This is particularly handy if you want to save plug sockets when using your radio by your bedside. Some radios have a dedicated remote control, or an accompanying smartphone app that can act as a remote control.
However, not all remote controls are equally good: look for one with large, well-labelled buttons, where the most-used buttons fall naturally under the thumb. Roberts and Pure are the two best-known British radio brands. However, our testing shows that their radios are not always the best, and that they even make some real duds. Be especially careful here for hidden charges. Then you can add the price of the battery pack on to the price of radio, to find out what the full cost of buying the radio really is compared with other models.
At Which? For radios with sold-separately charge packs, the charge pack model you need is listed there as well. By considering radios with sold-separately charge packs as tabletop models, it also means they go through our tougher scoring system for home-use radios — for more on this, see our how we test DAB radios guide. DAB radios are easier to use because you simply choose the name of your preferred station, rather than having to tune it in manually like you do with FM.
DAB radio generally has good coverage across the UK, but in remote areas you might still struggle to get a good signal and have to use FM or internet radio instead. If you live in a valley between steep hills, or in an urban area surrounded by tall buildings, it will be harder for the radio signal to reach you. Our lab experts rigorously test the reception of radios so you can find out which have the best signal — look at the test results tab in our reviews to see how sensitive each model is to picking up radio stations.
It depends on how clear a signal you can get in your area, where you position your radio, and how good its aerial is. You can easily switch between the two to get the best sound quality wherever you are. Theoretically, internet radios have the potential to have the best sound quality. FM-only radios often look temptingly cheap and are usually found in less digitally focused high street shops such as supermarkets and DIY stores.
Many cars are unfortunately still sold with FM-only radios. They generally now have Bluetooth, too, to stream audio from your smartphone or tablet.
This means you get a wide choice of ways to listen. If you have a smartphone or tablet, you can access internet features on that by streaming it through a standard DAB radio that supports Bluetooth. This allows you to access internet radio and podcasts from apps such as BBC Sounds, TuneIn Radio and others, without needing a dedicated internet radio.
Head to the Digital Radio Plus website and enter your postcode to see if you can access it. The site also provides maps of city regions showing the areas of good reception as well as marginal areas. In terms of use, a digital radio is just like an analogue model or TV. Plug it in, turn it on, tell it to scan for stations and it does the rest. You can browse all stations in your area and save your favourites as presets.
Some rugged radios are designed for use outdoors and in dirty environments, like a shed or garage. Digital radios come in all shapes and sizes, just like analogue models.
You can still get portable and desktop models, and some hi-fi systems have them built in as well. Portable and desktop models can look like old-style traditional radios and the retro s look seems to be in vogue.
Contemporary styles are also available though, if you're feeling less nostalgic. Most manufacturers are including them as standard in most car models. Battery power: Most DAB radios are mains-powered and need to stay plugged in, but some have optional battery packs that make them portable. Wattage: Radio wattage can range from 1W to over 20W. The higher the wattage, the louder the volume can be without suffering from distortion. Want your radio to double up as a wireless speaker?
Go for a higher wattage. If you just want a bedside radio to wake you up in the morning, you can get away with less. Not all brands provide this information, as it can easily be confused with sound quality as opposed to volume. Sometimes they also offer ways to control the music through dials or an equaliser menu so you can tweak the bass and treble.
Internet radio and wifi: Some will connect to your home wifi network and play internet radio stations too. Some internet-connected radios will also include support for streaming services like Spotify, Tidal and Deezer. You can also find Amazon Alexa-enabled options too.
This button will brighten the clock briefly before it fades out. You can usually change the brightness manually, too. Why we like it: Roberts has been around since and makes many of the radios featured on this list. This top-of-the-line one lets you listen to DAB as well as use the wifi to get internet radio and play music from other devices.
The sound is clear and detailed, but we did find there was some distortion at full volume. It comes with a remote control too, making it easy to play, pause and skip tracks. Overall, we think it's stylish and great value for money. Read the full Roberts Stream 94i review. Why we like it: We like how this one can be powered by batteries or mains power, which also makes it great for taking around with you. We like the retro-inspired design too, and the addition of a colour screen, which can show album artwork to accompany songs.
Read the full Roberts Revival RD70 review. Last updated by Daniel Barnes 8 days ago. Usability We have a panel of experts who test every DAB radio to find out how easy they are to use. Our Verdict. Product Features. Average Customer Review 4.
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