Anker is probably best known for their portable charging accessories, speakers and cables. But earlier this year Anker released a new bedside device that combines a few of these features into one. The Soundcore Wakey is a Bluetooth speaker, FM radio, alarm clock, Qi wireless charger and more all packaged together into one well designed device to keep by your bed. Check out the video below for more details.
Design
Designed to be a bedside device, the Wakey is priced at $100 and packs a lot of nice features to help you get to sleep and wake up in the morning. Overall the design is simple and elegant. The soft white shell feels nice and the cloth front with backlit display should fit in to most bedroom designs.
On the back of the Wakey are some additional ports for more convenience. Two 2.4A USB ports allow for charging additional devices. A 3.5mm Aux in lets you connect other audio devices to play through the Wakey. Here you’ll also find the FM antenna input and power input.
Anker Soundcore Wakey: Video
Wireless Charger
A main piece of the design is the built-in wireless charger on top of the Wakey. There is a simple circle with some Soundcore branding signifying where to place a device. Some other users have reported having trouble getting it in the precise spot a phone needs to be in to start charging. But with the Quad Lock case that I have on my phone, I have had no issues lining up my phone with the wireless charger. There is a blue light that will turn on when a device is being charged wirelessly to let you know it is in the correct position.
Sound Machine
Another feature to help you get to sleep at night is the sound machine functionality. Within the Soundcore app, you can make your own concoction of sounds from the 10 available sliders. These audio cues include everything from wind and trains to wildlife noises. But, if you’re looking for a dedicated sound machine, check out our recent look at the Lectrofan EVO.
Having a radio is a nice feature, but you don’t have to use it. Since the antenna is a separate piece, you can save yourself some cord clutter and leave it unplugged. The alarm can be set to use an FM radio station instead of a standard alarm sound.
Soundcore Bluetooth Speaker
Being a Soundcore device, the Wakey is also a capable Bluetooth speaker. Two 5W drivers deliver stereo sound that can easily fill a room. The first time I played music from it while packing for an upcoming trip my wife said, “is that the alarm clock?” It’s very easy to connect via Bluetooth and fill your bedroom with some of your favorite jams.
Alarm
As the name would allude to, one of the Wakey’s main features is its use as an alarm clock. Within the Soundcore app are settings where you can set a time, snooze duration, days to arm the alarm, sounds and volume. There is a nice variety of alarm alerts ranging from more common alarm sounds to upbeat music tracks. As mentioned before, you can also set a radio station for the alarm.
To make any changes to the Wakey, you do need to connect to it via Bluetooth and adjust the settings in the Soundcore App. This includes any alarm changes. It’s a bit of a bummer that you can’t change those physically on the Wakey, but that would probably add a few buttons to the design and make it a little more cluttered.
One issue
I love the features of the Wakey, but do have a complaint that most other users have reported as well. The display is way too bright at night even at its dimmest. Thankfully, there are some settings in the app to help with this. In a recent firmware update, you can turn off the display. Pressing any button on the Wakey will turn the display back on. There is also a night mode setting, where you can set a time period where the display will be turned off. The display will light up temporarily when any button on the Wakey is pressed. By default, the Wakey is set to auto adjust brightness. This setting can be turned off to adjust the brightness manually, but even on its dimmest setting it was still too bright for me. I’m not sure if this can be fixed via a firmware update but if it could, the Wakey would be even better.
Wrapping up
Overall the Soundcore Wakey packs a lot of features into a little stylish bedside device. Having a wireless charger instead of a standard cable is handy, but the sound machine, alarm clock and Bluetooth speaker all built into the same device is even better.
Buy Anker’s Soundcore Wakey on Amazon
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