Best first telescope
Seestar S30 Pro
Tripod and solar filter in the box, no collimation, and a wide field that makes framing easy. $699 list.
- 30 mm
- 3.99° × 2.24°
- 1.65 kg
- $699
Best smart telescopes for beginners
For a first smart telescope we weighted ease of setup (no collimation, tripod in the box, autofocus), price and how forgiving the field of view is when framing.
Best if budget allows
Seestar S50 Pro
Same app and workflow with 2.8× the light and a 9-hour battery.
- 50 mm
- 2.45° × 1.38°
- 2.8 kg
- $999
Cheapest and lightest
DWARF mini
$399 and 840 g. Budget a tripod.
- 30 mm
- 2.13° × 1.20°
- 0.84 kg
- $399
Easiest premium option
Unistellar Odyssey
Autofocus, no collimation, full-height tripod; the app suggests targets.
- 85 mm
- 0.75° × 0.56°
- 4 kg
- $2,599
Avoid as a first scope: Unistellar eQuinox 2 and eVscope 2 (manual focus and collimation) and the Celestron Origin Mark II (18.9 kg, collimation) unless you already know the hobby.
How we choose
We do not accept free units or payment for placement. Picks come from manufacturer specifications compared like for like: aperture (light), image scale (detail), field of view (what fits), weight, battery and what is included. Discontinued models are excluded. See our method.
More buying guides
Frequently asked questions
What is the best smart telescope for beginners?
Our pick is the Seestar S30 Pro: Tripod and solar filter in the box, no collimation, and a wide field that makes framing easy. $699 list.
What is a smart telescope?
A smart telescope combines a small telescope, a camera sensor, a motorised mount and a computer in one unit. You control it from a phone app: it plate-solves its position, slews to the target, tracks it and stacks short exposures live, so an image builds up on screen in minutes.
Can I look through a smart telescope?
Most have no eyepiece. You view on a phone or tablet. The Unistellar Odyssey Pro and eVscope 2 add a digital eyepiece that shows the same processed image.