Roberts Radio SportsDAB II Review

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The Roberts Radio SportsDAB II is a relatively expensive pocket radio from the respected brand Roberts Radio. While it’s intended mainly for use on the go, it also has a built-in speaker for listening to at home. Let’s look at this radio in more detail.

Features

DAB/DAB+/FM radio
Built-in speaker
Headphone jack
Built-in rechargeable lithium battery
Saves up to 20 preset stations
FM RDS shows the station’s name on the LCD screen
2 aerials: telescopic aerial for stationary use and earphone antenna

Dimensions: 5.6 cm wide x 10.2 cm high x 2.3 cm deep
Weight: 124 g

What’s in the box?

In addition to the radio itself, you also get an instructions manual, a mains lead, and a pair of earphones.

Pros

Built-in speaker has clear sound
Better DAB reception than some similar pocket radios
Choice of listening through the speaker or through headphones
LCD display can be read in the dark without needing to push any buttons
Battery can last all day
Attractive, stylish design

Cons

Doesn’t take regular rechargeable batteries—only the lithium battery that comes with it
Telescopic aerial is flimsy
Menus are set up in a complicated way

Performance and use

You charge the radio using the mains adapter, rather than charging via USB like with some other radios. The radio can last for about 15 hours after a full charge, which is better than many other radios that only last 10 hours or so.

The DAB radio offers better reception than you’d get in most pocket radios. The small built-in speaker is also fairly decent, especially if you’re only listening to speech programmes.

Having a choice of using either headphones or the speaker makes the Roberts Radio SportsDAB II very flexible, and it can be also used in the car by connecting it to your car stereo via an aux cable. The extendable aerial is quite flimsy, so you will need to be careful when using it.

Verdict

The Roberts Radio SportsDAB II is a good radio for listening to while walking the dog, gardening, or driving, provided DAB reception is strong in the places you use it. It’s more expensive than most pocket FM/DAB radios, but the Roberts brand has a reputation for quality.

Alternative radios

While most pocket radios can only be listened to through headphones, there are a few other pocket radios with built-in speakers. One such radio is the Sony XDR-P1DBP, which is a tiny DAB/FM radio with a surprisingly powerful built-in speaker. It’s slightly cheaper than the Roberts Radio SportsDAB II at the time of writing.

Another similar radio is the Goodmans Pocket Sized GDPRDAB Radio. It’s much cheaper than the Roberts Radio SportsDAB II at the time of writing, and has an impressive list of features for the price.

Read our roundup of the best pocket DAB radios here.