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How these picks were made: by comparing published specifications and clearly-credited public reporting. We do not run a laboratory, we have not measured these products, and we do not claim to have slept with them. Here is exactly how we choose.
What it is: a combined sunrise alarm, sunset fade, sound machine and wind-down routine in one bedside unit, configured from a phone app. Who it is for: someone who wants one device instead of three and will actually use the scheduling.
This page judges the light. The sound half is assessed separately at the Hatch Restore sound machine review, because people buy this device for two quite different reasons.
The sunrise itself
The ramp begins around thirty minutes before the alarm and moves from a deep orange through to a bright white. The color path matters more than it sounds: starting warm and dim rather than jumping to a cool white is what makes the first part of the ramp tolerable while you are still asleep.
On raw brightness it sits with the other quality units. Optimize Your Biology’s light-meter testing puts quality sunrise alarms at roughly 275 to 395 lux at 18 inches - their measurement, not ours - and the meaningful gap in this category is between quality units and budget ones, not between the premium models.
The display dims properly, which is rarer than it should be
A bedside clock is a lit object in a room you are trying to keep dark all night. Most clock radios have a floor below which they will not go, and you end up putting tape over it. The Restore dims genuinely low, which is a real and under-advertised advantage.
It matters because of the numbers: the 2022 PLOS Biology consensus recommendations suggest keeping light under about 1 melanopic lux at the eye during sleep. Most bedside electronics fail that comfortably. See the guide to making a bedroom dark for everything else in the room that does too.
Where it falls short
- App dependency. Setup and most changes need the phone. Flat battery, traveling without it, or someone else needing to change the alarm all become awkward in a way a physical dial never is.
- Subscription for the full library. The device works with included content, but the larger soundscape and guided library is paid. An ongoing cost attached to hardware you own outright.
- Price. The most expensive way to buy a sunrise. Justified if you are replacing two or three devices, hard to justify if you only want the light.
- Service dependency. A connected device relies on a company continuing to run a service. A Philips with a dial has no such exposure. This is not a prediction about Hatch, it is a structural difference worth pricing in.
- Ramp control is less granular than Lumie’s. If the precise duration and shape of the fade is what you care about, the specialist unit does it better.
Alternatives
- Philips SmartSleep - twenty brightness levels on a physical control, no app, no account, no subscription. The buy-once-forget-about-it option.
- Lumie Bodyclock Shine 300 - adjustable sunrise and sunset durations from a light-therapy specialist. The best fade of the three.
- JALL Wake Up Light - the cheap way to find out whether light waking suits you at all, with the brightness compromise that implies.
Verdict
If you want one object doing sunrise, sunset, sound and a wind-down routine, and you will genuinely use per-day scheduling, the Restore 3 is the most capable bedside device available and it earns the price.
If you want a light that wakes you and nothing else, you are paying a large premium and accepting an app and possibly a subscription for capability you will not use. The Philips does the light half as well for much less, and the full Hatch-versus-alternatives comparison lays out that decision properly.
The Restore and its two closest alternatives
Tap any row to jump to the full write-up. The photographs are licensed stock images chosen to illustrate the category - they are not photographs of these specific products, and each one’s alt text describes what is actually shown.
| # | Product | Best for | The spec that decides it | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Hatch Restore 3The most complete bedside device of the group - sunrise, wind-down, sound library and alarms in one - and the only one with a subscription attached. | One device for the whole bedtime routine | Roughly 30-minute sunrise, deep orange through to bright white | |
| 2 |  Philips SmartSleep Wake-Up Light HF3520The reference sunrise. No account, no app, no monthly fee - a dial, twenty brightness steps, and a light that ramps properly. | Sunrise quality with no app and no subscription | 20 light-intensity settings, no app or subscription | |
| 3 |  Lumie Bodyclock Shine 300The specialist's pick: adjustable ramp duration in both directions, from a manufacturer that only makes light-therapy devices. | Long, slow sunrises and a proper sunset | Adjustable sunrise and sunset durations |
We have no live price feed for this site yet, so every button reads “Check price on Amazon” rather than showing a number that could be out of date. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Our top pick · One device for the whole bedtime routine
1. Hatch Restore 3
The most complete bedside device of the group - sunrise, wind-down, sound library and alarms in one - and the only one with a subscription attached.
- Sunrise:
- Gradual ramp beginning around 30 minutes before the alarm
- Color path:
- Deep orange warming to bright white
- Sound:
- Built-in sound library plus alarm tones
- App:
- Required for setup; premium library is subscription-gated
What it gets right
- Sunrise, wind-down and sound machine in a single footprint
- The app makes complex schedules genuinely easy to set
- The display dims properly, unlike most clock radios
Where it falls short
- The best sound content sits behind a subscription
- App dependency: no phone, no changes
- Most expensive way to buy a sunrise
Skip it if: You resent subscriptions. The Philips does the light half with no account at all.
Pick 2 · Sunrise quality with no app and no subscription
2. Philips SmartSleep Wake-Up Light HF3520
The reference sunrise. No account, no app, no monthly fee - a dial, twenty brightness steps, and a light that ramps properly.
- Light settings:
- 20 intensity levels
- Sunrise:
- Colored sunrise simulation before the alarm
- Sound:
- Natural wake-up sounds plus FM radio
- Account:
- None required
What it gets right
- Nothing to sign up for and nothing to update - it is an appliance
- Twenty brightness steps means you can actually find a comfortable display level
- Long-standing design with a well-understood service life
Where it falls short
- No app, so scheduling is manual
- The sound library is small and dated
- Larger footprint than the smart units
Skip it if: You want a sound machine and a sunrise in one device. This is a light first and foremost.
Pick 3 · Long, slow sunrises and a proper sunset
3. Lumie Bodyclock Shine 300
The specialist's pick: adjustable ramp duration in both directions, from a manufacturer that only makes light-therapy devices.
- Sunrise:
- Adjustable duration, short through extended
- Sunset:
- Matching fade-to-dark on the same schedule
- Sound:
- Wake and sleep sounds plus radio
- Specialism:
- Light-therapy manufacturer
What it gets right
- The sunset fade is as well implemented as the sunrise, which is rare
- Duration control matters more than peak brightness for light sleepers
- No subscription
Where it falls short
- Priced with the premium units without the smart features
- US availability is patchier than Philips or Hatch
- Dated interface
Skip it if: You want app scheduling. This is a well-made physical device with physical controls.
Questions people actually ask
Is the Hatch Restore 3 worth it?
As a combined sunrise alarm, sound machine and wind-down device, yes - nothing else does all three as well from one unit. As a sunrise alarm alone it is hard to justify: you pay a large premium plus a possible subscription for capability you will not use.
How long is the Hatch Restore 3 sunrise?
The ramp begins around thirty minutes before the alarm and moves from deep orange through to bright white. The warm, dim start is what makes the early part of the ramp tolerable while you are still asleep.
Does the Hatch Restore 3 dim enough for a dark bedroom?
Yes, and better than most bedside clocks. That matters: the 2022 PLOS Biology consensus recommendations suggest keeping light under about 1 melanopic lux at the eye during sleep, and most clock radios have a floor well above that.
Can you use the Hatch Restore 3 without the app?
It keeps running a schedule you have already set, but setup and changes need the phone. If the battery is flat, you are traveling without it, or someone else needs to change the alarm, that is genuinely awkward.
Is the Hatch brighter than a Philips wake-up light?
They are close. Both are quality units and the meaningful brightness gap in this category is between quality units and budget ones, not between the premium models.
Sources
- Optimize Your Biology - Best Sunrise Alarm Clocks 2026 (independent light-meter measurements, theirs not ours).
- Brown TM et al. Recommendations for daytime, evening and nighttime indoor light exposure to best support physiology, sleep and wakefulness in healthy adults. PLOS Biology, 2022.
- Sleep Foundation - Best Sunrise Alarm Clocks.
Back to the best sunrise alarm clocks.