What time is it? That’s one of the most common questions fielded by Alexa, Siri and Google, and there are times when you don’t necessarily want to join that particular chorus. If you’re blasting loud music, the AI assistant might not hear you anyway, and in the middle of the night, you won’t want to wake anyone up. That’s when a smart speaker with a clock will be helpful. You can use it to tell time and set an alarm, leaving you with no excuse not to leave your phone in another room while you sleep. The most important feature to look for is a bright and easy-to-read LED display that shows the clock, timers and alarms. If you’re the type who wakes up dying to know the temperature outside, you can get one that displays that, too.
For hi-fi music when you’re getting ready in the morning, pick a speaker that can make Bluetooth connections to a selection of streaming services and can also easily switch to multiple preset radio stations.
If you have trouble reading LED displays because they aren’t big enough or bright enough, get a speaker with multiple illumination levels. A dimmer control will be useful for those whose eyes are sensitive to light and prefer to sleep in near-total darkness.
If your smart speaker comes with a camera, be sure you can disable it before going to sleep, - just in case. And deep sleepers should look for a speaker they can connect to compatible lights, audio devices and even a coffee maker to make their alarm a virtual wake-up symphony.
