I know what you’re thinking: I have my smartphone—I don’t need a separate alarm clock. I also know I don’t have to remind you that using your phone in bed for things other than your alarm can cause stress, mess up your melatonin production, and throw your sleep schedule out of whack (sorry, but it’s true).

I’m just as guilty of switching between Instagram and TikTok in bed, sometimes for over an hour, before I finally call it quits and shut off the lights. But in an effort to learn how to truly wind down at night, I started searching for something to help me with the process of sleep-divorcing my phone for good—and that’s when I found the Loftie Clock ($150, amazon.com).

Loftie

Loftie

Smart Alarm Clock

$170

Amazon

$150

Loftie

$149

Anthropologie

$149

Goop

Created to help you reclaim your screen time and get better rest, Loftie is an alarm clock that aims to help you power down at night and feel energized in the morning. In addition to hundreds of five-star reviews, it also has some pretty famous fans—like 2024 Olympians Lauren Carlini, Brooke DeBerdine, and Kelsey Bing, to name a few.

While I won’t be competing in Los Angeles come 2028, I was curious to see if Loftie could make a difference in my daily routines too. I decided to put the clock to the test to see if its basic controls and unique alarm sounds could actually help me sleep better (because I’ll take all the z’s I can get). After trying it out for two weeks, here’s what I think.

The design

Made from black plastic and steel, the sleek Loftie Clock only weighs about two pounds. The base is translucent, so the night light underneath can shine through when you need it. And three buttons on top allow you to adjust the clock’s settings and snooze or turn off an alarm.

The tiny Loftie—it measures just 6.5 by 3 inches, about the size of an iPhone 15 Pro Max—easily blends into almost any bedroom decor. Although I’m no minimalist, I do appreciate the clock’s simple, slightly retro design. It takes up barely any space on my (already crowded) nightstand and looks right at home next to my Nodpod sleep mask and lavender pillow spray.

The setup

Loftie’s setup process is pretty straightforward; the instructions in the box and the app walk you through each step.

It took me about 15 minutes to open my clock, plug it in, connect it to my Wi-Fi, and set my first alarm. Worth noting: Loftie does require a Wi-Fi connection, so you’ll need to make sure your internet is stable (or setup can take longer).

Not to brag, but I was feeling pretty accomplished.

Next, I spent a few minutes shuffling through Loftie’s settings to better understand the clock’s features. I adjusted the screen’s brightness, set my alarm to repeat every weekday, and sampled a few alarm sounds until I found one I liked. The process was pretty intuitive, and soon I had my Loftie programmed exactly the way I wanted it.

The features

The Loftie clock has two main modes: morning and evening. To wake you up, the clock uses a two-phase alarm system. First, it plays a soft melody or soundscape—think soothing chimes layered over nature noises—that gradually gets louder for a few minutes to gently bring you out of a deep sleep. Then (when it’s really time to get up), a brighter, louder noise encourages you to roll out of bed. These are mostly bell-like musical tones that repeat a few times until you hit one of Loftie’s buttons.

At night, the evening routine is meant to help you relax. You can program the clock to send you a bed signal—the night light will turn on and a three-minute Loftie lullaby will play to get you ready to wind down. Once you’re under the covers, you can choose from any Loftie sound in the app’s library to help you fall asleep. There’s white noise, meditations, visualizations, fictional stories, horoscopes, breathing exercises, classical music, sleep stories, affirmations, and more.

The app

FYI: After you use the Loftie app to help you set up your clock, you technically never need to open it again. You can adjust the brightness, set new alarms, and switch sounds by using the three buttons on top of the clock.

For tech-savvy users—or people who don’t always want to reach over their whole nightstand, me included—the app is a more convenient way to switch settings, choose what to listen to, and use Loftie’s AI features (more on these later). If you’d like to take full advantage of Loftie’s morning and evening routines, I recommend springing for a Loftie+ Membership for $5 a month—it unlocks access to the app’s entire audio library.

Daydreamers, you’ll love this one: Fill out a short form in the app with some basic information (like your name), and Loftie’s AI can create customized stories about, say, hanging out with Taylor Swift backstage at The Eras Tour. Or try the Pride and Prejudice tale, which allows you to “create your own Colin Firth walking out of the water moment” (sign me up—although I only got about five minutes of listening time in before falling asleep, so I can’t tell you how this one ends…yet).

For kids, there are Christmas-themed tales and other silly stories that you can customize by adding your little ones’ names for an extra-special bedtime treat. Plus the stories are different every time, so you and your family can listen to your favorites over and over again without getting bored.

Take things one step further with Loftie’s “BYO Voice” stories: Spend a few minutes recording yourself talking, and the clock will play you (or your child) back a story read in your own voice. Very cool in theory, but a little spooky in practice, I found—so I think I’ll stick with Mr. Darcy for now.

The test

To get a feel for all of Loftie’s features, I used it every morning and night for two weeks. By the end of the testing period, the clock’s two-phase alarm became one of my favorite features. Loftie says this dual alarm system is meant to echo the way you wake up naturally. I can’t tell if my body and the clock are really that in sync, but I do think it’s a much more relaxing way to start my day than by frantically reaching for my phone’s snooze button.

In the evenings, Loftie’s Bed Signal (which signals the end of my nightly Hulu hour) lets me know it’s time to put my phone on “do not disturb.” While the customizable stories are fun every once in a while, the sound baths and naturescapes are my favorites. I’m also a fan of the guided meditations—they’re ultra-relaxing after long days when my mind is still racing as I’m trying to fall asleep.

The competition

Loftie isn’t the only “better for you” alarm clock out there—previously, I used the TikTok-viral Hatch Restore 2. Both clocks are designed to help you create calming morning and evening routines, but the Restore costs $50 more and also acts as a sunlight lamp. Unlike Loftie, the Restore requires a monthly membership in order to get the most use out of it (in my opinion). Without access to the app’s full library of sounds and stories, the Restore’s function feels too limited for the price.

Bottom line

Analog skeptics, I hate to break it to you, but using the Loftie Clock instead of my smartphone has made a major difference in the quality of my sleep and my mental health.

While I think Loftie could be a good fit for lots of people, it’s worth noting that its alarm sounds are on the gentler side, so heavy sleepers may need something more, well, alarming. And don’t let the price tag put you off—Loftie ships free and comes with a 60-night trial period, so you can test it out for yourself before committing.

Truthfully, the only thing that can get you to put your phone down is you. But Loftie’s user-friendly design and relaxing library of sounds provides an attractive alternative to my nightly doomscrolling. Instead of mindlessly surfing through Instagram posts and TikToks, I now spend just a few minutes sorting through Loftie’s audio offerings before slipping under my covers, putting aside my unread notifications, and drifting off to sleep. (Out of sight, out of mind, right?)

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