10 Best Battery Operated Radios in 2022 – Tested & Reviewed

You may not think of this right off, but you may want to think about getting the best battery-operated radio.

There may be a power outage, or perhaps you like to get news reports while you’re out camping or hiking. It’s even great to use on your lawn, while you sip beer or lemonade while lazily listening to music or the ball game.

What are the Best Battery Operated Radios – Quick Summery

With an impromptu power outage, the battery-operated radio, you can conveniently listen to music or news with less hustle. What’s more, is that even when hiking or camping, you can listen to weather alerts and stay safe. With a couple of options available, we have summarized a top list of battery-operated radios.

Best Overall: Panasonic RF-2400D Battery Operated Radio
It has an earphone jack to avoid distracting nearby people and a large speaker with superior sound quality.

Most All-inclusive: C Crane CC Skywave Battery Radio
With this radio, you enjoy additional NOAA weather alerts, air traffic controllers, and shortwave coverage from all over the world.

Most Durable: Sangean TB-100 Battery Powered Radio
It is made of rigid material with a roll cage on the bottom and sides, which makes it shock-resistant to falls and bumps.

Easiest To Use: Tecsun R-9012 12 Bands Battery Operated Radio
It comes with simple station tuning knobs and a tuning indicator light to help you identify the station you’re looking for.

Best Aesthetics: SEMIER AM/FM Radio Operated by Dry Battery
It combines both retro features with a touch of modern design to give you clear sound quality and a great experience.

Most Excellent Reception: Prunus J-01 Battery Operated Portable Radio
Fixed with a terrific DSP chip and a revocable antenna, you get strong signal reception like no other.

Editor’s Choice: C. Crane EP PRO AM FM Battery Operated
The excellent AM reception, superior sound, powerful batteries, and ease of use make this one of the best battery powered radios.

Best Multi-purpose: PR- 137 Portable Radio Operated by Dry Battery
Its powerful radio reception is able to pick up AM stations that other radios cannot find.

Budget-friendly: VEILOND AM FM Portable Dry Battery Radio
This radio offers lots of perks that are just too much over the bar for its inexpensive price.

Compact Design: Givoust Portable Battery Operated AM/ FM Radio
It is small and lightweight, making it easy to carry around as it can fit in a jacket pocket.

10 Top-rated Battery Operated Radio in the Market

You have plenty of options when it comes to picking a good battery powered portable radio, and the sheer number of possible choices can be overwhelming. Make it easier for yourself by choosing from our top 10 recommendations.

1. Panasonic RF-2400D Battery Operated AM / FM Radio

This absolutely looks like an old-fashioned battery operated AM/FM radio, except for the large speaker in front. It also features a ferrite antenna that’s almost universally seen in AM radios these days.

The speaker measures 4 inches wide to provide a nice sound. The station tuner knob offers precise station setting, which you can see on the station panel. There’s an earphone jack as well, if you don’t want to bother people nearby.

But even when you’re alone out in the woods, this gets very nice reception especially for AM radio. Even the FM stations 50 miles away gives you great-sounding music, and that’s with the antenna down.

This uses 4 AA batteries, and you’d have to buy them yourself. It’s not a big deal, since you very rarely (if ever) get free batteries. Bring it along with you, as it has a solid handle on top for easy carrying. It measures 3.2 by 9.2 by 4.8 inches, and only weighs about a pound. You can use this at home as well, if you have an AC adapter.

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2. C Crane CC Skywave AM, FM, Shortwave Battery Radio

From a bit afar it looks like a rather small pocket-size battery operated radio. It is small at less than 5 inches wide and 3 inches high, and it only weighs 5.4 ounces. That’s small enough to only require 2 AA batteries, which can run continuously for about 60 to 70 hours.

It may be small, but it certainly is far from terrible. Aside from the AM/FM capacity, it gives you the NOAA weather radio with alert so that you’re always notified of any weather issues when you’re out camping or biking. It also offers Worldwide Shortwave coverage and you can even listen to air traffic controllers.

This gives you terrific signal interference, and AM reception is decidedly clear. The sound it offers is actually quite nice, considering the size. It also has a stereo headphone jack.

This has an auto scan feature and up to 400 memory presets, with a direct entry keypad to get your favorite station quickly. The lit LCD screen shows you the station you’re on, though it can also show you the time along with the battery meter and signal meter. You have a rotary dial for the volume, a knob for picking the station, and a lick switch to prevent accidental changes.

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3. Sangean TB-100 (Toughbox) AM / FM / AUX Battery Powered Radio

This Toughbox really does look tough. It’s almost military in its aesthetics, with the olive-green body and black colors for the touch buttons, station select and volume dials on top, and the antenna. It even has a roll-cage on the sides and bottom, and it’s black too. That roll cage makes this resistant to shock even when you drop it. The toughness extends to rain-resistance as well, and it is also resistant to dust.

This is powered by 4 C batteries, and you’re better off getting the rechargeable batteries. That’s because when you plug this in with its 9-foot AC power cord, you’re also recharging your batteries at the same time. When it’s time for you to use the batteries, you can roll the electrical cord on the back of the radio.

This comes with a large 5.25-inch full-range speaker, and the signals are cleaned up by the Digital PLL Tuner. You have 7 buttons up front, with the on/off button, the AM/FM button, and the 5 buttons for the presets. You have 5 presets each for AM and FM. The backlit LCD identifies your station and how much battery power you have left.

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4. Tecsun R-9012 AM/FM/SW 12 Bands Battery Operated Shortwave Radio

This is a cute little battery radio, measuring about 5 by 3 inches and only an inch deep. It only weighs 7.1 ounces. You only need 2 AA batteries for this, but you can also use a DC 3V adapter. Do be careful when buying a new adapter just for this battery operated radio, though. It has to be negative inside and positive external.

It’s small, and surprisingly inexpensive. Yet it offers very clear AM and FM reception, and it draws in shortwave stations as well. That means you can even use this if you’re about the broadcasts from other parts of the world.

Tuning to your favorite station is easy with this too. You have an easy-to-use tuning knob, along with a tuning indicator light so you don’t pass over the station you’re actually looking for. The sound is great as well.

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5. SEMIER AM/FM Portable Radio Operated by Dry Battery

The overall look is decidedly modern, even if the features are actually retro. It’s a box with a handle on top, along with a telescoping antenna. On the left side of the front you have a large speaker, with the station panel on top. There’s a switch for AM/FM, and two large knobs for picking the station and adjusting the volume. There’s an earphone jack as well.

It offers a nice sound good enough to fill a room, and that’s because it’s not really all that small. It measures 8.6 by 5 by 4.6 inches and weighs about 1.4 pounds. With the handle on top, it’s easy enough to bring to your porch or to your campsite.

With this around, you’ll enjoy the clear quality of music and talk shows. It’s really that good. Just buy the 2 D batteries it needs and you’re good to go.

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6. Prunus J-01 Battery Operated Portable Radio

This is an old-fashioned battery radio that’s markedly different from most modern gadgets these days. With this, you can listen to music or to AM radio talk shows and news reports and save the battery on your smartphone. This is a battery powered AM FM radio that offers shortwave too.

This is actually powered by 2200mAh battery which can give you 20 straight hours of use. once the battery power gets low enough, the power icon on the LED display will flash. You can then use a USB cable to power it back up.

This battery operated radio comes with a terrific DSP chip along with a retractable copper antenna for excellent reception. The antenna rotates 360 degrees, so you can fiddle with it to find the best reception.

The sound is also courtesy of the 3W magnetic speaker, which even gives the deep bass that other battery powered radios can’t offer with their .5W speakers. There’s a headphone jack as well.

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7. C. Crane CCRadio – EP PRO AM FM Battery Operated

If you want something easy to use, try this battery powered radio from C Crane. This has knobs for just about all the controls, with the exception of the AM/FM switch.

This uses the special Twin Coil Ferrite AM Antenna that gives you fantastic AM radio reception. You’ll find it difficult to get better AM reception with this small radio. The FM reception is terrific as well. At the side of the radio between the volume and station knob, you even have a small knob for AM fine-tuning.

The sound is also decidedly superior. In fact, you have an FM stereo option on the AM/FM switch. You even have knobs that let you adjust both treble and bass, with the sound coming from the large 5-inch speaker.

Your purchase comes with a 6V AC adapter, though you need to buy the 4 D batteries. These batteries can last for 300 hours straight if you turn off the display light and play music at moderate volume.

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8. PR-137 AM/FM 2 Band Portable Radio Operated by Dry Battery

This isn’t a pocket battery operated radio, but it’s still easy enough to carry. It’s only 8 inches wide and 5 inches high, with a depth of less than 4 inches. With the handle on top, it’s not difficult to lug around especially when it weighs just 2 pounds. It may not be optimal for walking around, but you can use it on your porch or in your garage, instead of wasting your smartphone battery. You can bring it along to a campsite as well.

Besides, this can provide better reception for both AM and FM radio than any smartphone. The layout is also simple enough, with a switch for either AM or FM, a knob for the volume, and an analog display panel to identify the radio frequency. The tuning knob is on the side, same as the headphone jack.

You need 4 C batteries for this, and you’re good to go for outdoor use. But if you’re near a power outlet, you can just plug in the built-in electrical cord. The sound is great, coming from the 3-inch speaker.

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9. VEILOND AM FM Portable Dry Battery Operated Radio Player

It’s amazing how an inexpensive battery operated radio like this can offer lots of perks. This uses 2 D batteries, but if you’re using this beside a power outlet then you can just plug in the built-in electrical cord.

This lets you listen to AM and FM radio, and shortwave too. The large speaker occupies most of the front side, though at the right part of the front you have the analog station display. The handle is on top along with the retractable antenna. On the side, you have the thread knobs for volume and station adjustment. It also has a headphone jack, though you only get mono instead of stereo.

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10. Givoust Portable Battery-Operated AM/FM Radio

This is definitely a pocket-size battery radio, measuring 4.7 by 3.5 by 1.3 inches. Some smartphones are even larger. Half the front is reserved for the speaker, with another half for the unusual round analog station display. It weighs about a quarter of a pound.

You just need 2 AA batteries and you’re good to go for the next 24 hours. The retractable antenna extends long, and the sound quality is great for music, talk radio, and news reports. The lit dial helps when using this at night, and it’s actually rather easy to use.

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Battery Operated Radio Buying Guide

It’s always a good idea to read the manufacturer’s specs and listed features to get an idea of what you can expect from a radio. But you should also read battery operated radio reviews, which offer a rather more objective view. These reviews can tell you about how a battery radio really works, how it may fail to work, and how well the customer support responds.

In addition, you’d do well to focus on the following factors when reading these reviews to help you make the right choice:

Battery Usage

How many batteries will you need to buy? Typically, these battery radios don’t come with free batteries unless they’re the type that uses a rechargeable Li-ion battery. It’s great if you can get by using one or two cheap AA batteries.

You also should take note how long you can expect the battery radio to work before you need to replace the batteries. It’s also easier for you if the battery radio has a battery power indicator, so you can anticipate when you need to replace the batteries.

Of course, it also helps if you can power the radio with an AC adapter especially if you’re going to use it at home. Typically, you have to buy this adapter too.

Portability

Take note of the battery operated radio’s size and weight. It’s better if it’s smaller and not too heavy. Check if it is easy to carry around, and find out if you it comes with a belt clip or a carry strap. Some of these battery radios are a bit bigger, but they should at least have a comfortable handle.

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Reception Strength

In general, you’ll want to get FM stations for the music and AM stations for news and talk radio shows. For camping, weather reports will also be useful. The antenna should be telescoping and should get clear AM and FM signals.

Sound Quality

How good is the speaker? You don’t really need stereo speakers built in the battery operated radio, though it’s nice if it has a headphone jack that offers stereo sound. You don’t really expect booming bass with these types of radios, but it’s a plus if it doesn’t sound too tinny.

Ease of Use

The bad news about having lots of features is that the battery operated radio can be too complicated to use. Still, it’s nice if you can have 1-touch buttons for your favorite stations along with controls that you can easily adjust for volume and radio frequency. Backlit LCD’s are great, especially at night when you’re camping.

Versatility

Some battery operated radio double as a clock, with the time displayed on the LCD screen. It may have a sleep timer that shuts down after a certain number of minutes so you can use it to lull you to sleep. It’s also nice if it can also function as an alarm clock, especially with a humane buzzer that gets gradually louder.

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Durability

Can the battery operated radio survive the delivery process, or will it arrive at your home with damaged components? How long will it work without anything breaking down?

Advantages of a Battery Powered Radio

Here are some reasons why you’d want to get one for yourself:

• If there’s a power outage, a battery-powered portable radio gives you news reports and music too.
• It’s handy for camping and hiking trips.
• You can bring one along on long biking trips.
• Battery operated radios are typically small and lightweight, so they’re easier to carry around.
• You can listen to music or a ball game at home lounging on your patio when there’s no convenient power outlet nearby.
• Battery operated radio is great for your office.

FAQs on Battery Powered Radio

Wrapping Up

Who says you need to use your smartphone for everything? Get the best battery operated radio instead and you can listen to music or news reports without wasting your smartphone battery. Take this with you on the porch or on a camping site, and enjoy.

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