The Best Smart Clocks On The Market In 2022

At some point in our prehistory, humans became aware of the passage of time. The ability to accurately measure the hours and minutes in a day makes it possible to recount a sequence of events or meet our friends for lunch. Measuring days, weeks, and months, helped in planning planting and harvesting times and preparing for winter. We created calendars using complex structures like Stonehenge, we built sundials to track the movements of the Sun over the course of the day, and we measured the phases of the Moon to break the year into months. It's unclear precisely when we started attempting to quantify the passage of time, but we know the practice dates back at least 5,000 years to the ancient Babylonians and Egyptians, (via Scientific American).

Those first efforts were primitive in their technology but impressively effective in their result. Eventually, we improved on those methods using mechanical clocks made of gears and pendulums. Later, atomic clocks brought us timekeeping which drift only fractions of a second over millions of years, (via SciTechDaily).

The passage of time hasn't changed — as much as it sometimes feels as if it has—but the way we interact with it has. The internet, and the Internet of Things, added a new element to our clocks, making them smarter than ever. Just because keeping time is an ancient practice, doesn't mean it has to feel that way. These smart clocks can help bring your morning routine into the future.

We can't really talk about smart clocks without at least mentioning the Google Nest Hub Max and other comparable smart home hubs. While it wasn't designed to act purely as a clock, it certainly makes a good one.

While it's patiently waiting for your next voice command, the Nest Hub Max prominently displays the time on its 10-inch touchscreen display. In addition to serving as a command center for all of your other smart home gadgets, it's capable of running alarms and timers.

Perhaps the Nest Hub Max's best clock feature is the sunrise alarm, which slowly brightens the display over a period of time, coupled with your chosen alarm tone. You can even set it to brighten any smart light bulbs in your room to enhance the effect, (via TechHive). While you're at it, you can set up a smart routine on your hub to give you the news and weather reports once you're awake, making it a perfect solution for your morning routine.

Other smart home hubs like the Echo Show, from Amazon, offer similar functionalities and make serviceable smart clocks. Which one you choose, really comes down to aesthetics and brand preference.

The LaMetric Time Wi-Fi connected smart clock takes many of the functions of a smart home hub and gives it the retro treatment with its stylized pixelated clock face. An image of the time, built out of a handful of square blocks, takes up most of the display real estate, shifted just off center to leave space for additional widgets.

The left side of the screen is reserved for additional images and information which is, likewise, animated in low-definition, oversized pixels. You can choose from an array of pre-made pixel art clock faces or design one of your own in the clock's accompanying app.

Alternatively, in place of a clock face, you can use that space to display the weather, timers, a calendar, messages, or call notifications, all rendered as if this smart clock had been designed decades ago. All of those functions and more can be controlled through the app or selected and manipulated using simple buttons on the top of the clock.

In terms of alarms, you can set the LaMetric Time to use standard buzzers and chimes or wake you up with music. Considering its intentionally low-tech user interface, this smart clock manages to accomplish a lot.

At first glance, the Beddi Style, from Witti, looks an awful lot like an ordinary alarm clock. Behind that unassuming façade, however, it's hiding some pretty cool features. A fabric faceplate covers a speaker at the bottom of the clock and can be customized with alternative designs to match the clock to your interior design aesthetic. Although, it's hard to go wrong with the traditional black.

A small light at the bottom of the clock serves as a night light or can be set to display mood lighting in various colors using an accompanying app. It comes with a built-in USB port, allowing it to double as a charger for your phone or other devices and pairs with Spotify so you can stream music during the day or use music to wake you up.

Because the Beddi Style pairs with an app, there's no need to manually set the time. Instead, it will sync automatically once paired and connected to the internet. It's also capable of running four simultaneous alarms, allowing it to cover multiple users on different schedules, or separate alarms for different days of the week.

If a harsh alarm buzz or music aren't to your tastes, the Style also offers sleep sounds to help you transition to sound sleep and nature sounds to wake you up in a more natural way.

The Lenovo Smart Clock 2 resembles smart home hubs from Google or Amazon and has many of the same features. In addition to being a clock and alarm, you can use it to control smart home devices, make internet searches, stream music, and display images or video. It's compatible with your phone, computer, or Google-enabled devices, making it comparable to some of its more well-known competitors but at a more palatable price point of only $49.99.

Behind the 4-inch LCD touchscreen display, the Smart Clock 2 houses 1.5-inch 3W front-firing speakers and a microphone away, suitable for hearing voice commands and playing any alarms, alerts, or notifications you might need.

The clock itself doesn't have any outgoing charging ports but it does come with an attachable charging dock which offers not only USB charging, but also a wireless charging plate capable of fast-charging your compatible devices. When docked to the charging plate, the Smart Clock 2 also has a discrete nightlight running around its bottom edge, to help you navigate your way from the bed to the kitchen for a midnight snack.

Anker is best known for their line of portable charging blocks and Bluetooth speakers. The Soundcore Wakey, by Anker, strips away many of the usual smart features of a hub and concentrates on integrating many of the brand's best features while also being a solid clock. The core of the Wakey are the 10W stereo speakers which takes up most of its real estate. A series of small LEDs display the time on its face, making it easy to read at a glance.

Built-in Bluetooth means you can stream music, podcasts, or audiobooks in addition to the integrated FM radio with up to 10 radio station presets. You can save up to 15 individual alarms, making it perfect for a shared household or complex schedule.

When you're ready to wind down for the night, a light sensor will adjust the brightness, so you aren't disturbed by a glaring light while you're sleeping. Choose from a collection of 10 ambient sound sources to help you drift off, or you can compose your own using the Sound Core app. When you're ready to wake up, you can choose between standard alarm sounds or the FM radio.

It wouldn't be an Anker product if you couldn't also use it to charge your devices. Two USB ports at the back allow for wired charging of up to two devices, while a wireless charging pad on top of the clock lets you and your phone recharge at the same time.

At first glance, the i-box Shine doesn't look like a smart clock at all. The small digital display looks more at home on an old VCR or answering machine than in a piece of modern smart tech, but it's hiding some great features.

The clock is dominated by a large light that shines up to 10,000 lux (lumens per square meter) at daylight frequencies, which can be useful for combatting seasonal affective disorder, (via Cleveland Clinic). The Shine also offers natural soundscapes to help you sleep and gradual dimming to simulate the sunset and set the stage for a good night's sleep.

Built-in FM radio allows for the storage of 20 preset radio stations for playing music or waking up to your favorite morning radio show. While the display is small — saving space for the daylight lamp which is the Shin's primary feature — it does save space for displaying the weather forecast, temperature, and humidity.

Local climate data is gathered from an included remote wireless outdoor sensor, turning the i-Box Shine into a compact weather station as well as a clock. Using those insights, you'll get an up-to-the-minute glance at when the winter may end, while the daylight lamp helps you weather the figurative storm.

The Doppler, by Sandman, is more than just an alarm clock. Two 50 x 90-millimeter speakers are mounted to either side of its casing, enclosing a large digital display. While most of the screen is dominated by the time, it leaves room for other useful indicators including whether or not your alarm is armed, the day of the week, current weather, and temperature.

Two far-field digital microphones enable the Doppler to receive voice commands, which come in handy when utilizing the built-in Alexa functionality. Voice commands let you set alarms, stream music, or control your smart home devices from the comfort of your bedside. If you don't like the idea of your alarm listening to you snore, a dedicated mute button lets you shut off its listening functionality. With that in mind, you can also set alarms through an accompanying app or by simply using the buttons on the clock itself.

In addition to being an alarm, a stereo, and a pared-down smart home hub, the Doppler is a powerful charging platform for your other devices. A total of 6 USB ports are situated at the back of the clock with your choice of all six being USB A or an even split of USB C and USB A. Moreover, the Doppler built-in rechargeable battery backup ensures your alarm will still sound off, even if you lose power.

Imagine waking up to the light of the rising sun and the sound of chirping birds. The SmartSleep Wake-up Light, by Philips, mimics natural nighttime and morning activity to help you wind down and wake up easily. It combines the dimming and rising light of a sunset or sunrise with natural sounds to deliver a sleep routine your ancestors would be proud of or, at least, familiar with.

When it's time to wake up, your clock will cycle through a 30-minute light sequence, moving from a soft red light, through orange, and finally bright yellow light. Near the end of the cycle, it will also initiate one of five wake sounds, depending on your preference, including forest birds or ocean waves. If you want a more modern wake sound, you can also choose an FM radio station, in place of chirping birds.

When it's not ramping up or down to simulate the Sun, the display brightness automatically adjusts based on the ambient light in your room and two separate alarms allow you to set different times for different people, or just have a backup in case your first round of rousing isn't enough. While hitting the snooze isn't recommended by most sleep scientists, (via Business Insider), if you need a few more minutes, a simple tap of the clock will give you an extra 9 minutes.

The Smartro Projection Alarm Clock has all of the features you want out of a clock and more. In addition to telling time in either 12- or 24-hour formats, it also displays indoor and outdoor temperatures and the current weather conditions. Dual alarm clocks allow you to have separate alarms for you and a partner and a 5-minute snooze cycle lets you get a little more sleep when you need it.

The clock uses current weather trends, including barometric pressure and temperature to make predictions for the next twelve hours, giving you morning insights about what the day might bring.

Its coolest feature is the onboard projector which is capable of shining the time and temperature on a wall or ceiling, so you can see how much time you have left to sleep without needing to roll over and look at the clock itself. Recommended projection distance is between 3.3 and 9.8 feet from the clock source, making it suitable for most room setups.

A built-in USB port and integrated battery backup make it a perfect device for charging your phone and ensure you'll maintain function even in the event of a power failure.

The Hatch Restore bills itself as not just an alarm clock, but a full-service sleep assistant, designed to help you build healthy sleeping habits from the moment you hit your bed. By combining a sunlight lamp, sound machine, and alarm clock into one device, the Hatch Restore guides you through a wind-down period and promised to improve your sleep and wake up more rested.

To help you unwind, the clock offers guided curated and exclusive meditations and rest exercises to prepare you for sleep. When you're ready to really sink into dreamland, ambient noises, including light rain or calm ocean waves help to block out any environmental noise which might threaten to wake you from your rest. When it's time to wake up, the sunrise lamp slowly rises in luminosity while playing gentle waking sounds like chirping birds or softly tingling bells to rouse you from your rest.

Using the accompanying Hatch Sleep app, you can establish your perfect sleep routine to establish and maintain better sleep hygiene and wake up feeling rested. An option Hatch Sleep membership gives you additional access to a growing library of content to further customize your sleep routine.

The SmartSet, by Emerson, looks an awful lot like the alarm clocks you might have had a few decades ago. It uses a red LED interface which looks as much at home today as it did in the '90s. Using Emerson's SmartSet technology, the clock automatically finds the correct time upon its first plug in, or after a power outage, so you'll never have to fiddle with buttons to set the time. The time also automatically adjusts for Daylight Savings Time (for as long as that's still relevant, at least) and Leap Year.

Alarm options include a traditional buzzer or FM radio, and it can set your preferred alarm sound to slowly ramp up in the morning so that you wake up gradually instead of having an abrupt alert. Alarm settings let you set an alarm for every day, weekdays only, or weekends only.

A USB port in the back allows your clock to double as a phone or tablet charger and a Bluetooth connection and aux port allow you to connect a phone for streaming audio in addition to 20 available presets for your favorite FM radio stations.

The Siesta Charge, by Pure, couples a sleek design with all of the functions you want out of a modern clock. The front is reserved for the display screen giving you the time, the status of up to three alarms, as well as signal and volume indicators.

In addition to an FM radio, the Siesta Charge is equipped to handle digital radio with up to 40 station slots available for saving all of your favorite frequencies. Below the time, a digital marquee slowly scrolls, displaying track titles, program names, and more. If you want a more personal sound experience, you can connect your phone via Bluetooth to stream your preferred audio.

The speaker grill behind the display and manual buttons doubles as a wireless charging pad, so you can charge your phone simply by placing it atop the clock. A USB port at the back allows for the streaming of any additional devices.

The Siesta Charge's array of audio options means you can wake up either to the standard alarm chimes or your favorite radio show. Going to sleep to your favorite music is also easy, using a built-in sleep timer that will turn off your tunes after you've fallen asleep.

Whichever you choose, these smart clocks will help you sleep better and wake up easier. Even if they don't, they'll at least be a cool new piece of tech to brighten up your bedroom.