Rank #4 in Best Telescopes 2026: 10 Ranked, and the Specs That Don't Add Up
DWARFLAB Dwarf 3 Smart Telescope
Price and rating as shown on Amazon when we collected them. Both change.
The DWARFLAB Dwarf 3 is a £499 smart telescope: camera lenses on a tripod mount, controlled from a phone app, with auto-tracking, 4K capture and no eyepiece anywhere in the box contents. It takes fourth place in this guide on a 4.5 average from 428 Amazon ratings. It is also the entry whose spec sheet we could not catch out.
Start with the arithmetic that the refractors in this guide fail. The Dwarf 3's focal length description reads "35 mm f/4.28, 150 mm focal length, 737 mm equivalent focal length". Divide the 150 mm by the f/4.28 and you get 35 mm — the same figure the same sheet gives as the objective lens diameter. Divide the 737 mm equivalent by the 150 mm and you get a crop factor of 4.9, which is an 8.8 mm sensor; an 8.8 mm sensor behind a 150 mm lens gives a diagonal field of about 3.4 degrees, and the listing says 3.38 degrees. Three numbers, one answer. Compare that with the three telescopes in this guide whose own aperture and focal length produce f/2.5, f/2 and f/2. One figure is left over, and it is the one a buyer has no way to check: the Dawes Limit of 2.76 Arc Sec, which is the figure usually quoted for a roughly 42 mm aperture, not the 35 mm listed here.
Price is what the reviews argue about, not the machine. The £499 is called "expensive" in one long review that then says it is simplicity that makes it work, and "a small amount of money for what it does" in another. Everything on this page is taken from the Amazon listing and the reviews on it; we have not used the Dwarf 3, and no figure here comes from our own testing.
How those 428 ratings break down
An average hides its own shape. This is the spread behind the 4.5 stars.
Specification
Exactly as published on the Amazon listing, field for field.
| Price | £499.00 |
|---|---|
| Amazon rating | 4.5 out of 5 from 428 ratings |
| Objective lens diameter (as listed) | 35 Millimetres |
| Focal length (as listed) | 35 mm f/4.28, 150 mm focal length, 737 mm equivalent focal length |
| Focal ratio check | 150 mm focal length ÷ f/4.28 = 35 mm, the same figure listed as the objective diameter |
| Field of view | 3.38 Degrees - an 8.8 mm sensor behind a 150 mm lens gives about 3.4 |
| Dawes Limit (as listed) | 2.76 Arc Sec; a 35 mm aperture works out at about 3.3 Arc Sec |
| Weight | 1.35 kg (3 lb), the same figure the first bullet uses |
What buyers actually say
Quoted from customer reviews on Amazon
Verified purchase“I've spent a lifetime spending budget levels on telescopic items that kind of worked....kind of didn't and left feeling .. disappointed.Cut to 2026....holy hell this thing is awesome. I felt lucky to be able to afford this as it is expensive BUT ....it's simplicity is what makes it work. I've yet to upgrade the firmware and get used to the settings so YouTube and AI helped a lot but it took me 10 minutes to get 89 stacked images of Saturn and Neptune. . NEPTUNE!!!! from my urban Bournemouth back garden with all that light pollution. Made so much better because I can leave it outside and I can use it from the warmth of my kitchen!! I wanted to get the moon but became tired and jacked it in for another night. Planets are never going to be Hubble quality with this thing but think about being able to get the rings and general shape of Saturn!!! Incredible. I'm so looking forward to getting deep sky stuff when I'm more familiar.In real life it seems heavier and larger than you think but that is no criticism. I also purchased a fairly decent tripod so stability is not a problem. The unit, even when moving under motor power, is very stable. This thing is entirely adjustable as you 'view' it by way of smart phone or tablet. From what I've seen, with these Sony sensors, one can get stunning images that transcends from just space.Having just started with it, I have no difficulty in recommending this Dwarflab 3. Amazing.UPDATE....now connected to home WiFi and firmware updated seemlessly. I've attached a sun picture I've taken from my back garden using the supplied solar filter. ALWAYS use the solar filter. Look how majestic that thing is. Sun spots, the lot.UPDATE 2....I continue to be amazed at this bad boy! I woke up early, about 430am and saw the moon up. This is a composite image of 189 stacked images, took about 5minutes. The sky was actually lightening up as well, given the sun was starting to get up. Just incredible.”
Verified purchase“Great bit of kit, small amount of money for what it does”
What it is up against
The rivals it was ranked against in Best Telescopes 2026: 10 Ranked, and the Specs That Don't Add Up.
Questions people ask
Is the DWARFLAB Dwarf 3 a telescope you look through?
No. The DWARF 3 is listed with a Zoom Ratio of "None, fixed lens" and with a smartphone and a camera as its compatible devices, and the box contents (DWARF 3, carrying bag, magnetic solar filters, pouch for solar filters, wipe cloth, USB-C cable) include no eyepiece. Images are viewed and processed in the DWARFLAB App.
What do the two focal lengths in the DWARFLAB Dwarf 3 listing mean?
The specifications give "35 mm f/4.28, 150 mm focal length, 737 mm equivalent focal length" in one line, and the bullets describe a dual lens system: a telephoto lens for deep space, wildlife and landscape, and a wide-angle lens for the Milky Way and star trails. The 737 mm figure is the equivalent focal length the listing quotes for the 150 mm lens.
How much does the DWARFLAB Dwarf 3 weigh, and how big is it?
1.35 kg, given as 3 lb in the first bullet, with item dimensions of 6.5 x 22.2 x 14.2 cm. The listing says it fits in a standard backpack.
Do I need a computer to process images from the DWARFLAB Dwarf 3?
No. The listing describes one-touch processing through the DWARFLAB App using cloud computing power, and states that no PC or complex software is needed.
What is the Dawes Limit figure on the DWARFLAB Dwarf 3 listing?
It is listed as 2.76 Arc Sec. On the usual rule of thumb a 35 mm aperture gives roughly 3.3 arc seconds, so this is the one figure in the DWARF 3 sheet that does not follow from the others.
Can the DWARFLAB Dwarf 3 be used in daylight?
According to the listing, yes: the bullets say the telephoto lens is for daytime subjects while the wide-angle lens locates the target, and a magnetic solar filter and its pouch are included in the box.
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