Top 6 compared
The best DAB radios
Clear sound and simple buttons for the news, the football and your favourite stations, in the kitchen or by the bed.
29 checked · 6 made the cut
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The top 6 at a glance
A DAB radio picks up digital stations, and most also tune in to FM. A set that receives DAB+ as well gets more stations than one that only does DAB. Some are mains sets that stay put; others are portable, on batteries or a rechargeable battery, and many add Bluetooth to play music from a phone.
Every set here receives DAB, DAB+ and FM and saves favourite stations as presets. The stations a set finds depend on the signal where it lives, so run a full scan once it’s in its spot, and again after a move to another room. Only a set sealed against water and dust belongs out in the rain.
What matters
- A backlit display, for reading it with the lights off.
- Mains and battery power, for moving from room to room.
- A headphone socket for late-night listening.
- Alarms and a sleep timer, if it’s going by the bed.
#1Roberts PLAY10 DAB/DAB+/FM Portable Radio
£30–£50
- Backlit display
- Mains adapter in the box
- Only six station presets
- No Bluetooth for phone music
The PLAY10 runs on mains or four AAs, with simple buttons and a headphone socket. Roberts has made radios since 1932 and was granted a Royal Warrant in 1955. The JBL’s higher score belongs to a rugged set sealed for outdoor use, so this home radio comes first.
What owners say: Well designed, easy to set up and use, with good sound and a size owners like; the gripes are a few early failures and batteries that need replacing often.
A closer look: Its backlit display is easy to read in a dim kitchen or a shed at dusk. At 350g it’s light enough to carry out to the garden on batteries, so run it from the mains indoors and save the AAs for those trips.
Best for: Mains or AA power
- Bluetooth for phone music
- No
- Power
- Batteries or mains
- Battery life
- –
- Station presets
- 6 (3 DAB, 3 FM)
- Lit display
- Backlit
- Headphone socket
- Yes
- Alarms and sleep timer
- None
#2JBL Tuner 3 Portable DAB/DAB+/FM Bluetooth Radio
£75–£100
- IP68 waterproof and dustproof
- 7W speaker
- Bluetooth, pairs with JBL speakers
- Only six station presets
- No USB cable in the box
Radio with proper JBL bass, plus Bluetooth for podcasts and playlists. Tough enough for the garden or a campsite, it has a sturdy carry loop and can pair with other Auracast JBL speakers to fill a bigger space with sound.
What owners say: Well made and easy to use, with excellent sound and clear reception on DAB and FM; the price and the battery life divide opinion.
A closer look: No USB cable comes in the box, so keep a spare charging lead and plug to hand. Save favourite stations to the six preset buttons on day one and it becomes a grab-and-go radio for the kitchen or garden. With IP68 protection, it can sit by a pool or on a shower shelf without fuss.
Best for: Waterproof
- Bluetooth for phone music
- Yes
- Power
- Rechargeable
- Battery life
- Up to 12 hrs (+3 with Playtime Boost)
- Station presets
- 6 buttons
- Lit display
- –
- Headphone socket
- No
- Alarms and sleep timer
- None
#3AZATOM Foxton FX2 DAB/DAB+ & FM Radio (mains)
£37.95 RRP
- 80 station presets
- Two alarms and a sleep timer
- Three-year cover if registered
- Mains power only
Made for the bedside: big, simple buttons, two alarms and a sleep timer that switches off after the shipping forecast. With headphones plugged in, late-night listening won’t wake whoever is asleep alongside.
What owners say: Clear sound and a compact size that suits a bedside table, and simple to use; reception and the instructions get mixed reports.
A closer look: Set the alarms for weekdays only and Saturday lie-ins stay undisturbed, while a USB port lets a phone charge overnight beside it. Pair a phone over Bluetooth and it doubles as a bedside speaker for an audiobook or a podcast. Register it online once it’s set up, as the three-year protection only applies once it’s signed up.
Best for: Alarms that skip weekends
- Bluetooth for phone music
- Yes
- Power
- Mains only
- Battery life
- No battery
- Station presets
- 80
- Lit display
- –
- Headphone socket
- Yes
- Alarms and sleep timer
- 2 alarms, sleep timer
#4Roberts Revival Uno BT DAB/DAB+/FM Radio
£100–£150
- Up to 25 hours on AAs
- Runs on mains or four AAs
- Two alarms and a sleep timer
The retro Revival look at 35% smaller, so it sits on a kitchen shelf or a bedside table without taking over. It runs on mains or four AA batteries, has two alarms and a sleep timer, and streams podcasts from a phone over Bluetooth.
What owners say: Full sound, good looks and a solid build, and simple to tune; some find it pricey, and reception gets mixed reports.
A closer look: Batteries aren’t in the box, so pick up four AAs if it’ll move between rooms; on mains it needs nothing else. The sleep timer runs up to 90 minutes, and the aux input takes a lead from an old MP3 player or a tablet without Bluetooth. At about a kilo it sits steady on a shelf, but it’s less of a grab-and-go radio.
Best for: Longest battery life
- Bluetooth for phone music
- Yes
- Power
- Mains or 4 × AA
- Battery life
- Up to 25 hrs (4 × AA)
- Station presets
- 20 (10 DAB, 10 FM)
- Lit display
- Dimmable backlight
- Headphone socket
- Yes
- Alarms and sleep timer
- 2 alarms, sleep timer
#5Mycket Portable DAB Radio with Bluetooth
£20–£30
- 2.4-inch colour screen
- 40 station presets
- Built-in rechargeable battery
A colour screen, Bluetooth and a rechargeable battery in a compact case, handy for camping trips and the allotment. The 2.4-inch screen shows what’s playing, and there’s a socket for headphones in a shared tent.
What owners say: Good sound, a battery that lasts well between charges and stations that are easy to find and save; reception and reliability get mixed reports.
A closer look: The clock sets itself from the broadcast, and each alarm can wake you with a station or a plain buzzer. A full charge takes about two and a half hours on the USB cable in the box and lasts up to 12 hours, so plug it in the evening before a weekend’s camping.
Best for: A colour display
- Bluetooth for phone music
- Yes
- Power
- Rechargeable (USB)
- Battery life
- Up to 12 hrs
- Station presets
- 40
- Lit display
- Colour screen
- Headphone socket
- Yes
- Alarms and sleep timer
- 2 alarms, sleep timer
#6WOVTE Portable DAB+ Radio
£20–£30
- Light at 162g
- 40 station presets
- Built-in rechargeable battery
DAB, Bluetooth and a rechargeable battery in a case slim enough for a coat pocket, the shed shelf or the tent. It tunes in every station it can find the first time it’s switched on, and plugging in headphones turns it into a personal radio for the train.
What owners say: Clear sound in a compact size that moves easily between rooms or into a bag; some found DAB reception patchy or had units stop working.
A closer look: At 12.5 by 7.5cm and just 2.7cm deep, it slips into a coat pocket or the side of a rucksack, and its 40 presets are split evenly between DAB and FM. It charges by micro USB rather than the newer USB-C, so keep the supplied cable with it. An alarm and a sleep timer make it a handy travel clock radio.
Best for: Fitting in a pocket
- Bluetooth for phone music
- Yes
- Power
- Rechargeable or USB mains
- Battery life
- Up to 12 hrs
- Station presets
- 40 (20 DAB, 20 FM)
- Lit display
- LED display
- Headphone socket
- Yes
- Alarms and sleep timer
- Alarm, sleep timer
Side by side
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 6.
| Feature | #1Roberts PLAY10 | #2JBL Tuner 3 | #3AZATOM Foxton FX2 | #4Roberts Revival Uno BT | #5Mycket portable | #6WOVTE portable |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best premium | Best budget | ||||
| Picked Rating | 8.9 | 9.0 | 8.8 | 8.8 | 8.4 | 8.0 |
| Price | £30–£50 | £75–£100 | £37.95 RRP | £100–£150 | £20–£30 | £20–£30 |
| Bluetooth for phone music | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Power | Batteries or mains | Rechargeable | Mains only | Mains or 4 × AA | Rechargeable (USB) | Rechargeable or USB mains |
| Battery life | – | Up to 12 hrs (+3 with Playtime Boost) | No battery | Up to 25 hrs (4 × AA) | Up to 12 hrs | Up to 12 hrs |
| Station presets | 6 (3 DAB, 3 FM) | 6 buttons | 80 | 20 (10 DAB, 10 FM) | 40 | 40 (20 DAB, 20 FM) |
| Lit display | Backlit | – | – | Dimmable backlight | Colour screen | LED display |
| Headphone socket | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Alarms and sleep timer | None | None | 2 alarms, sleep timer | 2 alarms, sleep timer | 2 alarms, sleep timer | Alarm, sleep timer |
| Best for | Mains or AA power | Waterproof | Alarms that skip weekends | Longest battery life | A colour display | Fitting in a pocket |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
How we checked these
How 29 became 6
We found 29 DAB radio listings. Six were the same radio listed again or in another colour, and 16 were rated too low and/or had too few ratings or sales to compete. That left seven, which we narrowed down step by step:
- Ratings, reviews and salesFor the seven, we then checked the ratings and reviews further, and how many people buy each one. Owners talked most about reception, then value for money and how well the features work.
- Features weighed upAll seven were compared on Bluetooth, how they’re powered, battery life, station presets, lit displays, headphone sockets, and alarms and sleep timers. Once everything was weighed up together, we dropped one more.6 made the cut
- Value for moneyEvery DAB radio here is worth what it costs. A dearer one is only here if it gives you more.
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