Roberts’ Revival Petite 2 DAB radio reignites my pink 1960s household fever dreams

Roberts Revival Petite 2 in pink, held by a redheaded-lady wearing green nail polis, in a pink room

(Image credit: Roberts)

Ever experienced cute aggression? The kind of rising urge to squeeze a particularly cute Pomeranian puppy sitting in its tiny puppy bed, wearing the cutest sweater you've ever seen – probably a bit too hard for its personal wellbeing? OK, but have you experienced that with tech? My first time was with the original Roberts Revival Petite, which I reviewed for TechRadar's sister publication, What Hi-Fi? – and awarded five sweet stars to.

So ridiculously enjoyable, fun, and tiny was this FM/DAB radio and portable Bluetooth speaker (how did they get all of that in there?) that I found myself engrossed in it even in slumber, switching stations while making Chicken à la King in my also-tiny pastel-colored 1960s kitchen, in several retro-fabulous fever dreams.

Now, Roberts has launched the next generation of this palm-sized audio companion, the Revival Petite 2 – and it fixes my only real issue with what is emphatically one of the best DAB radios around.

While Revival Petite 2 has the same bijou size and retro aesthetic, it now includes an all-new telescopic antenna (the original encouraged you to attach a black rubberised wire antenna to the external antenna socket on the back if experiencing poor signal), plus USB-C charging (the original sported a microUSB port), enhanced Bluetooth, and even a new alarm function.

The USB-C rechargeable battery offers the same 20 hours of uninterrupted playtime as the original (but come on, it's tiny – I've eaten bigger burritos) and an aux-in for listening to good old-fashioned FM radio on your headphones, if you'd like.

The Roberts Revival Petite 2 is available now in six delicious colors for £99.99 (approximately $127 or AU$195) and will be available in 'Pastel Cream' from April.

If you've yet to experience the classic wireless, with all its audio imperfections, do

Roberts Revival Petite 2 in orange, held by a woman in a blue room — My original Revival Petite sample was orange – it's very cute. (Image credit: Roberts)

One of the joys of listening to FM radio is that you need to work a little bit to get a good signal. You may need to briefly stick your arm out of the window when holding it, or angle that new antenna in ever-creative ways for the audio floor to drop, thereby freeing itself of background interference. For some, this will be a nostalgia trip, for others it'll be a fun novel new challenge. However, I maintain that there are times when listening to the original wireless – and not knowing what's coming up next – simply can't be beaten.

And a Roberts radio is without a doubt an ideal vehicle with which to experience this. The company was founded by good friends Harry Roberts and Leslie Bidmead, who began making portable radios from a small shop in London, UK, in 1932. Initially, the duo produced just three products per week, under the simple philosophy: never compromise on quality and keep pushing the boundaries.

The company remains the UK market leader in portable radios – just see our Roberts Radio Pillow Talk Speaker review, our Roberts Rambler BT Stereo DAB radio review or our Roberts Revival RD70 DAB radio review for more examples of what it can do.

If you need me, I'll be repainting my apartment, digging out my Gran's heavily annotated Mrs. Beeton recipe book, and clearing a spot on the G-Plan coffee table for my new Roberts Revival Petite 2.

Becky is a senior staff writer at TechRadar (which she has been assured refers to expertise rather than age) focusing on all things audio. Before joining the team, she spent three years at What Hi-Fi? testing and reviewing everything from wallet-friendly wireless earbuds to huge high-end sound systems. Prior to gaining her MA in Journalism in 2018, Becky freelanced as an arts critic alongside a 22-year career as a professional dancer and aerialist – any love of dance starts with a love of music. Becky has previously contributed to Stuff, FourFourTwo and The Stage. When not writing, she can still be found throwing shapes in a dance studio, these days with varying degrees of success.