Choose how you want to wake up
Start with an audible alarm, a gradual sunrise, or a combination of both. A clock radio is useful if you want live radio; a sunrise clock is useful if you prefer a light transition before the sound begins. Some combine both features.
Light, sound, or both?
A conventional clock radio uses an audible alarm or radio station at the selected time. A sunrise alarm adds an earlier brightening phase. Some also fade the light in the evening. Neither the presence of a nightlight nor colorful LEDs alone establishes that a clock has a gradual sunrise function.
What we leave out
Ordinary digital clocks, decorative lighting without an alarm, and devices with unclear sunrise functionality are outside this first catalog. Products with uncertain version details are explicitly labeled, so their claims do not quietly become facts in the comparison table.