1byone Portable DAB Radio Review

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Summary:
If you’re looking for an ultra-cheap DAB radio with Bluetooth, this radio is the obvious choice.

Buy it online:
See on Amazon.co.uk

This stylish grey/silver DAB radio from 1byone is one of the most popular portable DAB radios in the UK. It has an attractive, understated design and features a carrying handle and extendable aerial. The most impressive thing about the 1byone Portable DAB Radio is that it comes with Bluetooth, unlike most other radios in its price range.

Features

FM, DAB and DAB+ radio, giving you lots of choice
LCD display showing the station and song name
Stores up to 20 preset stations
3.5mm aux-in for streaming music from a smartphone or MP3 player
Bluetooth, enabling wireless streaming from a smartphone, tablet or other Bluetooth-enabled device
Carrying handle
Extendable 360-degree aerial
Clock with 2 alarms and a snooze option. Choose to use either a buzzer sound or the radio for the alarm.
12-month guarantee
Sleep function (up to 2 hours)

Dimensions: 20.2 cm wide x 12.8 cm high x 7.8 cm deep
Weight: 880 g

What’s in the box?

In addition to the radio itself, the 1byone Portable Radio also comes with a USB cable, a UK plug/charger, a 13.5mm aux cable, a rechargeable battery and an instructions manual.

Performance and use

The 1byone Portable DAB Radio can be plugged into the mains or run off the built-in battery, which lasts about 6 hours on a full charge. The radio’s battery life means it needs to be plugged in if you’re going to use it as an alarm clock.

It will automatically find DAB stations, and Bluetooth is and quick easy to set up. The radio sounds fairly decent given that it only has one speaker, but don’t expect amazing clarity or lots of bass.

The radio’s reception isn’t as good as more expensive models, and you may need to adjust the telescopic aerial. Take care here, as the aerial isn’t too durable and could break if you’re not careful.

The biggest drawback with this radio is the layout of the buttons, which isn’t very intuitive and makes it hard to use especially if it’s dark or you’ve just woken up.

Pros

The aerial can be rotated 360 degrees and extended to get the best possible signal.
Bluetooth functionality means the radio can double as a Bluetooth speaker for playing music from your smartphone or other device that has Bluetooth.
The DAB radio auto-scans and finds stations within a few seconds
One of the cheapest DAB radios with Bluetooth
Small and inconspicuous
Stylish yet neutral design
Easy to set up
Dimmable screen
The DAB reception is good given the radio’s price and size

Cons

No headphone jack
The micro USB cable that’s used for charging is rather short
Sound quality isn’t perfect, but you wouldn’t expect it to be given the price.
The aerial is quite flimsy and easy to break
The design makes it difficult to find the right buttons without looking at the radio. For example, it’s quite hard to find the snooze button to pause the alarm.

Verdict

This is one of the cheapest FM/DAB radios to offer Bluetooth streaming. It’s hard to find a radio for this price that comes with not just DAB/DAB+ and an alarm, but also Bluetooth and a sleep function. The design is fairly neutral, and the radio should look good anywhere.

The 1byone Portable DAB Radio is let down somewhat by the design and layout of its buttons, which make it more difficult to use than many other portable DAB radios. However, if you’re looking for an ultra-cheap DAB radio with Bluetooth, this radio is the obvious choice.

Alternatives

You can read about some of the top alternatives to the 1byone Portable DAB Radio in this roundup of the best portable DAB radios.

If you’re mainly interested in this radio for its Bluetooth streaming function, check out this review of the best Bluetooth radios.