Living and sleeping in New York City is not for the faint of heart. Between honking cars, loud foot traffic, buzzing air conditioners, and clanking, building-controlled heat, there’s a lot of hustle and bustle you have to shed as your head hits your pillow.
But, there’s a smart alarm clock that makes it easy to sleep in the city that doesn’t: the Hatch Restore 3. It’s my must-have for bedtime and sticking to a better routine.
Take it from someone who’s been known to sleep in quite a bit and scroll on her phone before bed: It’s a real problem-solver. It keeps me off my phone and lets me enjoy meditations before bed (among other things) for under $200 or even less, when it’s on sale for holiday weekends and sale events like Amazon’s Prime Day.
Features That Leave You Refreshed
The Hatch Restore 3, at its core, is an alarm clock, but there’s more to it than just choosing your wake-up time. You can enjoy different wake-up noises through the app, adjust the length of your alarms, and make use of the sunrise function that has been a welcome addition to my mornings, even as an eye mask user.
The sunrise aspect of this clock is seemingly less important for me as someone who can’t sleep without an eye mask. That said, in my old apartment, my bedroom had very little natural light, so taking off my eye mask to a room that wasn’t pitch black was refreshing in itself.
Credit:
The Spruce
I also continue to find the wake-up noises on the compatible app infinitely more pleasant than the standard ones on my iPhone. I don’t feel so jarred and irritated in the morning, plus you can adjust the volume and length of your alarm, as well as the brightness of the light that emits from the clock.
When it’s time to wake up, the Hatch’s light begins shining slowly until it’s at its brightest at your wake-up time, usually 20 to 30 minutes later. To turn it off, you just press the big button on top of the clock (or use your phone).
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The Spruce
Because I work from home and at an office, my wake-up time differs every single day, which does lead to one additional step in my process. Every time you go to set an alarm, the Hatch Restore automatically checks a “repeat” button, which I annoyingly have to uncheck every day.
For someone on a tighter schedule, this “repeat” function could be helpful, though, keeping you off your phone right before bed.
It’s All in the App
I know what you’re thinking when you read “smart” alarm clock: not another app. As someone who tests home products for a living, I feel similarly. However, the compatible app is imperative for taking advantage of the entire experience of the smart alarm clock. On the app, you can set routines, which I think is the most innovative feature.
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The Spruce
First up in your routine is a sound or mini-podcast to help you unwind. You can meditate, laugh, or learn something new as you drift to sleep. There are dozens of options, with more constantly being added.
My roommate in college favored nighttime meditations, and I always found myself fast asleep before the 20-minute session ended, so I’ve been continuing this trend with my Hatch Restore, enjoying a 10-minute unwind meditation each night. However, some routines are longer, up to 45 minutes, and perfect if it takes you longer to settle down at the end of the night.
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The Spruce
Once you finish unwinding, you transition to the “sleep” module in the app. This is your white noise, or for me, red noise. You can choose from dozens of sleep sounds, from waves crashing to ambient sounds to “color noises,” which are different variations of white noise.
Before using the Hatch, I never knew that I favored red noise, but it’s quickly become my go-to. My red noise plays all night, but you can change the duration if you only need it for an hour or so. You can also adjust the volume as you need.
Easy to Use Without Your Phone
While the app is super essential (and fun to explore), you don’t have to use it to use the Hatch itself and can experience the Hatch Restore 3 completely phone-free.
Part of the new innovations of the Hatch Restore 3, in comparison to the Hatch Restore 2, are four buttons on the actual device. I tend to just use the big one to snooze and turn off my alarm in the morning, but you can also use it to start your routine each night.
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The Spruce
The side button turns your clock into a nightlight, and the other buttons let you toggle between scheduled alarms. These buttons also briefly display the alarm time on the front of your Hatch, so you can confirm you set the right time, all without picking up your phone.
The other two buttons on the top pause your content (my meditation, in my case), too, and swap it if you want to try something new.
A Nightly Routine That’s Actually Stylish
In addition to the buttons, I’m very partial to the look of this clock. It’s definitely cuter than my Google Home or my phone on my bedside table, and you can display the time on the front or just leave the display clear.
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The Spruce
It looks like there’s a mesh panel in front of the light, which is different from past models, but helps dull the sunrise light settings so they feel more subtle and real.
One thing I will say is that the Hatch Restore 3 definitely takes up room, which is something I’m always aware of when living in small city apartments. However, I’d much rather display this on my curated nightstand than other alarm clocks.
How Does It Compare to the Hatch Restore 2?
Which brings me to the previous iteration. The biggest differences between the Hatch Restore 2 and Hatch Restore 3 are that the 3 has personalized routines, the ability to switch between your routines, and more buttons on the actual device to help limit your screen time.
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The Spruce
Another editor on The Spruce has been using the Hatch Restore 2 for over a year and similarly loves the routines on the app. (There’s just more customization available with the newer device.) Her biggest frustration is the volume buttons on the device that aren’t actually buttons.
The Restore 3 solves this issue with more easy-to-operate buttons right on the device so you don’t have to bother with your phone to make every adjustment. With the added customization and phone-free controls, I think the Hatch Restore 3 is worth the buy over the Hatch Restore 2, especially since they’re around the same price.
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The Spruce
Why It’s Worth It
Overall, I can’t see myself ever abandoning the Hatch Restore 3. It’s become so integrated into my nightly routine thanks to its calming presence that drowns out the city’s noises, personalized routines, and features that keep me off my phone—most of the time, at least.
I just moved in with my partner, so I’m excited to explore the unwind sounds with him. Maybe we’ll discover a new ritual like listening to 30 minutes of low-stakes news stories from towns in Great Britain (a real option on the Hatch app), or maybe I will force him to partake in my nightly meditations because we can all use a little more zen.
What I do know is that I can’t stand the silence of the suburbs, but I need a constant stream of comforting sound to drown out the chaos often happening outside my window. I’ve tried using my phone and my Google Home, or relying on a space heater or tower fan even when I didn’t really need one.
Nothing compares to the Hatch Restore 3 that’s worth buying at full price, but an even sweeter addition when you score it for less.
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