Roberts has made radios in Britain since 1932, and the shape that still defines it dates from the end of the 1950s. The RT1 of 1959 was the company's first portable transistor set, a box with a carry handle that Leslie Bidmead reportedly drew with his wife's handbag in mind. When the old look came back in the 1990s as the Revival, it became one of the best-selling portable radios the country has had.
The Petite is that radio again at a smaller size, and the second version is the one to look at. It keeps the grained case, the fabric speaker grille and the script logo, with a gold-toned dial and a row of buttons set into a small OLED display. Roberts lists it in seven matte colours, from black and midnight blue to pop orange and sunburst yellow, which is more personality than most radios are allowed.
What changed on the inside is practical. The Petite 2 picks up DAB, DAB+ and FM, with ten presets on each band, and streams from a phone over Bluetooth 5.0. A telescopic aerial replaces the fixed one, the battery charges over USB-C, and there is a headphone socket and an alarm that wakes the owner with a buzzer or a chosen station.
The sound comes from a single 40 mm driver with a passive bass radiator, rated at 5 watts. At 7.3 by 12.4 by 8.5 cm and 430 g it is small enough to carry from the kitchen to a bedside table, and Roberts quotes up to 20 hours of playback from the built-in rechargeable battery. A radio this size will not fill a large room, and it is not trying to.
The limits are plain. There is no remote, no multi-room and no smart features, and it is made in China, not in the UK. For the price it asks for a modest amount of attention, which is the old Roberts bargain: switch it on, turn the dial, and let the radio do the rest.
- Retro Revival styling in seven matte colours, in a case small enough to carry between rooms
- DAB, DAB+ and FM with 20 presets, Bluetooth 5.0, an alarm and a headphone socket
- USB-C charging and up to 20 hours of battery life by Roberts's figures
- One small driver, so it suits a kitchen or bedside table more than a big room
- No remote, multi-room or smart features, and made in China
The verdict
A well-judged small radio that keeps the look of an old Roberts and adds the things people now expect, as long as it is wanted for one room and not for a party.
Best forAnyone who wants a characterful bedside or kitchen radio that also plays from a phone.
Photographs courtesy of Roberts Radio
