Portable Radio CD Players

Why it still sells

In an era when a phone plays everything, the portable radio CD player survives for reasons of practicality, not nostalgia.

It runs on batteries. On a building site, in a workshop, on a balcony, at the beach or camping it needs no socket and no phone charging.

It is not your phone. You leave it somewhere playing without missing calls, without draining your battery and without worrying if it gets knocked.

It plays CDs. For anyone with a disc collection — and for older people who want to put music on without apps and accounts. It is one of the few devices that works with one button.

Radio in an emergency. In a power cut or a natural disaster, a battery radio is often the only way to get information.

What to check

Bluetooth. Almost every current model has it. It gives you the best of both: you play from the phone when you want, without losing CD and radio.

Battery operation. Check which type it takes and whether it also runs on mains. Rechargeables make sense here, because a radio playing daily drains alkalines quickly.

Radio reception. If you use it in a basement, a storeroom or a mountainous area, tuner sensitivity matters more than speaker power.

USB input. It plays music from a memory stick — practical when you do not want to tie up your phone.

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