The tone of the buzzer can be changed, and you can opt to turn the flashing lights on or off. You can wake up with just the vibration or a buzzing sound or combine them. I liked that this alarm was pretty customizable for the price. The resulting sound wasn't very muffled, either. Even with a very thick mattress, I could feel the alarm buzzing from the other side of the bed. If you sleep with a partner in your bed, there's a good chance this alarm will wake them up too. But for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, a physical alarm that isn't sound-based could be useful if a light-based alarm isn't reliable enough. It's not exactly a pleasant way to wake up, and the vibration isn't silent either. Put the puck-like shaker under your mattress, and the vibration will almost certainly jolt you awake. Pros: Reliable, strong vibration, optional soundĬons: May disturb your partner, not a gentle wake-up, not intuitiveĭespite the name, the Sonic Bomb Extra-Loud Alarm Clock doesn't solely rely on sound to wake you up.

The Fitbit Inspire 2 is a great budget option. If you don't need as many bells and whistles, the brand's other wearables have similar vibrating alarms.

It's especially good for fitness and sleep tracking. The Charge 5 is one of Insider Reviews' favorite Fitbits. This is supposed to make you feel less groggy than if you woke from a deeper sleep. There's an optional 'smart wake' feature on the alarm that will detect when you're in a lighter stage of your sleep cycle and will wake you up then, up to 30 minutes before your alarm is scheduled to go off. I didn't find this perfectly accurate (it said I was awake for much longer than I was one night), but it still offered some useful insights. It would be nice if there was a bit more personalization.īecause the Charge 5 is also a sleep tracker, it monitors when you go to bed and get up. It only vibrates for about 15 seconds before automatically snoozing for 9 minutes, and there isn't a way to change either duration. The buzzing is very insistent and can be pretty jarring.

You can set up to eight alarms right on the device and choose each day you want it to go off. Plus, many Fitbit models are at least $100 less than an Apple Watch. The Fitbit Charge 5 can go about a week before you need to plug it in. Usually, I wear an Apple Watch and am consistently awoken when it vibrates on my wrist when the alarm goes off.īut my Apple Watch battery only lasts around 18 hours, and not everyone remembers to charge their watch every night before bed. Pros: Won't disturb your partner, logs sleep, good battery lifeĬons: Requires regular charging, not a gentle wake up, lacks some customizationįor a reliable, difficult-to-ignore, and nearly silent alarm, a wearable is the way to go. I found it pretty ineffective when I used a sleep mask, for example. The app is easier than the on-device controls, which could be a bit clunky. You'll need the accompanying SleepMapper app ( iOS and Android) for most of this functionality. You can choose how long before your alarm goes off you want the wake-up cycle to begin, between 5 and 40 minutes. You can set over a dozen alarms with different light hues several sound options, from waves to birds to Nepal bowls and varying snooze lengths. But if your partner is a light sleeper, they may wake up from the brightness.Īlmost everything about the SmartSleep Connected is customizable. I found that I wasn't disturbed by the light when it was on my partner's nightstand if I was facing the other direction. It gets pretty intense, which you might need if you're a deep sleeper. You can increase the brightness level (or fully go without the light if you prefer). There are sound options, too, if you need them, including FM radio. Before your alarm is scheduled to go off, it dimly lights up then gradually brightens as your wake-up time approaches. If your goal is a completely silent wake-up, the Philips SmartSleep Connected light might work for you.

Pros: Very customizable, has options for helping you fall asleep, gentle wake-up, optional sound, many alarmsĬons: Light alone may not work for everyone, on-device controls aren't intuitive, may disturb your partner

Battery backup: No, but the device will work for 8 hours during a power outage.

Super loud annoying alarm clock