Roberts SolarDAB 99 review
Roberts SolarDAB 99 DAB+/FM Solar and Wind-Up Radio
By Tom Calder
The only DAB+ set here from a UK radio maker that also has a crank and solar panel: its product description promises up to 7 minutes of listening per minute of winding, which is modest and believable. IP55, up to 20 hours of playback by Roberts' figure and 40 presets make it a good everyday radio that keeps going in a cut. Against it: 830g, no AA or AAA fallback, a USB port owners can't agree works off the mains, and a premium price.
- Best for
- Someone who wants proper DAB+ from a UK radio brand with solar and crank backup, and will keep it on a kitchen shelf rather than in a rucksack.
- Skip it if
- You want something for a grab bag, or you're paying extra for phone charging
We earn a commission if you buy through the retailer links on this page. It doesn't change our verdict. How we make money →
Researched, not used. We haven't used this product. This review is built from the maker's specifications, owner reports and our own sizing.
What we like
- DAB, DAB+ and FM with 40 presets, Bluetooth and an IP55 rating, from Roberts
- Up to 20 hours of playback (Roberts) and up to 7 minutes of listening per minute of cranking (product description)
- Torch, reading light, SOS beacon and siren, and Roberts advertises a free 2-year warranty
Worth knowing
- No AA or AAA fallback, so once the internal battery is flat you're down to the sun and the handle
- 830g and premium-priced, and owners report the USB output only charges a phone on mains unless power-save is switched off
Out of stock when we checked: our alternatives
Closest in size first, then by our score. None of them was showing out of stock when we last checked.
Best for A rugged home or shed radio: IP55, a user-replaceable battery Philips rates for up to 60 hours, a phone-charging port and four AAA cells as a fallback.
as of 2 Nov 2026, 13:07 GMT · Details
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.co.uk at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Best for Most UK households: a mainstream-brand FM/AM set with its own rechargeable battery, three AAA cells as a fallback, and a crank and solar panel behind those.
as of 2 Nov 2026, 13:07 GMT · Details
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.co.uk at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Best for The plain 'battery radio' answer to the GOV.UK kit list: a pocket FM/AM set from a UK radio brand that runs for days on two AA cells and has little to go wrong.
as of 2 Nov 2026, 13:07 GMT · Details
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.co.uk at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.ⓘ As an Amazon Associate, PreparedBritain earns from qualifying purchases. We may earn a commission when you buy, or a fee when you request a quote, through our links. When two products are close, commission can decide which one we pick. A clearly better product always wins. Amazon prices come from Amazon's own product data and show the date and time they were retrieved. Prices at other retailers are checked by us, less often. Prices and stock can change at any time, so always check the retailer's price before you buy.
Our review
Roberts' SolarDAB 99 is a DAB+ and FM radio with a built-in rechargeable cell that tops up from the sun, a hand crank or USB-C, wrapped in an IP55 case. It is the only crank-and-solar DAB+ set on our list from a UK radio maker. At 837g it is for the kitchen windowsill rather than a rucksack.
What Roberts publishes
Roberts' product page lists DAB, DAB+ and FM with 20 presets for each, Bluetooth, an auxiliary input and a headphone socket. The built-in battery gives up to 20 hours of play and recharges over USB-C, from the solar panel or from the hand-crank dynamo. The case is rated IP55 and measures 20.3 by 11.4 by 8.9cm. The emergency features are an LED torch with high and low settings, alternating red and white lights for an SOS signal, and a siren. The box holds the radio, a quick start guide and a safety and warranty leaflet, and Roberts advertises a two-year warranty.
What Roberts does not publish is just as useful to know: there is no battery capacity, no output rating for the USB socket, no speaker wattage, and we could not find a manual online when we checked. What Hi-Fi's launch report in July 2026 relayed Roberts' claim of up to seven minutes of playback per minute of cranking, and mentioned a USB-A port for charging devices.
Living with it
Because it runs only from its own cell, the best routine is to leave it where it gets daylight and plug it in now and then, so it starts any power cut full. Twenty hours covers several days of news bulletins. When the cell does run down, seven minutes of radio per minute of winding is a modest, believable figure: a couple of minutes on the handle gets you the next bulletin. There is no slot for AA or AAA cells, so you cannot simply drop in fresh batteries.
IP55 under IEC 60529 means protection against dust that would affect it and against low-pressure water jets from any direction, so rain on a garden table or a damp shed is fine. Roberts showed it as out of stock and inviting interest when we checked, so availability may come and go.
Phone charging
With no published output rating for the USB port, treat phone charging as an occasional top-up rather than a plan. A 20-hour radio cell is not large, and every minute spent charging a phone is radio time lost. A separate power bank does that job better, which is why the government's Be Ready checklist lists a charged power bank as its own item.
How it compares
On our emergency radio comparison the Nedis RDDBCR2000GN is the light DAB+ alternative at 288g, with a replaceable cell but no water rating or headphone socket. The Philips TAR3500 matches the IP55 rating and adds four AAA cells as backup but has no DAB. The Roberts Play 20 is the DAB+ Roberts that runs on AA cells instead of a crank.
Our verdict
Buy it if you want a good everyday DAB+ radio that also keeps going through a long cut without batteries, from a brand with UK support. Skip it if you want something light, a set that takes ordinary cells, or a reliable phone charger. Note your local FM frequencies too; our guide to radios in a power cut explains why.
A researched review, built from the maker's specs, manual and UK listings; facts checked 2 Nov 2026. Sources: Roberts: SolarDAB 99 product page and specifications; What Hi-Fi: Roberts SolarDAB 99 launch report (July 2026); UK Government Be Ready: emergency kit checklist; Electrical Classroom: IP ratings under IEC 60529 explained.
Who shouldn't buy this
Don't buy it if you want something for a grab bag, or you're paying extra for phone charging. Buy it as a resilient household DAB radio and keep a power bank for the phone.
Key specs
| Power sources | Built-in rechargeable battery (USB-C), solar panel and hand crank. No AA/AAA option listed |
| Bands | DAB/DAB+/FM, 40 presets (20 DAB, 20 FM), Bluetooth |
| Phone charging | USB output, but owners report it only works on mains or with power-save switched off - treat as unproven off-grid |
| Built-in torch | Yes - LED torch (high/low), SOS beacon with Morse option, reading light and emergency siren |
This is a Researched review: we haven't used this product. We check every specification against at least two independent sources, re-check the UK price on a schedule where we can track it automatically, and say plainly who it isn't for. Commissions never change a rating.
Questions
How long does the Roberts SolarDAB 99 battery last?
Roberts says up to 20 hours of play from the built-in rechargeable battery, which charges by USB-C, solar panel or hand crank. Roberts does not publish the battery's capacity.
How much radio does winding the SolarDAB 99 give?
Roberts' launch claim, reported by What Hi-Fi, is up to seven minutes of playback for each minute of cranking. It is not on Roberts' current product page.
Is the Roberts SolarDAB 99 waterproof?
It is rated IP55, which means protection against harmful dust and low-pressure water jets from any direction. It suits rain and damp, not submersion.
Does the Roberts SolarDAB 99 take AA batteries?
No. It runs only from its built-in rechargeable cell. Keep it charged by USB-C or daylight so it starts a power cut full.
Free alerts for your home
Home Alerts emails you when a power cut, a Met Office warning or a flood warning covers your postcode. Free for your own home. Sign up in a minute.
Start free →