Roberts Revival Petite 2 review
Small music devices haven’t had a good time of it recently, with smartphones, smart speakers and wireless earbuds hijacking many of the capabilities of portable devices. But smart devices or phones rely on data for their connection, which is where radio has a big advantage – and Roberts is synonymous with radio.
Launched in 2024, the brand’s Revival Petite 2 has a lot going for it, not just for its cute retro looks or diminutive dimensions. It also includes great connectivity options with Bluetooth onboard, a headphone output and alarm functionality, plus its 20 hours of battery life make it ideal for on-the-go use.
The Roberts Revival Petite 2 has been keeping me company for the last month – and I’ve been surprised by how good this little radio sounds. It’s certainly one of the best DAB radios you can buy if you’re looking for something compact and colourful – here's everything you need to know.
Roberts Revival Petite 2: At a glance
Roberts Revival Petite 2
Roberts Revival Petite 2: Design and setup
The clue is in the name when it comes to the Revival Petite 2. Part of the popular Revival family, it has the same '50s-inspired retro design, avoiding the hard plastic finishes you might find elsewhere.
Instead, the Petite 2 is wrapped in a leatherette finish, which is available in nine different colours: Midnight Blue, Black, Dusky Pink, Duck Egg, Pop Orange, Sunburst Yellow, Greige, Deep Red and Pastel Cream.
The model I’ve been testing is the Sunburst Yellow, which really fits this radio’s fun personality. The controls and main speaker are to the front, with the bass emanating from the back, along with the telescopic aerial and the USB-C port for charging. There’s also a 3.5mm headphone socket on the rear.
It's undeniably cute and, a bit like a kitten, I’ve noticed that everyone who sets eyes on it wants to pick it up and coo over it. It’s not quite pocketable, but you could definitely slip it into a bag when you’re on your travels. We think it makes a perfect companion for camping trips, your potting shed or wherever else you happen to be.
If there’s one downside to the design, it’s the lack of waterproofing, which is something offered by the cheaper Pure Woodland Mini.
There’s no real setup for this radio – it just needs a charge from a USB-C charger (like the one you use for your phone). While there’s a cable in the box, there’s no mains plug, so you’ll have to use one you’ve already got.
The battery will then last for around 20 hours, providing plenty of portable music – it's worth noting that there’s no option for replaceable batteries, so you'll always need to recharge the built-in battery.
You'll also have to tune it manually, selecting either DAB or FM and then scanning by rotating the dial.
On test, I found this all easy enough to do and you can save up to 10 presets to easily get back to your favourite stations. Apart from that, all you need to do is extend the aerial to get the best possible reception.
Roberts Revival Petite 2: Features and sound quality
The feature set of this radio is mostly limited to those radio functions, scanning and storing stations. Beyond that, it also offers Bluetooth, so you can connect to your phone, for example, and play music from streaming services instead. The buttons on the front allow you to quickly and easily switch between the DAB, FM and Bluetooth modes.
There’s also an alarm function, so if you take it camping, for example, you could use it to wake you up in the morning. You can have a buzzer or programme the radio to turn on instead, with the ability to set the volume too. And there's snooze function if you decide you want a little more time in bed.
There’s a sleep function too – this allows you to set the radio to turn off after a set amount of time. That’s just about all this simple device offers, but that's fine if you’re not fussed about extras like internet radio or smart voice assistants. It’s worth noting that the display is small (as is the whole radio) and so is the text, so it can be a little fiddly moving through the menus to select these different features.
The sound quality is surprisingly good for the size. It doesn’t sound its best if you’re blasting it at full volume, but there’s great clarity when listening at a sensible volume level, and that makes it perfect for radio broadcasts. The addition of the bass port on the rear adds a little more substance to the sound too. At this size, I don’t think anyone would have anything to complain about.
The Good Housekeeping verdict on the Roberts Revival Petite 2
The Roberts Revival Petite 2 gets off to a strong start with its great design that’s compact but full of charm and backed up by really good performance. It sounds great for such a compact radio, so it will appeal to anyone after something portable, be that around the house or on your travels.
FM, DAB and Bluetooth mean there’s a good range of connection possibilities, while the alarm function is handy for that essential morning wake-up call.
The lack of waterproofing is a slight downside considering the portability, and there’s no avoiding that this radio is a little expensive given how dinky it is. But, overall, I love the performance and personality the Revival Petite 2 offers.
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