Majority Abbey DAB Bedside Radio Review

Disclaimer: Best Radios UK is audience supported. If you buy via links on here we may get a small commission. This doesn’t impact the price you pay & lets us keep the site free.

Summary:
If you want an inexpensive radio that offers FM, DAB, USB charging and an alarm clock, the Majority Abbey Radio is a good choice.

Buy it online:
See price on Amazon.co.uk

The Majority Abbey DAB Bedside Radio is a new product released in September 2016. It’s a cheap radio that offers both FM and DAB radio, as well as an alarm clock and two USB charging points. Like all radios in the Majority range, it was designed in Cambridge, England. The radio comes in a choice of a white or black design.

Let’s take a closer look…

Features

Two USB ports for charging a smartphone or other device.
Dimmable LCD screen.
Automatic time set feature – it automatically sets itself to the correct time.
You can save 20 preset radio: 10 DAB and 10 FM radio stations.
Headphone jack.
Can be powered by 4 AA batteries or mains power.
You can set two alarms – for example, one for weekdays and one for weekends

Weight: 721 g
Dimensions: 15cm wide x 15cm deep x 6 cm high

Performance and use

The Majority Abbey Radio is fairly easy to set up, but you may need to adjust the aerial to get a good signal. The radio automatically sets the correct time and finds DAB stations. One irritating thing about this radio’s design is that you need to push several buttons to turn it on and off—it would be better to have a single switch. The sound quality is fairly decent for the price, especially for speech stations.

The radio lets you set two alarms, so you could have one for weekdays and another for the weekend. The large snooze button is a good feature, but the fact that you can’t completely turn off the LCD light means it might disturb you when you’re trying to sleep.

Pros

Small, and should fit easily on your bedside table
12-month warranty
Easy to set up
Choice of DAB and FM
Large snooze button
Sound quality is fairly good, especially for speech programmes

Cons

The LCD screen’s light can’t be completely turned off, though it can be dimmed quite low. This might disturb you at night.
Turning it on and off pushing a number of buttons rather than using a simple on/off switch.
The aerial is long (over a metre), and is quite flimsy.
The DAB receiver doesn’t offer the same reception as many other DAB radios.

Verdict

This isn’t the most user-friendly alarm clock radio, especially as turning it on and off involves pushing several buttons rather than just using a single switch.

On the plus side, the USB ports are very useful for charging your phone overnight, and the radio is very fairly priced. If you want an inexpensive radio that offers FM, DAB, USB charging and an alarm clock, the Majority Abbey Radio is a good choice.

Alternatives

The Madingley Hall DAB Bedside Radio, also from Majority, is a slightly cheaper alternative to the Abbey radio. It comes with two USB charging ports as well as FM and DAB radio.

If the Majority Abbey’s USB charging feature appeals to you, you might be interested in one of these iPhone clock radio docking stations. Another popular clock radio with a similar price to the Majority Abbey is the 1byone Portable Digital Radio. It has quite a different design, and also offers DAB+ stations.