Loved this alarm clock! The light is enough to wake you up, wonderful selection of sounds to choose from as well.

If you are like me and have trouble waking up in the morning, a wake-up light is a must-have. When the sun does not hit your face/room in the mornings because it’s now spring forward / fall back, or your room windows do not face east, or you got to wake up at a time that is not your standard wake up time, the Philips SmartSleep Wake-up Light is what you are looking for. I have to state that this is not my first time around using a wake-up light. Prior to owning the Philips SmartSleep Wake-up Light, I used to use the Philips Hue Color LED Bulbs in my room as a wake-up light. While the Philips Hue bulbs can still be used when needed however, the amazing part of this SmartSleep light is that I can pack it in and take it with me on trips too. I travel a fair bit for work so this will help. You may be asking, does this work? Well, it does. The science is pretty sound, it simulates a morning sunrise, about 30 minutes prior to the alarm going off, the room steadily gets brighter, eventually getting to the maximum brightness as the time you wake up. This SmartSleep alarm has 25 levels of brightness, enough to make you think it's 8 am, and late for work. The effect of the gradual increase in light is that you wake up refreshed. The effect is more pronounced if you face the light. My partner and I have been using these technologies for a while now, and I will say, the days we use it, it makes a huge difference in our mornings. We wake up less grumpy, more energetic, and generally a pep in our step. The days we do not use it, we have the opposite effect. The design of this SmartSleep wake-up light is very modern. I love the curvy contoured body and the hole in the center. The device features a wakeup alarm (via nature sounds alarm, or FM) to help you wake up. It also features a sundowner mode where it simulates sunset to help you go to bed. Should you have trouble relaxing, there is even a relaxed breathing mode to help pace yourself and calm your brain to get ready for sleep (a rather useful feature). I also liked the red night light feature that is activated by waving your hand on the top. The device includes an aux input to listen to your phone or media device (I’m surprised it does not have Bluetooth, as many phones do not have a headphone jack) - which sort of works in a pinch. Keeping expectations for audio quality in check, the single mono speaker does a decent job at low to medium volumes but does increase in distortion at higher volumes. The SmartSleep system is worth having if you have trouble waking up. As someone who has a problem getting up in the morning, this device has changed my life. It might be pricey for an alarm clock but it’s worth every penny. Pros: * It works as it should. You may think it is a gimmick, but you must try it to believe it. It’s pricey for an alarm clock but it does work. If getting to work on time is important to you, then this is worth every penny. * Nature sounds to wake up is perfect to get your day started. I love the birds chirping or the cowbell in the morning. It is very relaxing., * The unwind features which include either light synced breathing coaching or the sunset simulation mode with ocean waves or soft rain sounds, both are actually quite useful when you cannot fall asleep. * The touch screen interface is slick and functional. Really do not need to use the manual to set up. The quick start guide helps guide you. * USB Charger for charging your phone - great for keeping your phone battery charged for a second alarm. Cons: * The speaker isn’t what I had hoped for and it is also pointing the wrong way - pointing behind the unit. It is a mono speaker, without a lot of power, and not exactly stellar in audio quality. But it works well for an alarm clock, but that’s about it. * The AUX input cannot be used for wake up, it can only be used for listening to music from a phone, and the audio quality isn’t exactly there for that feature. It does come with an Aux Cable though. * There is no way to set up weekend profiles for waking up later (the Philips Hue Bulb App system allows weekend profiles) * It has a compact footprint but large in terms of the size of the device.

Having suffered from chronically inadequate sleep for nearly three decade, I was very enthusiastic with the opportunity to review this Philips SmartSleep bedside lamp. This Philips Therapy Lamp boasts many impressive features, including sunset sleep, sunrise wake simulations, with and without sound, as well as meditative qualities, measured breathing, and a radio plus aux input. This unit offers so much to like, but for me, it unfortunately falls short lacking a few of my feature “wants”, namely a white noise generator option to eliminate a bedside appliance. You can, however, select from the included FM radio antenna, or aux phone jack for audio, or one of seven relaxation programs, listed below. These are a nice addition, but to Wind Down, it uses preset breathing rhythms that use ‘either’ light, OR sound, but not both, to guide you through the selected program. I have the “Sleep Mapper” app installed for the Philips SmartSleep Band, however must admit disappointment in failure to set it up. Apparently this NOT-connected model does not accompany the app, nor unlock smart features of the marginally improved “Connected” model. Features : Timer settings 5 10 15 20 30 45 60 Unwind programs Relax Breathe and Sunset Relax Breathe slowly pulses for a preset program duration to a preset rhythm Sunset simulation -variable duration -nature sounds 7 modes of nature sounds * Forest birds * Summer birds * Buddha Wakeup * Morning Alps * Yoga harmony * Nepal bowls * Summer Lake PROS _____ + super bright + futuristic looking oval + horn speaker shaped + 9-minute snooze + usb mobile phone or watch charging port + calm sleep and wake features + natural earth sounds, birds, etc + FM Radio (forgot that was a thing) + reassuring long-life on LED lamp + Sleep Mapper app adds features CONS ———— -clunky interface, needs major refinement -no bluetooth for iPhone (need higher-end “Connected” model) -wakeup sound should progressively scale up in volume, not 100% -slow pulses could be more smooth and granular light output (the product has to “shift” to higher output setting) -no replaceable parts in rare event of sub-component failure -breathe mode is light OR sound (why not BOTH like wakeup modes?) -repetitive cycle CONCLUSION ——————— I really wanted to like this product, and I do, however the shortcomings for me do not outweigh the benefits, particularly when compared to the “Connected” model costing marginally more with far more feature benefits. Love the product, but can not recommend at this time, in the face of the far-better “Connected” model. Do not recommend

The Philips SmartSleep Sleep & Wake-Up Light is a really interesting item. My first impression taking this out of the box left me wondering if the size was going to be a bit too much for placement on a nightstand. Yet, it actually seems to be sized appropriately for lighting functions and clock functions while also displaying a modern, (sunny) round shape. I do think the outer product packaging could include more details. Few product features are stated beyond noting that it is designed to help you wind down to sleep and wake up naturally. Additionally, it states the SmartSleep light is clinically proven and independent research shows that 92% of users find it easier to get out of bed. Once one goes through the included Quick Start Guide detailed features are further explained and instructions take one through selecting settings for language, clock time and preferred wake-up profile. The lamp will simulate a sunrise as it gradually increases the brightness based on the maximum light intensity chosen during set-up. The default setting for this simulation is 30 minutes, but one is able to adjust this in the alarm setting menu. One does have to consider the light intensity and duration as It may affect one’s partner should you be on different schedules. The lamp does a nice job of simulating soft morning red through orange and then the brighter yellow light. Sound options for waking up are good with nature sounds, ambient music or 5 presets for FM radio. Sound quality to me was more than adequate for the purpose of an alarm function or bedside listening. There are also unwind programs which are based on well-known breathing and relaxation exercises to decompress and relax prior to sleep. One option is the sunset simulation which will change light color from bright yellow to warm orange to soft red to simulate a natural sunset. Again, sound options of natural sounds, FM radio, no sound or use of an AUX cord to connect a music playing device. A second unwind program is RelaxBreathe which provides seven breathing rhythms to choose from as light or sound can be selected to accompany the breathing program. I find these to be helpful as a mindful way to tune things out and focus on one’s own peace and serenity. One additional feature that I like is the ability to gently tap the top of the light to turn on a soft “night” light to provide just enough illumination for navigating in the dark while not disturbing your partner or blinding yourself with harsh light. I purposefully made an effort to use the SmartSleep light for an extended amount of days to get a good feel for how it worked. As the seasons change I think Winter will be an even better test and should provide further wake-up benefits as the mornings will be darker. It is still an improved wake-up method to the traditional alarm clock, but I felt summertime light somewhat improves the lighting situation to an extent already. Overall, I’m satisfied with the quality and performance of the SmartSleep light. The price is a bit steeper than what I’d prefer, but one does have to consider that it provides a good list of features with a nice user interface that is fairly intuitive. For a minimal price increase, the next model up will provide smartphone enabled connectivity to a SleepMapper app for further customization. Also, there is a built-in AmbiTrack sensor to measure bedroom temperature, noise, light and humidity levels to provide recommendations for improved sleep. For myself, I’d probably stay at the lower model since I probably wouldn’t consistently use the smartphone features.

This is a great lamp, especially if you are planning on using it to wake you up in the morning. It is a great overall bedside alarm clock, lamp. /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ Construction - I like that the overall footprint is not too large and just takes a small corner of my nightstand. It has a sturdy build, the touch controls are responsive, and the light and sound are great. Ease of Use - It is easy to setup and move through different functions. I challenged myself to see how much I could get done without cracking open the manual, and I am happy to say that it is intuitive enough that I did not need the manual once. I was able to set my alarm, choose the bird's sound and time to wake up. It has an FM Radio feature, and I managed to set preset for my local stations. Another nice feature is the AUX input and included AUX cable that lets you hook up a phone or other device to it for music if you do not want to listen to the radio. This would have been great if it had a Bluetooth connection, but the AUX is still a nice surprise. Features - Waking up to this is great. The gradual increase in light is pleasant, and once the time you set comes around the lamp is at the full brightness you chose, and the music/sound you chose starts to play. I chose bird sounds and at first, I thought it was coming from outside my window. It is also great using at night as a little lamp. You can change the brightness on it, and it has features like Sunset which starts dimming the light and plays either Soft Rain or Ocean Waves to help you relax and get to sleep. It is nice white noise that does the trick. The Unwind feature uses the lamp and sound to help you meditate, like how the Breather feature works on the Apple Watch. It allows you how long and how many breaths you want each minute. Both features, Sunset and Unwind, achieve their function to have you relax and be ready for sleep. /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ It is a great lamp, wake up light, and sleep device. I like that it has an AUX connection and FM Radio. I also almost forgot to mention that it has a USB-A (5V, 1A) connection that lets you connect your phone to charge. This has been a great addition to my sleep and morning routine, and I could easily recommend this.