Philips SmartSleep Wake-up Light, Colored Sunrise and Sunset Simulation, 5 Natural Sounds, FM Radio & Reading Lamp, Tap Snooze, HF3520/60

First off, many of these reviews sound a bit fishy, as if they are `fake’ reviews made by the manufacturer or whatever to sell the product. This is not, this is an actual user of the actual product and I have actually rated it 5 stars. I’ll start by going over the features then list the pros and end with the cons and wrap up with a final impression.Features:All the advertised features above are present so I won’t bother going over those. This is more for the `ins and outs’ of it. The device itself has a `touch screen’ like front bottom portion. All of the controls are there and don’t show themselves unless your finger is about ¼ of an inch from the surface of the light. Once there they light up. There is a -, menu, select and + button listed horizontally across the bottom in that order. When you get near the device they light up with an intensity to match the clock face. The clock face has an intensity setting from 1-4, which will automatically adjust UP as the room becomes brighter. For example a contrast setting of 1 helps you get to sleep but doesn’t help you see the clock face at, say, 2 in the afternoon, so the auto adjusting feature I consider that a bonus. The light itself has an intensity setting from 1-20. On the lower settings it is a very dim red glow similar to the red of a sunrise (or set) and as it increases it steadily goes to bright white. Not the white you’d expect from a light but the kind of white of a sunny day. Picture a piece of paper outside on a cloudless August day. You can also adjust the `wakeup time’ which is the time between program start and the alarm. The default is 30 minutes so if you wake up at 6AM at 5:30 it will start at intensity 1 and `step up’ in intensity until it hits your intensity setting and it spaces this `step up’ out over the `wakeup time’ that you select. It ranges from 20 minutes to 40. It also includes an audible alarm of 6 different types. 1 is the radio, the other 5 are various combinations ranging from light woods birds/forest sounds to nature sounds with light music overlaid. You can also adjust the volume. These sounds do not play until the alarm time is reached. In other words, it doesn’t play during the `wakeup time’ period. It also has a snooze function. Simply touching the face of the clock turns the sounds off for 9 minutes but leaves the light on and after the 9 minutes, the sounds start again. The light/clock includes 2 different alarms you can set as well as an FM radio (as alluded to previously). A final note is that it also includes a “dusk” function. By activating the dusk function by pressing the button on the side the exact opposite happens than what happens with the wakeup time. It starts bright and eventually fades to 1 then turns off. This very much simulates the evening.Pros:I noticed a huge change the very first morning I used it. Instead of the harsh bleating of an alarm clock your body first starts to notice the increased light then your consciousness notices the sounds and eventually you’re awake. This is VERY similar to waking up while you’re rustic camping, if you’ve ever done so. So much so that at first I thought I was back in my tent at Yellowstone. That is really the only way I can describe it. I also liked how the light changed from dim red to bright white as it got brighter. Lights I’ve had in the past do not do that, you just get a more intense version of the same color light.Cons:This light is NOT meant to treat SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) being that it only puts out 300 lux at 20 in. and light therapy requires at least 10,000 lux. That aside, it can be used in conjunction with a medical grade light box (such as the SAD Light Therapy Box – Alaska Northern Lights- North Star 10,000 ) as a comprehensive approach. That is what I have done and it seems to work well. You also may have problems using it if you’re married and you each wake up at different times as it has a tendency to light up the entire room. As brought up by others, you can’t completely turn off the clock face but the lowest setting is pretty darn dim anyway. Finally when you click the alarm off you have to immediately turn it back on again, just like with the old-school alarm clocks.Final thoughts:Overall I believe, considering the price and its effects, the purchase was a very good value. I have always struggled with the `up and at-em’ routine and even went to the point of drinking energy drinks as soon as I woke up to no avail. Like I said, the very first day I used it I noticed a difference. Within 10 minutes of waking up I was wrestling with the dog. No joke. I have combined it with the use of a light box (see above for which type) and it has done wonders for my mood and energy level. The minor inconveniences I noted above are just that, minor, and I enjoy the features and ability to have a sunrise and sunset `on demand’ as I work very long days and during the winter months I am usually up before the sun and down after the sun as the saying goes. The first week I set a `regular’ alarm clock as a backup to click off 15 minutes after this one in case it didn’t work and not once did I have to rely on it, nor have I had to use the snooze feature. Like I said, entirely different waking experience and if I had the $$ I would buy one for each of my family as a present this Christmas. Hopefully this review helped you sort things out with this model as to what exactly it does, it’s pros and cons.

This was not an easy decision. Do I buy this one or wait for Philips to reintroduce their newer version the Somneo? Before I even came to that question, I asked, do I want to spend so much money on a freaking alarm clock?I decided I did want to ‘invest’ in an excellent alarm clock, and that I wanted to do so before the dead dark of winter: “Duh, the human body clock is based on sunlight so why not use light instead of noise.” Also, we use sudden, jarring, beeping, blasting noise, likely to wake up a dead sleeper… but why not gently nudge your sleep cycle with gradually brightening light instead?I chose this one because I didn’t want cheap sounding audio and darker, unnatural light at its brightest. This is 300 lux as opposed to Philips cheaper models at 200 lux.-LIGHT: The light bulb is excellent: it does mimic sunrise and sunset. The brightness is enough to do some light reading (max 20 minutes) and keep a large room (20’x by 17′) fairly well lit, as the brightness level can be set from 1 to 20, and timed to go on up to 40 minutes before the ‘natural sounds’ of the ‘sound alarm’, and timed to go off up to 60 minutes before you want it to be ‘lights out’ (‘sun down.’)-SOUNDS: The natural sounds are very good acoustically with birds, morning forest, gentle music and a combo of these, but I usually awaken before they go off, so variety doesn’t matter. Way better than a jarring, sudden beep/talk/song. The sound quality is good, clear, and loud enough to awaken me the first couple nights when I slept through the light, with the birds getting my cat to check it out like ‘where’re the birds I heard them I swear.’ I purchased a cheap sound machine from Amazon in the past and the sounds that came out all sounded like tinny, cheap fuzz; I spend 3x as much a few months later and got sounds that actually sound like what they are supposed to sound like, so I’m glad Philips didn’t go cheap-o on the sounds – they are crystal clear, accurate recordings. They are not loud enough to wake up a deep sleeper with a history of waking up on time problems, though, so if you are that kind of sleeper, I’d keep your old alarm on hand while you retrain your body clock.-Other Features: I like the 2 different alarms so I can set a weekday time and a weekend time. There are other features like an FM radio etc. but I don’t use them.RESULTS: My mornings are much better now. It took me about a week to retrain my body clock to this one, and I can tell you that the differences I notice are worth what I spent. I get tired as the light dims at night. I wake up before the sound alarm goes off.Most importantly, I’m more ‘with it’; I’m not nearly as groggy as I used to be. The way I was waking up before – to sudden jarring noise – now feels like dousing someone who’s drunk with cold water unexpectedly – it’s shocking and there’s the slow to rise to sober as they stumble around trying to figure out what happened and where they are. This, on the other hand, is a pleasure and an easy thing rather than a shock: I know where I am when I wake up, that it’s time to wake up, and that I have plenty of time to get going.If the Somneo does come out again, I’m happy to wait until the version after the next one to upgrade, unless a competitor or Philips makes this even better by combining 10,000 lux SAD therapy with an alarm feature. Until then, I am happy with this purchase and will update if that changes.

There were two main things I was looking for in a sunrise alarm that most sunlight alarms don’t have:1) the ability to set an alarm with ONLY light if I please, and2) the ability to turn off the clock display (so it doesn’t create unwanted light in a dark room)Everything else that is important is also here: It’s very bright (if you choose), it has two alarm options, it snoozes at 9 minutes, etc.What it’s missingIf I could add features, I would include a white noise functionality for sleeping, and the ability to set a schedule for the week. By default the alarm goes off every day and you have to remember to turn off the alarm or switch to alarm 2 if it’s a weekend.

I purchased this sunrise simulator alarm clock almost 5 and a half years ago (September 2016). I am happy to see it is still available on Amazon. The price doesn’t appear to have changed much, but perhaps that’s just because this thing is so great!!I use this every day. This gives you the option for two alarm settings, so I have one set for weekdays and another set for weekends. My wake-up sound of choice? Birds chirping. There are a few other serene sounds you can choose as well.About a half hour before your alarm is set to go off, the sunrise simulator starts up. It starts with a dull, deep red and gradually gets brighter, then goes orange and gradually gets brighter and more golden, then it starts going white the brighter it gets until your alarm goes off. When the alarm goes off, it starts off quiet and gradually gets louder. You can choose how loud you want the alarm to get.You have three options at this point. You can either press the alarm button to reset it for the next day, press the alarm button twice to shut off the alarm completely until you press it again to turn it back on, or you can tap the clock (or the table it’s sitting on, which is what I do) for it to snooze for 9 minutes. It will snooze for up to an hour before resetting itself for the next day. You will have to turn the light off yourself regardless of which option you choose. I do wish the alarm didn’t auto shut off after an hour though, but I think the reason behind it is in case you forget to hit the alarm button to reset it or shut it off. I’ve done this on occasion and came back into my room after a shower with the alarm going off, but it will shut itself off eventually.This is not a smart device, in that it doesn’t connect to wifi or bluetooth. You will have to change the clock twice a year for daylight saving time.I don’t usually use the radio, but I have bumped the button a few times to know it works. It does come with an attached antenna as well, which is just a thin rubber coated wire.I don’t typically use the sunset/sleep setting to really have anything to say about it other than it works.One thing I like about the clock display is it auto brightens and auto dims according to the room’s light setting. The clock is dull enough when the lights are out that it won’t bother you if you’re trying to sleep and the clock will brighten in sunlight or when the lights are on so you can see it better. Also, you’re able to choose the clock to display a 24 hour clock or 12 hour clock (00:01 to 23:59 or 12:00-11:59am to 12:00-11:59pm).I also use this as a bedside lamp as well, if I’ve got the TV on or if I’m reading a book. I like that there are 20 brightness settings. It can also be used as a night light.One con is trying to navigate the buttons. It’s tougher when the light is at full brightness because you can’t see the buttons very well. There are three buttons together at the top left for brightness down, light on/off, and brightness up. There is a small brail-type dot on the on/off button but it’s not noticeable enough not to accidently change the brightness when you’re trying to turn it off. You more or less need to close your eyes and let your sense of touch figure it out for you. It’s really not that big of a deal though, just a little annoying.The only time I’ve bumped the radio button or the sunset button is because I don’t always use the second alarm and I’m trying to figure out which button is which.Overall, I love this thing! It really works, though nothing will ever be as good as actually waking up to the sun coming in. This is a particularly important tool to have if you suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) or have blackout curtains because you work midnight shifts, or maybe you’re just not a morning person. Waking up to a nature sound is a nice touch too.I want to make note that some reviews have mentioned not being able to replace the light bulb or the light stops working in 2-3 years… again, I have had this for 5 years and 4 months now and I have never had the light stop working. It’s still going strong. And I use this 5-7 days per week and have since I purchased it.The only things about it I wish were different are making the buttons easier to navigate when the light is bright (best way I can do this now is turning the brightness down before trying to discover the on/off button) and I wish the clock changed automatically in accordance to Daylight Saving Time. If anything does happen to this one, though, I will most definitely be purchasing another.

I don’t like alarms. Beeps, chirps, actual alarm sounds are just so jarring. This product is just like having the sun in your room. While it does have sound options, I disabled them. The light is enough to get me up. As I get up at a regular time, my body is primed for awakening. The light gradients are extremely smooth and progressive: dark orange at first, then a brighter orange, until finally (a 1/2 hour later) full brightness. I’m usually alert after about 10 or 15 minutes of light. The slow start allows me to shut my eyes and grab another 5 or 10 minutes of rest. After then, I just need to get up as I’m awake.The clock allows users to completely turn off all light/LEDs for complete darkness. I’d like a setting for totally off between the hours of… instead of having to manually turn the LEDs on and off (I just leave them off).If you want to establish normal sleep and awakening, get this alarm. It delivers as is.