
Your phone doesn’t belong on your nightstand. Hatch has been making that argument since its first Restore, and the Restore 3 at $169.99 is the sharpest execution of that philosophy yet. It’s also the strongest case any Hatch alarm clock has made for ditching the screen entirely. It bundles a sunrise alarm clock, sound machine, and bedtime routine controller into one bedside device with physical controls you can operate without cracking open your eyes. Three buttons and a dedicated volume knob replace the Restore 2’s frustrating touch-sensitive surface. That’s a smart trade in a product category that keeps chasing more screens instead of fewer.
Price: $169.99
Where to Buy: Amazon, Hatch
Sleep tech has quietly become one of the most crowded consumer hardware segments. Hatch isn’t the only company building sunrise alarms anymore. Philips has occupied that space for years with polished options at comparable prices. Amazon’s private-label alternatives keep multiplying at a fraction of the cost. What separates the Restore 3 isn’t a single standout feature on a spec sheet. It’s how completely the device replaces the phone at bedtime: the alarm, the ambient sound, the wind-down cues, and the temptation to scroll. You feel that distinction the first night you leave your phone in another room. Everything the nightstand needs fits inside one compact, quiet clock.
Owners of the Restore 2 will recognize the core promise. The third generation keeps it while addressing the physical frustrations that left its predecessor feeling slightly half-finished. Those fixes are worth examining closely.
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What Actually Changed
The controls got the most significant overhaul, and it shows immediately in a dark room. Hatch added a dedicated volume knob on top, which sounds trivial until you recall fumbling with the Restore 2’s flat touch surface at 6 AM with bleary eyes and zero patience. That single knob transforms the morning interaction from guesswork to muscle memory. Pair it with the new three-button layout (a main button, a pause button, and an Unwind swap button) and you’ve got tactile feedback the previous model never offered.
It’s a welcome shift toward physicality in a category that over-indexes on touchscreens. The confidence of that physical interface makes the whole product feel more intentional than its predecessor managed. Operating the Restore 3 in the dark feels like using a piece of gear you already know, which is exactly what a bedside clock should deliver.

Visual changes are subtle but effective. The slimmer profile means the Restore 3 takes up less nightstand space than before. Three muted color options called Putty, Greige, and Cocoa look pulled from a Scandinavian furniture catalog. Quiet choices that disappear into most bedrooms without competing for attention.
Speaker quality received a noticeable upgrade, and it’s the kind of improvement that compounds over weeks rather than impressing in the first five minutes. The Restore 3 ships with 63 built-in sleep sounds spanning white noise, nature loops, and ambient textures. Low-frequency white noise carries more depth now, with layers that don’t collapse into flat hiss the way cheaper machines tend to flatten everything.
Rain loops sound fuller. Ambient textures sit in the mix with more presence. Nature soundscapes have better separation between foreground and background, which you appreciate when relying on the same sounds nightly for months. Birdsong over running water, ocean surf with distant rain: these register as actual environments rather than compressed audio files. The layering gives each preset more dimension than the Restore 2 could produce. You hear the improvement most switching between generations side by side. Background filler has turned into something genuinely pleasant to fall asleep to.

One setup detail to flag: initial configuration requires a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi connection through the Hatch Sleep app. If your home network runs exclusively on 5GHz, check compatibility before ordering. After pairing, the clock operates independently.
Once connected, the physical interface handles everything from alarm dismissal to sound selection without pulling you toward a screen. Buttons you can feel and a knob you can turn with closed eyes solve the navigation problem from the first night. No more fumbling through the touch-surface maze that defined mornings with the Restore 2. The tactile improvement makes its predecessor feel clunky in hindsight. Existing owners will notice the upgrade immediately. It’s the kind of hardware refinement that justifies the generational leap on its own.
Hatch Restore 2 vs 3: What’s Different
| Restore 2 | Restore 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Controls | Touch-sensitive surface | Volume knob + 3 physical buttons |
| Built-in sounds | 40+ | 63 |
| Speaker quality | Adequate, thinner on low-end | Fuller range, improved layering |
| Design | Rounded, larger footprint | Slimmer profile, 3 muted colors |
| Setup | 2.4GHz Wi-Fi + app | 2.4GHz Wi-Fi + Bluetooth + app |
| Subscription | Hatch+ ($49.99/yr) | Hatch+ ($49.99/yr) |
| Price | $169.99 | $169.99 |
Both models carry the same $169.99 MSRP, which means the Restore 3 is a straight upgrade with no price penalty. If you’re deciding between the two, the Restore 3 is the better buy at this point. The controls alone make the upgrade worth it for anyone who’s wrestled with the Restore 2 in the dark.
The Subscription Factor
The Hatch Restore 3 works out of the box with a complete set of sounds and light routines, and the base experience covers daily use without spending another dollar. But the full content library sits behind Hatch+, a subscription at $49.99 per year.

Hatch+ unlocks additional soundscapes, guided sleep meditations, and structured wind-down routines beyond what ships on the device. It’s optional, and the free tier is functional enough that core features don’t feel gated. Whether the math works depends on how deep you go with sleep content. If the 63 included sounds cover your nightly rotation, you won’t miss what’s behind the paywall.
Cycling through ambient presets every few weeks creates a different equation: the annual price starts looking reasonable against standalone meditation apps. A fair model overall. It does add a recurring cost on top of the $169.99 hardware, though, which is worth factoring in.
Who This Is For
The Restore 3 fits a specific type of buyer: someone who’s tried leaving the phone in another room at bedtime but keeps finding reasons to grab it. If that pattern sounds familiar, this device removes the excuse entirely. It handles alarms, ambient sound, and wind-down lighting without a screen anywhere in the equation. Physical buttons mean you won’t reach for your phone “just to adjust one thing.”
It’s also a strong pick for anyone who found the Restore 2 promising but physically frustrating in the dark. The button and knob upgrades transform the nightly interaction from troubleshooting to something closer to operating a well-designed appliance. You shouldn’t need to think hard about silencing a 6 AM alarm, and the Restore 3 finally respects that.
Parents transitioning from earlier Hatch sound machines will find the upgrade path natural. The app platform carries over without starting fresh, and adult-focused routines build on the same design language without feeling like a repurposed nursery product. It’s a thoughtful bridge between two lines that share a user base more often than most companies realize.
Sound-sensitive sleepers who need consistent overnight audio will appreciate the speaker improvements. Nightly sound reliability might be the quietest selling point, but it’s the one that matters most.

Skip this if a $20 sunrise lamp covers your morning needs, or if a dedicated $169.99 smart alarm clock feels excessive. The price makes sense only when phone-free sleep matters enough to invest in a single-purpose device. Not everyone needs that level of commitment.
For everyone who does, this Hatch sunrise alarm clock is the best sunrise alarm clock any company has shipped to date. Sound, light, and physical controls live in one screen-free package with a single app behind it. The build quality feels permanent, not like something you’ll swap out next year.
Three understated color options help it blend rather than dominate the room. Hatch hasn’t tried to add a smart display or voice assistant, and that restraint is the product’s biggest strength. Fewer features than your phone, used better. Zero distractions at the nightstand. That’s the entire point.

Price: $169.99
Where to Buy: Amazon, Hatch
The Hatch Restore 3 is available now from Amazon, Hatch.co, Target, Best Buy, Ulta, and Nordstrom.
