable.
Another bonus is that the clock itself is a nice orange coloured LED which is clear to read at night but doesn’t keep you awake (and I have it at its highest brightness level).
The unit seems overpriced in that my 10 year old radio alarm clock has DAB and 5 alarms which can be set to a day, weekdays or weekends. The Philips only has two and they can’t be set to a specific day. But thinking about it, you should try and get into a consistent sleep routine, so one alarm (or maybe two for a weekend lie in) should be enough.
Overall, very pleased I bought it as we roll into late Autumn and Winter.
It would be nice to have a better variety of alarm sounds. I’m using the light on this, but sticking to the phone for noise.
Have not tried the radio. Have no need of it — but a higher-level model with a memory-card music player would be just perfect!
Awesome alarm clock which really does help getting up, HOWEVER a you do have to put it near to your head/face for it to work in my opinion. Was having sleeping difficulties and feeling horrible in the morning whilst waking for a relatively stressful job. With this bad boy I’ve generally been waking up naturally 10-15 minutes before the alarm and as such I would definitely recommend. Feels strong and sturdily built. Only downsides Are the price, bit mental for an alarm clock and the fact that if you unplug you have to reset the time; quite annoying if you plan to move it around a little. Overall if you have a little extra cash I would recommend.
I do wake up before the alarm sound goes off, so I haven’t really heard the “seagulls and ocean waves” yet, and the light is on level 16. I don’t seem to have any issues with the buttons, I figured it out after the first few settings. I love the sunset option at night- I put it on while I read, for about 30 mins and by the end it’s hard to keep my eyes open. It is a gentle wakening, and it is nicer than an alarm sound pulling me out of a deep sleep. I still hate getting up in the morning, but this has made it much less painful. My husband gets up later than me, and he has said it doesn’t wake him up at all. Pretty expensive, but i think it should last for a long time, and it does work for me.
Love it. Makes waking up in the morning so much easier. A nice gentle wake up.
I like how the screen dims down in the dark. I’m very sensitive to light in the room from power supplies, tuner boxes etc. and the screen on this doesn’t bother me in the slightest. The only thing I could say is there could be more choice of wakeup noises. Haven’t tried waking up to the radio yet though.
Bought the lamp for my partner because he always had waking up problems with being grumpy and tired. He didn’t believe it would work for him and even blamed the lamp for waking him up in the middle of the night even though it was off 🙂 After a month of almost everyday use I must say it does work. The waking up process is slower and less stressful than with mobile alarm which makes all the difference. As soon as he wakes up he buries himself under the duvet though but that is another story.
Overall: great idea that does work but it could be 20-30 quid cheaper.
I’ve had this alarm clock for about 2 months now. Yes, I agree with other reviewers: the alarm clock is not without faults – no DAB, limited alarm scheduling, some buttons are placed in strange places. But I can look past all of these faults because the alarm clock does its job well. I usually wake up five to ten minutes before the alarm goes off. The light wakes me up. It starts with a gentle light which fades up to max brightness within 20 minutes. I have not used the radio yet, the built in alarm sounds are nice, and I only need a very low volume as the light does most of the work in waking me. Makes mornings less stressful compared to when I used my buzzing iPhone for an alarm: now the light is already on when I need to get up, I don’t bump into things in the dark, and there’s no horrid phone vibrating noise that used to jolt me out of my sleep. Summary: works well, but expensive.
I bought this because I was having trouble going to sleep and then trouble getting up in the morning. I had good reason to believe that it this was due, in part, because it was already dark when I went to sleep (this was autumn/winter time) and still dark when I woke up.
This has helped me both go to sleep (sunset simulation) and wake up. The brightness of the time display can be adjusted (I needed to knock it down to “1” to sleep) and it automatically dims and brightens as it goes through the simulations. I like the fact that lots of parameters, e.g. the duration of the sunset and sunrise simulations, can be adjusted.
I use the birds tweeting sound to wake up to. In the spring, I found that it was almost guaranteed to stop me falling back asleep as the birds outside replied! That’s both good and bad.
The reason why this is a 4* review and not a 5* review is because the front of the clock is, in essence, a touch screen. When half-asleep it’s easy to press the wrong button or, as the system activates when a hand is near it, press a button at the front when only wanting to press a button at the side. Consequently, I have inadvertently changed things that I did not want to. It doesn’t happen often but it annoying when it does.
Nice looking, good build quality, easy to use and most importantly I feel better waking up to it 🙂 My only complaint would be the sounds aren’t the best quality, and I only really use the first bird song which I think comes on the cheaper model too. Mi don’t know how much difference the reddish sunrise simulator makes, so maybe the cheaper model is the better buy, but I’m certainly happy with this.
First, this is a little expensive, but it is from Philips, so what do you expect? I really struggled to wake up during dark mornings before buying this product, setting 2 alarms just in case one failed to wake me. This has 2 alarms built in, plus the light which goes through 20 gradients of ‘sunrise’ red to white. You also have a choice of sounds to wake you up, which build in loudness. It has a reverse sunset mode that can be used instead of just switching off the light. I use all these functions daily. Please note the size as it is a little larger than I expected and I do not use the radio very often, though it tuned in well and the sound is good, but not hi-fi quality. If you also struggle to get out of bed in the dark, I seriously recommend this product.
As a long time sufferer of SAD I really struggle to get up in the winter when its dark in the mornings. I used my Android phone for a couple of years with the sleep as android app which was good but quite what I needed.
I started to look for an alarm clock with a wake up light and came across this Philips alarm. Its expensive, but its not just an alarm clock!! its very well built, it feels solid and is bigger than I thought it would be. The brightness has settings between 1 and 20, 20 being very bright. I have the light gently come on in the mornings over 20mins up to brightness 15 and this works well for me.
The alarm also has some very nice melodies too and you can tap the light to snooze the alarm, and the light remains on, a really gentle way to be woken up.
The only this I can mark this down on is as another person said … the FM radio. Seriously now, its 2013, not 1983!!!!!! Surely it wouldnt cost that much to add a 3.5mm audio jack, that way users could use their smart phones with the various apps available to play their own going to sleep or waking up melodies/sounds.
I recently also purchased a Philips HF3330 goLITE BLU Energy SAD Light in the Black Friday sales, I have this on my bedside table and set to come on once the Wake-Up light had reached its max brightness I’ve set. This way I get my 15mins of SAD treatment first thing and conveniently whilst I lay in bed … usually checking the news, etc, on my phone 🙂 It really does work!!!
Admittedly this item initially felt like waking up next to the centre of the sun but holy moly is it an excellent product! The guide suggests placing it within around a foot of your bed (so bedside table etc) – due to size restrictions I don’t do this and have it placed around 1 metre away on the top of an Ikea 6 drawer unit. I have to say that even with this adjustment it still works – I have it set to ‘go off’ (currently using the tweeting birds sound) at 5.25 so it starts to ‘wake up’ at 5am gradually increasing the brightness from there.
All in all an excellent product – beeping alarm clocks harshly bringing me out of my sleep in a shocking way are a thing of the past – I haven’t yet NOT woken up with this more gentle approach. The only thing I am concerned of is that the light on it is so good that I tend to use it as a lamp as well and don’t want it to burn out too quickly.
Pricey but definitely worth it – would recommend.
I would buy again.
I purchased this wake-up light to replace an old version by another manufacturer which had given up the ghost. Although a little tricky to get used to – with the various buttons, now that I am familiar with the controls I am really happy. The design is modern / retro. There are two alarms with a choice of sounds (nature effects and radio options) plus of course the sunrise facility which actually simulates a sunrise unlike my old lamp which simply became brighter. The display time / menu brightness is adjustable and I have it on the dimmest setting when I am sleeping and I don’t find it too bright. The only slight problem I have is reaching out and finding the right button to press, but this comes with familiarity.
Easy to program and easy to read display
There are plenty of long reviews for those who want the product described to you. As mentioned in another review I think the red light option is better than without, not that I have seen without, but you get a wider range of colour hues before the bright light really kicks in.
Put simply – this product is a must have.
quite large almost like a football but its footprint isn’t tooo bad.
Try to imagine it in your setting as its can blend nicely against a white backdrop or stick out like a semi-bad bit of modern art. The dim redish clock is quiet classy and visible from a fair amount of angle.
The wake up light is dazzlingly bright from such a small object; PROIVDED your either close to the thing(bedside) and/or the room is in the main a pale colour to reflect the light.
In rooms decorated in dark colours the sunrise effect will be much less hence some differing opinions about its brightness.
FM radio is okay but it is only FM, the outofthebox audio tracks(sea/waves etc) are alittle tacky and not particularly great quality but that’s not the point..
.this thing wakes you up in a polite way that really can make mornings easier in general.
If you are a frequent traveler this also helps greatly reset your body clock after travelling abroad
I’ve had previous versions of Philips Wake up Lights, as really liked the idea of waking up more naturally. Earlier versions which used bulbs, always went faulty so until i saw this LED version, i steered clear of the technology. This was relatively easy to setup, and works as described. The light is plenty bright enough and the sound effects sound clear. Also radio tunes in very well and sounds good. What this unit doesn’t do is allow you to set alarms based on week days/ weekends. So you have to manually de-activate alarm 1 or 2 so it doesn’t wake you up over weekend. Also, no where in the manual does it tell you how to stop the alarm from ringing. It only tells you how to snooze or turn off entirely the alarm. It turns out you just have to press the light button at top of alarm to suspend the alarm till the following morning (or whenever you have set the alarm for). It feels and looks like a quality alarm clock, and the display does dim and brighten in varying lights making it clear to read at all times, but does not disturb your sleep. If this unit had a week day/weekend setting it would be perfect.
– Pretty! This is the most aesthetically pleasing sunrise simulation clock I have ever seen, very sleek and shiny.
– No more clumsy buttons/dials. While the HF3480 is controlled by little dials on the side that double as buttons (very fiddly), this model uses a combination of buttons around the rim and a touch sensitive section beneath the clock face. The buttons control the basic functions – turn on/off and brightness (when using as a lamp), switch the alarm on, turn on the “go to sleep” function (sunrise in reverse). These are all nicely positioned with little ridges in the right places so you can use them easily in the dark.
– The light itself is beautiful with a greater range than the HF3480, changing in colour from a warm red to bright white, giving a much more natural feel to the effect.
– Speedy on/off for use as a lamp. The HF3480 was fiddlier in this regard, and slower to come to full brightness.
– It’s not a function I really use, but I’ve found the radio reception greatly improved.
I honestly have nothing negative to say about this model, except perhaps that it’s a bit pricey. But if you are thinking of buying a sunrise simulation alarm and are willing to pay for something top notch, I don’t think you could do any better.
NOTE: If you are also looking at the Philips HF3510/01 Sunrise Simulation Wake-up Light and wondering what the difference is, the HF3510/01 does not have a coloured light, simply a white light that gets brighter. The description for that product is currently misleading.
– Pretty! This is the most aesthetically pleasing sunrise simulation clock I have ever seen, very sleek and shiny.
– No more clumsy buttons/dials. While the HF3480 is controlled by little dials on the side that double as buttons (very fiddly), this model uses a combination of buttons around the rim and a touch sensitive section beneath the clock face. The buttons control the basic functions – turn on/off and brightness (when using as a lamp), switch the alarm on, turn on the “go to sleep” function (sunrise in reverse). These are all nicely positioned with little ridges in the right places so you can use them easily in the dark.
– The light itself is beautiful with a greater range than the HF3480, changing in colour from a warm red to bright white, giving a much more natural feel to the effect.
– Speedy on/off for use as a lamp. The HF3480 was fiddlier in this regard, and slower to come to full brightness.
– It’s not a function I really use, but I’ve found the radio reception greatly improved.
I honestly have nothing negative to say about this model, except perhaps that it’s a bit pricey. But if you are thinking of buying a sunrise simulation alarm and are willing to pay for something top notch, I don’t think you could do any better.
NOTE: If you are also looking at the Philips HF3510/01 Sunrise Simulation Wake-up Light and wondering what the difference is, the HF3510/01 does not have a coloured light, simply a white light that gets brighter. The description for that product is currently misleading.
a) I’m not half as grumpy in the morning when I wake up with this
b) I wake up ‘naturally’ via the light (I don’t even use the sound option)
c) I’ve tried it with our 4 year old (who needs dynamite to wake up) and he jumped out of bed happy, which is unfortunate as I now need to buy a second one.
So overall very good and easy to use.
It is quite pricey (for an alarm), however I would still recommend it.
Bought for benefit of my wife who was very sceptical. It does really work. She had real problems waking up. We have set for birdsong after “sunrise”. “Never going to be loud enough to wake me” was comment. In a way it was true. She is now awake on time but her comment was, that it wasn’t really the birds as she is always almost awake before they start. Which is the whole aim ! Be interested to see how effective in summer, but tends to be easier to wake then anyway. Sunset function is OK but personally I don’t have a problem getting to sleep.
I spent a long time agonising over whether I should buy a SAD alarm clock let alone one that’s so expensive. After reading all the reviews I decided that I would go for it.
Money well spent? The jury’s still out! It’s very well made and a beautiful thing to look at and have at the side if you’re bed but I’m not sure it makes a difference to my difficult mornings or my mental welbeing. Having said that I do love it and ironically my favourite feature is actually the dusk simulation which I find does make me fall asleep much faster and somehow much gentler than just turning a light off.
I’m hoping its going to be an iconic design years from now and I can one day justify the price!
What a great alarm clock, I’ve never liked waking up but with this slowly increasing light going from red all the way through to a nice yellowy white next to my bed and then the birdsong it’s actually a pleasure. I cannot recommend this enough, brilliant product simple to use and set up. The clock automatically dims when it’s dark and the sunset feature is also a real bonus, it really does seem to make you drowsy and ready to drift off. I know it’s expensive for an alarm clock but you won’t be disappointed.
HOWEVER, If it was say, 70 pounds then that would be much more reasonable.
Saying that though, despite the price. It is almost perfect if it had a few things:
dim lit control buttons so you can see in the dark..
a better radio, maybe DAB and with a store function would be handy!
and lastly, a remote control would make this perfect. (Some of us don’t have bedside cabinets!!) 🙁
Additionally I would like to say that the feature where it lights up when the room gets brighter is pretty cool, and the dusk simulation makes me feel like a baby again haha. very cosy light.
But I would definitely recommend this item if you have sleep issues or hate waking up in an alarmed manner (literally). Probably worth waiting for a price reduction however, and definitely opt for coloured sunrise model* !
Hope this has helped.