SmartSleep Sleep and Wake-Up Light, Simulated Sunrise and Sunset, Multiple Lights and Sounds, RelaxBreathe to Sleep, HF3650/60

We purchased the Philips SmartSleep Sleep and Wake-Up Light for our 17-year-old son, who has always been an incredibly heavy sleeper. Traditional alarm clocks (e.g., buzzers, tones, even phone alarms) did absolutely nothing for him. In fact, his old alarm was so loud that it woke his siblings across the hall...but not him. He would even sleep through our house alarm, and the siren was in the attic directly above his room. We knew we had to try something different, and after researching sunrise alarm clocks, we decided to "invest" in the Philips model. I was skeptical at first, given the price tag, but I’m happy to say this product truly works. What worked for us: Sunrise Simulation: This is the standout feature. The gradual increase in light over a customizable time window gently pulls him out of deep sleep, rather than jolting him awake like traditional alarms. It can be adjusted up to 45 minutes, but we found a 20-minute ramp-up works well for him. Like a real sunrise, the light increase is smooth and doesn't "step up" like other sunrise alarms. Sound Settings: You can choose from several natural alarm sounds that begin playing at the end of the light cycle. They’re pleasant and effective, and no harsh buzzing is required. Adjustability: It took about a week of tweaking the settings (light intensity, sound volume, sunrise duration), but once dialed in, it became incredibly reliable. Mood Improvement: He’s waking up on time and in a much better mood, which is a win for him and the rest of the household. We’ve tried some cheaper sunrise alarms for our daughters, and while they look similar, they don’t compare to the Philips. This one feels higher quality in both build and performance. Bottom Line: If you or someone in your family struggles to wake up, this is worth the investment. I never thought I’d say this about an alarm clock, but we’re now considering buying a second one for our own bedroom. Highly recommended!

This sunlight 'alarm' is the best quality of life improvement I've made in a decade. I've told my coworkers about the Somneo, I've told my hairdresser, I've raved to strangers... in fact, I'm doing so now! If you find waking to be a brutal experience, the Somneo will change your life overnight. I wake refreshed. No more nasty alarm clocks that start the day off with a stressful blare. No more using my phone as an alarm clock. No more sick dread of stumbling out of bed on a dark winter's morning. If you are in doubt, watch the Somneo and competitor video. It will show how the Somneo's progression from dark to daylight is incremental, rather than being discrete jumps in brightness. This means everything to waking refreshed. The night light feature is also particularly useful. I like to read in bed. The Somneo can be set just bright enough to read comfortably, but without the harsh "edges" of even a 45-watt light bulb. It's nicer for my husband, too, as he normally goes to sleep a bit earlier than me. The clock is dim, giving off a pale white light. The design is sleek and feels good to the touch. That probably sounds strange, but to turn off the night light feature, I just swipe my hand across the smooth, cool plastic. There's something magical about shutting off a light without a switch or knob. A lot of people on Ye Olde Internets complain that the Somneo is confusing to set up. I did not find this to be the case. I found the controls intuitive. It took maybe five minutes from opening the box to having the Somneo set up the way I wanted. I am not sure why so many people are perplexed by the controls, but please don't be deterred. I've tried other light alarms, and the Somneo "outshines" them all!

I bought the non-app enabled version and this is my breakdown: Useability: From my perspective, this was really easy to use and quite intuitive. I was expecting to keep the manual on hand because it might get confusing, but my boyfriend and I went through the whole setup without even looking at the manual. I haven't had any problem navigating since then. I assume the buttons can be more confusing for some people because there might be a learning curve if this type of product is new for them. Sunrise: There are 7 natural sounds for the sunrise, in addition to the radio and no sound option, which I was surprised about. I was easily able to pick a sound I liked from the lineup. The light works, what more can I say. Perhaps because I'm taking melatonin right now, I didn't wake up to the light on my first night, but the sound did. I chose Nepal Bowls. The sound was a little loud, so it was a bit joltier than expected. Nothing changing the volume can't fix, but what surprised me was how I felt. After a few more minutes of snooze, I got up and just looked at the light and around my room. I was getting more energy just chilling there and forgot to turn on my electric fireplace when I got up. I never forget that, because it's the first light I wake up to. Not anymore. Sunset: This area I was looking forward to the most and was a bit disappointed. Ever since starting school up again, I've had insomnia for 3 months now. I didn't have a lamp in my room before this and wanted something that could help my night routines. I thought the sunrise sounds could also be used for sunset, but this is not the case. The sound choices are only 2 nature sounds, radio, no sound and aux. You only get Soft Rain and Ocean Waves, which is not enough options in my opinion. Most people don't have mp3 players or phones with aux ports anymore, so this severely limits what people can listen to when it comes to sleep music. I understand the frustration with not having Bluetooth, but for me, the point of having an alarm clock is to have the phone OUT OF THE BEDROOM! I initially did not realize that this clock enabled aux music, which was a pleasant surprise, for me at least. I am lucky enough to have a DAP (Digital Audio Player) already loaded with sleep music and other such. This limits screen use and blue light exposure, so I was able to listen to my preferred crackling fire sound. When I listen to the radio, I exclusively listen to 88.7, the classical channel. With these two options, the clock more than makes up for the lack of sleep sounds. Unfortunately, this is an outdated feature. While I make this work with my DAP, I'm very disappointed in the sunset sound options. I believe there needs to be more built-in options to encourage people to not bring their phone into the bedroom. I don't own a smartphone, so this was very important to me. RelaxBreathe: This one also falls REALLY short. The light mimicking breathe patterns is actually really good. Watching the light as I breathe does a good job of keeping me focused on the actual act of breathing, because I usually get stuck in my head and get distracted. The light gives me something to focus on. The sound though, is no good. There is no point in turning on sounds with the program, because YOU ONLY GET 1 SOUND. Your choice is no sound or Ocean Waves. I was really expecting a breathing sound or something, but no. I don't think this is a big deal though. The main focus is to breathe, and I think just the light is good for that. This feature is also part of the Unwind program, so it counts for bedtime too. Overall, these features are the most important to mention. The biggest problem I have is the sunset options. IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A SOUND MACHINE ALARM CLOCK, THIS IS NOT IT. While the aux function should be replaced by Bluetooth to accommodate most people, the problem is that phone usage is encouraged by not having enough nature sounds. The aux port proves no problem for me, so my sunsets are calming, and sunrises are very invigorating. Just ask yourself whether you need sunrise or a sound machine, then figure out whether the product will work for your lifestyle. Fun fact: I was actually looking for a sound machine alarm clock, but this clock works for my lifestyle, so I'm glad I got this one.

This light works as designed and wakes me up better than any other I’ve tried. I was told by a sleep specialist many years ago that there's a certain frequency of light that stimulates the 'feel good' hormones in the morning--in the red/orange frequency – this has those. I am usually awake at about the right time before the music goes off. The alarm nature sounds and music are good quality and relaxing (not the scratchy looping sounds of other alarms.) I like all the tracks. There are 2 alarms, each with own settings. There is a battery alarm backup for power loss. There is a go to sleep/light dim timer, plus a breathe/relax setting which is nice. What I don’t like: No quick on/off button for the alarms, unless at alarm time. (just need to do it through menu). Given how well the rest of this works that is not a dealbreaker for me. Please add it to the next version. The back top to turn the nightlight on/off may take a couple tries to get the right location. No, you can’t use your mp3 as an alarm. All in all this is a very effective wakeup light and I believe for me it was a very solid purchase. it feels quality and well-designed to me, not cheap. Most of all - it works. I wake up relaxed and not annoyed like with so many alarm clocks.

I definitely think I have some PTSD from loud blaring alarms. Fed up, I got this after researching alarm alternatives. Yes, it's expensive but so so worth it! I work from home and don't have a set time I "punch in" but like to wake up around the same time everyday. This gently wakes me up each morning with one of the sounds provided, the bird chirping.I set the volume not too loud or low so it sounds like actual birds outside. That plus the alarm mimicking the sun, it really feels like the most "natural" way to wake up. I use to only use it during the winter time when the sun comes up later but I find myself using it all the time now now that I have room darkening curtains. I got the one without the app as I felt I didn't need it because once I set the alarm up, I don't need to do anything else unless I need to change the alarm time. The alarm turns off by itself but you can also turn it off manually as well. It's as simple as it gets.

Before I bought this I looked it up and on Philips own website they say that the Smart sleep series has compatibility with the phone app. I was a little nervous that this one didn't since it's not listed on here, but I figured for almost $200 this thing HAD to have it. Nope. -No Bluetooth - no wifi - no app connectivity - not an atomic clock so you have to set it manually - it cannot be programmed with the current date so you cannot set up different alarms for the weekend. I have no idea where they get off calling this thing smart. Features it does have: - the ability to set up several alarm times, but you have to manually toggle them on and off and it takes about 5 or 6 clicks to do it. I have ADHD. The last thing I'm thinking about on a Sunday night is toggling which alarm is active. My phone has kept track of this for 15 years. Welcome to 2010 - FM radio using a wire antenna. Welcome to 1990. - an aux port, welcome to 2000. - a low amp phone charging USB port, welcome to 2005. - an 8 hour "backup" alarm in case the power goes out that does not use the light or your programmed alarm sound, not can you put in batteries to extend this time or re-enable those features. Good luck if your power goes out before bed time. - alarm sounds loud enough to wake me, who's an extremely light sleeper, but not even close to waking up my wife, who is a medium-heavy sleeper. - the light is bright, but only slightly more than what's passively coming through my west-facing window at 7AM in the summer. - the sunset feature has two sound options. "Rain" but it sounds like white noise or "ocean" which sounds like white noise but inconsistent. The speaker on this thing isn't really that good so basically all of the alarm options sound like they're coming out of monitor speakers from 2 decades ago. - navigation of the menus and settings is mildly confusing, but with enough poking around you should be able to figure out how to do what you need to as long as you're generally comfortable with technology. Overall I'd say this thing, in 2024, is worth about $50. If I bought this in 2005 I'd be only mildly more excited about it and maybe would be willing to pay $100. But in a time where I could program a Philips Hue lightbulb with my phone and integrate it with my alarm app, on my phone, to do literally the same thing but better for like $10 and 20 minutes of my time, I don't know why anyone would buy this. I think even the other version of this that's currently sold out and slightly more expensive (that DOES have app compatibility) is still not worth more than $70-100.

I’ve been thinking about purchasing one of these for a while now. Now that I have it, waking up is a lot less traumatic. I recommend a sunrise alarm clock for anyone who uses blackout curtains and is sensitive to light while sleeping. I actually use this in conjunction with the alarm on my phone. The clock’s alarm sounds are a bit lame, to be sure, so I set my alarm without sound with this clock. My sunrise takes 30 minutes and starts very dim and gets extremely bright (both brightness and timing of the sunrise is totally adjustable), and it almost always wakes me up before the alarm on my phone goes off. The only complaint I have is that this clock cannot be used as a Bluetooth speaker with my phone. It seems like a natural extension of features, but that wasn’t a requirement of mine, and there may be other sunrise clocks with this feature. And initially, I thought this was a con of the clock, but has turned out to be a pro: you can’t set up alarm schedules based on the day of the week. So, if you don’t want to have your alarm go off on days you don’t have to be awake, you have to manually turn it off the night before and turn it back on when you need it. I thought that was going to bother me, and it did at first, but now I just keep my alarm on through the weekends. It helps keep my sleep schedule more consistent but it’s also something I can sleep through if I’m that tired since my phone alarm won’t go off. Maybe this is more so a review of sunrise alarm clocks in general, and less of this particular one bc I’ve never had another one to compare its performance to, but I do recommend giving this one or another one a try if you’ve been thinking about getting one. It’s been very nice.

I bought 2 and have used them for over 3 years now. I like the alarm sounds and the radio option. I like the sleep timer than dims the light before bed and the wakeup cycles that lights slowly before the alarm goes off. I don't like that there are no tactile buttons or references at all. My biggest complaint is that you have to look right into the light to use the control buttons. It hurts the eyes first thing in the morning. I wish swiping the top when the alarm was going off would snooze instead of turn off. All the touch controls are on the bottom except the easy swipe which is on top. I like my light up high next to my bed to light up the room. I can reach the lower controls, but then I can't reach the top swipe. I wish swiping the top when it was off also turned it on.