Philips is a trusted name when it comes to making essential gadgets for your home and lifestyle, and the Philips SmartSleep Connected is no exception. It’s our top pick of the best sunrise alarm clocks, and is packed with great features to not only help you wake well, but get a good night’s sleep too. There are also plenty of features packed into this Philips alarm clock, which has different sounds and lights to give you exactly what you need to relax in the evening or gently wake in the morning.
And if you love the idea of using soothing sounds to drift off and wake up, we’d recommend taking a look at the best sound machines too, as these are designed to help aid concentration, mask tinnitus and help you sleep. For now, let’s dive into our Philips SmartSleep Connected review to see what’s on offer.
Philips SmartSleep Connected review: Overview
The Philips SmartSleep Connected is an impressive piece of kit, with intuitive technology and a raft of great features to help you wake up on time and drift off more easily. But according to the brand’s website, this body clock light can also improve your wellbeing.
The company gives details of a study that shows how its SmartSleep Connected light improves not only the quality of waking up, but can improve mood and make you feel more refreshed too, with 92% of its users finding it easier to get out of bed.
With its SmartSleep Connected alarm Philips has created a customizable gadget that puts not only sunrise and sunset at your fingertips, but gives you the option to control several relaxing sounds too.
There are other features on offer such as an FM radio, a SleepMapper app, and a midnight light that will make this alarm clock an indispensable part of your bedtime routine. And if you’re looking to really supercharge your sleep, take a look at oue guide to the best mattress online for all sleep positions, and the best pillows for sleep.
Philips SmartSleep Connected review: Spec
- Touchscreen display
- Radio
- App connected
- Midnight light
- Natural wake-up sounds
- Power backup
- USB charging
- RRP $219.95
Philips SmartSleep Connected review: Design
With its sleek circular shape, the Philips SmartSleep Connected is a great-looking device that should suit most bedroom decors. But beyond the looks, it’s also designed to be easy and intuitive to use.
The Smart Touch display enables you to control the sounds and light with a light press of the buttons. This display also adjusts automatically to the light in the room, so there’s no bright glare, or you can switch the display off completely if you prefer.
Other useful design elements include a gentle one-tap snooze and choice of eight wake-up sounds, four relaxation sounds and lights with four sun themes that vary in intensity and have 25 brightness settings to play with. You can also customize how long your ‘sunset’ and ‘sunrise’ light lasts as well.
We also love this device’s selection of sound – choose nature sounds, similar to those found on the best meditation apps, or pick ambient music or FM radio to wake up to or drift off to. Program the Philips SmartSleep Connected and your chosen sound will start off gently and gradually get louder. If you are very hard to rouse in the mornings, there’s also the PowerWake alarm, which is difficult to ignore with its traditional alarm clock sound and flashing lights. We guarantee you won’t be late for work with this!
Overall, the design of the Philips SmartSleep Connected is intuitive and streamlined, but it does pay to spend a little time with it in order to make sure it works for you.
Philips SmartSleep Connected review: Features
The Philips SmartSleep Connected is one of the more expensive sunrise clocks on the market, but you get a great deal for your money as this device packs in the features.
As the name suggests, the SmartSleep Connected comes with full digital control and has a SleepMapper app (iOS and Android) so you can control the lights, schedule different alarms, and choose the light and sound patterns for your wind-down and wake-up routines. If you wondering what a wind-down routine is, read our explainer on what is sleep hygiene and why it’s important.
Another useful feature is the built-in AmbiTrack sensor. This gives you details of the temperature in the bedroom as well as light and humidity levels, to help you create the best conditions for a better night’s sleep. Practical features include anti-slip rubber feet, 5ft cord length, and a port so you can charge your phone too.
One feature that sets the Philips apart from the contenders is its light-guided wind-down function. Philips has taken established breathing and relaxation exercises and implemented them here, and you can choose different rhythms of light intensity and sound to help guide your breathing and bring you mind and body into a state of relaxation. It’s pretty blissful and a welcome feature after an exhausting day.
Philips SmartSleep Connected review: User reviews
On the Philips website there are over 70 user reviews, with an average of 4.3 out of 5 stars. Many happy customers sing the praises of the SmartSleep Connect sunrise alarm clock, with 89% of users recommending the product. One user said: 'Great light. Have been using it for several weeks now and the sunset simulation has helped me fall asleep better. Bright light when used as a lamp and the alarm is great as well.'
Another stated praised how easy it is to setup and use: 'Great addition to my bedroom, very easy to setup and very easy to use. The light is bright enough to wake up and the forest birds and ocean waves sounds are pretty awesome. Used the Relax Breathe option once but looks cool. Living in an apartment my favorite though is the sensor that tells me my bedroom temperature, noise, humidity and lighting and ideal values for a perfect night sleep.'
The critical reviews on the Philips site talked about the Wi-Fi and app connection issues. One customer said: 'Worked fine for a while then started needing to be reconnected to WiFi every day, then disconnected from the app totally and wouldn’t connect to the WiFi despite several resets and troubleshooting as suggested by the developers.'
Over on Amazon there are over 1,200 reviews, with an average score of 4.4 out of 5 stars. Customers explain how their sleep has been improved and that the Philips SmartSleep Connected is worth every cent. Comments include, ‘I have found my wake-ups to be much more gentle and I feel more ready to start my day.”
Again, there were several complaints about the connectivity of the app, so we'd recommend ensuring the Wi-Fi signal is strong enough in your bedroom before you contemplate buying the Philips SmartSleep Connected.
Should you buy the Philips SmartSleep Connected?
The features on offer with the Philips SmartSleep Connected are just that – smart and connected. If you need the extra backup to help you relax, this is the perfect gadget to help you unwind and awaken refreshed. If, however, you prefer to take things offline and low-key at bedtime, with just a few options to help you drift off, there are cheaper, more basic alarms available.
Looking to upgrade your bed for less? Then take a look at our roundup of the latest Purple mattress deals and discounts, as well as the best Casper mattress deals for an affordable bed in a box. For luxury sleep, see our guide to the best Saatva mattress discounts and deals.
