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The best portable radios are difficult to come by.
This is due to the countless number of brands on the market today.
Plus, every manufacturer claims to make the best model that one can ever find.
While this may be true, most of the AM/FM radios on the market today do not have the same qualities.
All this makes it really difficult for buyers to find the perfect portable radio that meet their needs, and that can also give them value for their hard earned money.
As a result, some editors of this product reviews website took the time to scour the market with an objective to uncover the best portable radios with excellent qualities that will give buyers a relief when they finally get a hold of them.
If you’re curious (or in a hurry):
✅ This specific portable radio is the most popular with our readers.
back to our story …
After several hours of research and communication with some consumers who are already using most of the radios listed in this article, the editors were finally able to uncover the top most purchased and rated portable radios on the market.
Now, introducing our list of the top rated and the nine best portable radios in 2020.
The 9 Best Portable Radios in 2020: Reviews
9. Aocome Portable Mini AM/FM Radio
One of the most innovated mini portable radios on the market. The speaker that comes with this model produces crystal clear sound with an improved bass effect for both talk shows and music. It’s one of the simplest and easiest to use unit on the market.
It comes with a built-in rechargeable Li-ion battery that can last for a long periods of time when fully charged. The built-in antenna makes capturing radio stations a lot easier and faster.
It has a control button designed for conveniently switching from FM to AM and vice versa which lets you choose from a variety of radio stations within and around your locality.
Plus, it searches for stations automatically and saves them into memory making it easy for you to tune into your favorite stations every now and then. And it has a LED screen display on which you can see the function mode with specific indicators.
Aocome mini portable FM/AM radio comes with a USB disk port through which you can upload your audio files, and a 3.5mm regular earphone jack for plugging a headpiece.
Aged people that aren’t intimidated by innovative technology will find it easy to handle this unit. It’s also a perfect piece for an office, any outdoor activity, or home use. For frequent travelers, this is an excellent little gadget that you can add to the list of your travelling devices.
8. Sony ICFP26 Portable AM/FM Radio
Here comes Sony again. But this time with an incredible unit designed to give you an enjoyable FM/AM listening experience.
This model comes with a carrying strap that makes its carrying around easier. It has an analog display, and two different LED indicators. One is designed for checking the status of battery, and the other one is a tuning indicator.
There is an external antenna that comes with Sony ICFP26 which is extendable up to 17 Inches long so that you can easily detect your favorite radio stations. It captures stations quickly without any trouble.
It functions well with AA batteries which are not included in the total package. You’ll have to buy them separately. The speaker that comes with this unit cranks out a standard sound that is far better than most FM/AM portable radios on the market.
Just like most of the radios listed in this review article, Sony ICFP26 has earphone jack feature that you can use for private listening. What makes this feature exceptional is that you can hear from both sides of the headphones unlike in some radios that allow sound production only at one part of earphones.
It has a flat base that makes it more stable when the antenna is completely extended, when a strong wind blows, or when you accidently bump the table on which the radio is placed.
Sony ICFP26 model is perfect for those who are searching for a portable and analog FM/AM radio.
7. Sangean PR-D18BK Portable Digital Radio – best digital portable radio for the money
To those who are searching for a portable radio with an attractive design and a good quality of sound, this is the perfect one for you.
And those who are looking for a reasonably small portable radio that can fit a little space in a room or an office, this is the right unit for you. And it’s one of the best portable radios for the money in 2020.
Sangean PR-D18BK portable radio is nicely made. It’s made with the top innovative synthetics in the industry, and strongly constructed to withstand any vigorous test that is thrown at it.
This piece is 7 inches tall. At all treble and bass levels, the speaker that accompanies it releases high quality sound without distortion even at the highest ranges.
On the easy to read LCD screen display feature of this piece, you can easily see the time and frequency of stations. Plus, the LCD feature has a built-in backlight that illuminates the whole screen for your convenience. The control buttons are appropriately located too.
With its powerful selectivity and sensitivity aptitude, this radio will amaze you by pulling in distance stations around your locality. Sangean PR-D18BK has 10 station presets with 5 presets each for FM and AM bands.
It has an Auto Seek feature designed to seek those active stations automatically across the whole band instead of the next frequency. The adjustable tuning system lets you fine-tune the radio to your precise locality regardless of where you are.
At night, when the need calls for a private listening time so that you don’t disturb the people around you, there is a headphone jack through which you can plug in a headpiece so that you can immerse yourself in your favorite station.
Unfortunately, there is no adapter in the total package of this radio. You’ll have to buy one separately. It works well with a 6V and 400m amps AC adapter and AA batteries.
6. Sony ICF-F10 Two 2 Band FM/AM Portable Battery Transistor Radio
Another remarkable unit by Sony, one of the leading manufacturers of electronics products. This one is small and compact in stature with a well-suited carrying strap nicely integrated for easy carrying around.
This portable radio functions on batteries making it an ideal for backpacking, camping, the gym, the beach, the park, and any other outdoor activity that you can think of. You can also use it while having a pleasant time at home.
Sony ICF10-F10 has a volume control button of cylinder type and it’s easy to manipulate. The tuning wheel comes with a hefty FM/AM dial scale panel display. It also comes with a large and bubbly speaker that gives out pleasant and high quality sound.
Worried about getting an excellent reception? Don’t fret because Sony ICF10-F10 comes with a Ferrite bar telescopic swivel antenna that’s adjustable for superb reception.
And if you work or live with a couple of people and would like to use this radio privately, there is a standard headphone input jack through which you can use your headphones for private listening. Or better still, you can use additional speakers through the input jack.
Sony ICF10-F10 is one of the best portable radios on the market with the longest battery life of up to 200 hours.
5. Mfine 938B Portable Speaker AM/FM Radio – best portable radio under $20
Enjoy both radio programs – talk show & music – and your collection of audio files with this amazing unit.
With an audio source that uses a standard 3.5 jack, you can plug this radio to an MP3 player, an iPod, a laptop computer, a tablet or a Smartphone.
With this unit, you can play MP3 audio files through an SD card thanks to the built-in memory card reader feature. It comes with an uncomplicated LED display that turns off automatically after 30-40 seconds to help save battery power.
Unlike most portable radios with digital control buttons, the volume control feature of this model is an analog rotating wheel located on the side of the radio. Most users will prefer this type over the ones with buttons.
To turn this unit On or Off, you don’t need to press and hold down a button, the power button that comes with this radio can easily be pressed to either turn it Off or On and it’s located at the top.
Tuning to either FM/AM is simple and easy. Just press and hold the play button for a couple of seconds and the radio will do its magic by scanning and saving stations into memory.
Once the stations are saved, tuning into them becomes easy the subsequent times. You simply press the memory channel button to tune into your favorite station, or simply press the forward button to surf the channels.
Unlike most portable radios that are manufactured these days, there is a normal extendable antenna that accompanies this piece. So no more worries about capturing stations that a bit far away from you.
4. Panasonic RF-2400 AM / FM Radio – best battery operated portable radio in 2020
An exceptional portable radio with excellent sound quality and easy to use tuning wheel. This isn’t a digital radio with innovative technology features like built-it batteries, Bluetooth, CD player, alarm etc. It’s just a simple portable radio with a large dial panel that makes tuning easy.
It comes with a dynamic speaker that emits outstanding sound. The front cabinet has a silver color and the speaker is made of metal net. A 110V AC power cord comes with the package of this unit which you can use to plug the radio to a power outlet if you don’t want to use batteries.
There’s an earphone jack feature on this piece which is perfect for private listening. Especially if you’re in a public place and don’t want to disturb the people around. The fold down handle makes it easy to carry the radio around conveniently.
Panasonic RF-2400 AM/FM portable radio is a simple unit with no complicated features. This is a perfect radio for elderly people because it’s so easy and simple to use.
It functions on AA rechargeable batteries. It comes with big speakers and it’s light in weight. The size is bigger than an iPhone so you can simply put it on the table or on the ground while you’re working in the garden or outside.
3. Sangean PR-D7 BK AM/FM Digital Rechargeable
Another great portable radio with awesome features. It’s also one of the most portable units on the market thanks to its ultra compactness and smallish stature. It weighs 1.3 lbs, stands 4 and half Inch tall, and 8 Inch in length.
This radio is perfect for both music and talk shows thanks to its well balanced tone.
The control features are nicely placed where you can easily reach them. A display screen is another splendid feature on this piece on which time and frequency readings are displayed.
Sangean PR-D7BK AM/FM portable radio is good at sensing and selecting active radio stations, including far-away stations within and around your locality.
There are five different presets on each band of this radio. And there is an auto seek feature that seeks active stations automatically across the whole band instead of the next frequency.
Another useful feature in this radio is the PLL Synthesized tuning system that lets you have accurate and clear receptions. This unit also comes with 10 memory presets for both AM and FM – 5 FM and 5 AM – which you can easily see on the big LCD display screen.
On this radio, you can fill up your presets with the Auto Seek feature and it will automatically find active stations for you.
Humane Wake System (HWS) is an amazing buzzer alarm feature designed to wake you up slowly with an additive increasing alarm sound instead of an irritating instant noise.
Unfortunately, this is not a rechargeable portable radio. It uses “AA” size batteries which are not included in the package. You’ll have to buy it separately. But the good news is that the switching AC adapter 100-240V, 50/60Hz feature can be used to charge rechargeable batteries while the radio is being plugged to a power outlet.
2. iRonsnow IS-088 Dynamo AM/FM/ Radio
With this unit, you’ll never have to worry about batteries running out, or forgetting to keep spare batteries closer in case the one is use run down.
In other words, this portable radio doesn’t use batteries. It’s rechargeable and there are three different ways to charge it. Through solar power, via cables that come with the package, and by hand-crank. For the solar charging method, there is a strip featured on the top of the radio and it’s designed to be placed under the sunlight for charging.
All the three methods of charging the radio work effectively well but you’ll find one better than the others. This depends on your preference.
iRonsnow IS-088 portable radio supports both AM/FM. You can also set it to weather reports – WB. Tuning from one radio station to the other is easy. When a radio station is fully captured on this piece, there is a small green light that turns on automatically to indicate the full capture of the station.
For the best receptions, you can use the extendable antenna that’s nicely featured on this unit. This will be useful if you live in a place where it’s difficult to have good receptions. Volume changing is also facile on this radio.
One of the other remarkable features that helped pushed this unit onto our list of the best portable radio in 2020 is the flashlight feature. Backpackers and adventurers will find this valuable.
The lightweight and smallish stature makes it easy to carry around, and it can fit perfectly well in your pockets. Also, you can hang it up in a room or under a tent, or simply wear it on your wrist thanks to the small lanyard feature.
1. Sony ICF-S10MK2 Pocket AM/FM Radio – top rated portable radio in 2020
Have you tried several portable radios but ended up disappointed?
At its present list price, you’ll doubt the value of this portable radio. Some of our editors that came across this piece had doubts about its efficiency before adding it to our list of the best portable radios in 201.
Upon several tests, thorough research on it, and endless communication with people who have bought it and still using it till date, Sony ICF-S10MK2 became the best AM/FM portable radio in 2020 on our list.
Its portability makes it fit perfectly well into the pocket of your jacket or shirt. A carrying strap accompanies it to make it convenient for carrying around. This radio works well with both FM and AM broadcasts, and allows you to choose from the numerous music programs and radio talk shows available in your locality and its environs.
A earphone jacket comes with this piece which lets you listen to the radio privately without disturbing people in your surroundings, especially when you’re in a public place. Furthermore, it helps enhance sound clarity in noisy places. There is also a built-in speaker that allows you to listen conveniently to any radio program anywhere.
If you’re looking for a reasonably sizeable portable radio that’s easy and convenient to carry around, and the best portable radio for the money, Sony ICF-S10MK2 is the perfect model for you.
Conclusion
There you have it.
Our list of the best portable radios in 2020.
We hope that our review article has helped you find the perfect AM/FM radio that meets your needs.
Kindly share this article with friends and loved ones on any of your preferred social media platforms.
Most of them will appreciate it. Or better still, you can buy any of the best portable radios mentioned on this list as a gift to your loved ones and friends. You’ll always be remembered for this.