The best sunrise alarm clocks

Lumie, a Cambridge company founded in 1991, says it made the first wake-up light the following year. The Glow 150 is the pick for a sunrise that shifts colour like a real dawn.

• Sunrise of 20, 30 or 45 minutes
• Sunset fade for bedtime
• 10 sleep and wake sounds, incl. white noise
• Auto-dimming display
• 3-year warranty

What owners say: Owners like how the light builds slowly to a good brightness before the alarm and see the sounds as a bonus, though some find the buttons hard to spot.

More detailsHide details

A closer look: Set the sunrise to finish at your alarm time and let the light do most of the work; add a sound as a backstop if you’re a heavy sleeper. The sunset can fade to a nightlight instead of off, handy on a landing or in a child’s room. The display dims itself in the dark, so it won’t light up the room at night.

View on Amazon

For people who like to fine-tune: the sunrise runs anywhere from 15 to 90 minutes, and there’s an FM radio if you’d rather wake to the news.

• Sunrise and sunset of 15–90 minutes
• FM radio with 5 presets
• 15 sleep and wake sounds
• Fades to off or to a nightlight
• Auto-dimming display

What owners say: Owners say the sunrise makes a real difference on dark winter mornings and like the wide brightness range and the radio, though some found it fiddly to set up.

More detailsHide details

A closer look: A long sunrise suits slow wakers; a shorter one works better if you share the bed with an earlier riser. Keep the instructions handy for the first setup, as the menus take a little learning. You can wake to the radio, a sound or both.

View on Amazon

Lumie’s simplest wake-up light, with everything most people need: a 30-minute sunrise, a sunset for bedtime and a choice of five wake sounds.

• 30-minute sunrise and sunset
• 5 natural sounds or a beep
• 10 light levels for reading
• 6 mood colours
• 3-year warranty

What owners say: Owners say it makes dark winter mornings much more pleasant and like the mood colours, though some find the red display too bright at night.

Heads up: The display can be bright at night; set it to low or off.

More detailsHide details

A closer look: The display has high, low and off settings, so turn it down if it bothers you. With 10 light levels it doubles as a bedside reading lamp. A good first wake-up light for anyone unsure whether they’ll get on with one.

View on Amazon

Set it from your phone rather than a row of tiny buttons, or by voice through Alexa or Google.

• Sunrise over 0–60 minutes
• Sunset over 10–480 minutes
• App, Alexa and Google control
• 4 alarms with snooze
• Adjustable brightness

What owners say: Owners say it makes waking feel natural and peaceful, like having several alarms and unlimited snooze, and find it simple to use.

More detailsHide details

A closer look: The app needs 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, which most home routers provide. Separate alarms for weekdays and weekends save fiddling on a Friday night. The sunset can stretch over hours, useful for children who don’t like going to sleep in the dark.

View on Amazon

A wake-up light and white-noise machine in one, with a soft fabric front that looks at home on a bedside table.

• Sunrise of up to 60 minutes
• 20 natural sounds and 10 white noise
• 12 brightness levels, warm or cool
• Sleep timer of 30–180 minutes
• Fabric finish

What owners say: Owners find it a help on dark mornings and like all the light and sound options, though some wish it were brighter.

Heads up: It isn’t as bright as the Lumie models.

More detailsHide details

A closer look: The white noise and night light run on a timer, so they switch off once you’ve dropped off. It’s less bright at full power than the Lumies, so it suits a small bedroom better than a large one. A low-cost way to find out whether a light alarm works for you.

View on Amazon