DWARFLAB reached out to me asking if I was interested in checking out the DWARF mini, which is a portable astronomy telescope designed for amateur astronomers. Why do I say it's for amateurs? Well, for starters, it's not what you'd call "high end"; it's more of a professional-grade starting point for amateurs serious about capturing what's up there in our night and day skies.
A typical amateur astronomer is most likely thousands of dollars deep into the hobby, and I will make no claims that this DWARF mini (at a fraction of the cost) could replace it all, okay? Well, if you read on, it will be clearer what I am trying to convey.
Disclosure: DWARFLAB provided a free sample without any editorial input or review pre-approval.
I have always been interested in looking up and observing the night sky. I see satellites crossing the sky above my garden most nights, and I am always looking at the moon. Yeah, I have a 200MP camera on my phone, but at 200X zoom, AI takes over and makes the pretty moon pictures that I snap, the DWARF mini does not, you get an actual true picture of what you can barely see with the naked eye.
Before we start, let's share the highlights of the DWARF mini in bite-sized format:
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Pocket-Sized & Ultra-Lightweight
Weighing just 1.85 lbs (840g), the DWARF mini easily fits into a backpack or large pocket. Its all-in-one, compact design makes it the ultimate grab-and-go digital telescope for hiking, camping, or traveling to dark-sky locations. -
Intuitive App Control & Built-in Sky Atlas
Go from unboxing to your first shot in just 3 minutes! The DWARFLAB App provides a seamless experience with an interactive star map. Simply select your target and start exploring without the steep learning curve of traditional setups. -
Auto GOTO & 360° Pivot Freedom
Enjoy pinpoint automated tracking with full 360° rotation. Powered by a high-sensitivity Sony IMX662 sensor (1/2.8-inch, 2.9μm pixels), it captures amazing, low-noise astro details, bringing faint nebulas and star clusters to life with stunning clarity. -
Pro-Level EQ Mode & Long Exposure
Unlock advanced deep-space imaging with Equatorial (EQ) Mode. Supporting impressive single-frame exposures up to 90 seconds and featuring built-in light pollution filters, it easily cuts through city glow to reveal intricate celestial structures. -
Smart Cloud Processing & All-Ages Fun
Effortlessly enhance your raw data with integrated cloud processing for professional-grade results. Perfect for beginners, kids, and adults, this telescope makes exploring and sharing the wonders of the universe an exciting, family-friendly adventure.
The packaging is a pretty minimal affair with the outer box opening like a flap to reveal the plastic mould of the DWARF mini sitting in it. Below, the Sun filter, charging cable, cleaning cloth, and documentation can be found.
DWARFLAB also provided a Mini Hydraulic Tripod ($89.99), and I highly recommend getting it if you plan on purchasing the DWARF mini, as it fully supports the motorized tracking feature of the telescope; plus, at 840g, the weight of the telescope, you will need a tripod that supports more than the weight of a smartphone anyway.
What's in the box
- DWARF Mini Smart Telescope × 1
- Sun Filter x 1
- Type-C to Type-C Cord x 1
- Cleaning Cloth x 1
- User Guide
With that out of the way, here are the full specs:
| DWARF mini | |
|---|---|
| Dimensions (DWH): |
 60.70 mm x 100.38 × 183.61 (2.39" x 3.95" x 7.23") |
| Weight: | 840g (1.85lbs) |
| Aperture diameter: | 30 mm (telephoto), 3.4 mm (wide angle) |
| Image Sensor: |
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| Focal length: | 150 mm (telephoto), 6.7 mm (wide-angle) |
| Equivalent focal length: | 1016 mm (telephoto), 45 mm (wide-angle) |
| Shutter Speed: | Tele - 1/10000-90s, Wide - 1/10000-30s |
| Maximum exposure time: | 90s (telephoto & wide-angle), Both in EQ mode |
| Rotation range: | Lens: 225°, Base: 360° |
| Effective Pixels: | 2.07M |
| Maximum Resolution: | 1920 × 1080 (Telephoto & Wide-angle) |
| Built-in filters: |
Astro, Dark, Duo-Band (Telephoto), Astro (Wide-angle) |
| Output: | JPG, FITS, TIFF, MP4 |
| Shooting Mode: | Photos, Videos, Astronomy, Burst Shooting, Time-lapse Photography |
| Storage: | 64 GB |
| Battery: | Built-in 7000 mAh, supports external USB charging |
| Charging Port: | Type-C |
| NPU: | 1 TOPS |
| Features: |
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| Wi-Fi Transmission Range: | 15m (open environment) |
| Color: | Black |
| Compatibility: | iOS & Android smartphones/tablets |
| Warranty: | 2-years (24-months) |
| MSRP: | $399 |
Design
| Charge port | On/off button | Lens |
|---|---|---|
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On the DWARF mini itself, it is a pretty minimal affair. On one side, there is a Type-C USB port to charge the non-removable 7000 mAh battery, and on the other side, a large button to power on or off the telescope. The button is flanked by an LED that is green when connected via the DWARFLAB app, or lights up red when being powered off. Below the button, there are four LEDs that indicate battery power.
The DWARF mini does not have any sharp edges as all sides are rounded off; it has a good heft to it, but the weight of it feels quite balanced in the hand, so it isn't top or bottom-heavy.
On the front there is the DWARFLAB logo which is quite small and there are no other markings on it.
The tripod offers full 360° rotation of the motorized base, which allows for tracking for the time-lapse mode, but also for the 90-second captures of nearer objects in the sky, such as the Sun or the moon.
Usage
To get started, simply power on the DWARF mini and open the DWARFLAB app, tap on Connect, and it will scan for the DWARF mini over the Wi-Fi network. The device supports both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi, as well as Bluetooth for discovery, so connection issues were minimal in my experience with it. As previously noted in the specs, the DWARF mini will stay connected with a phone or tablet up to 15 meters in an open environment, such as a backyard.
Lighting status
- Powering on: The green circular light will rotate and breathe in turn
- Powering off: The red circular light is gradually extinguished
- Connecting: Green light strip rotating
- Connected: Green light strip solid/always on
- 4 lights 1= 0-25%, 2= 25-50%, 3= 50-75%, 4= 75-100% battery power
To view the full lighting status, such as tracking mode and connection failure, you can check the user guide on the official DWARFLAB page.
DWARFLAB app
Above, you can see the steps undertaken to connect the DWARFLAB app to my Galaxy S26 Ultra. Weirdly, I got an alert that a firmware update failed to get uploaded to the DWARF mini the first time, but upon retrying, it worked.
Then place the DWARF mini outside, make sure your smartphone or tablet is connected to it, and then head back inside, because you can manage it from the comfort of your home. Simply enter the Atlas tab in the app and search for what you want to capture, and then tap on the camera icon; the DWARF mini will then attempt to track the object and give you a live view right on your connected device.
Results
I've had the DWARF mini since April, but even though my garden is south-facing, I had a lot of trouble trying to capture a good image of the moon. In the end, it was possible after I took it with me on a trip to my parents in Southend, UK, at the end of May.
Here is a capture of the moon, resulting from 20 stacked images over a 90-second exposure. What you are seeing here is not AI-assisted. A good example of what I mean is the latest flagships with their 200MP cameras claiming to capture things like closeups of the moon, and while they are not as good as the above example on the DWARF mini, the resulting image on smartphones is actually AI-assisted above 30X zoom. Here is an example of a similar shot at the moon at 200X zoom using an HONOR Magic8 Pro.
The difference is clear.
Next, here we have a shot of the daytime moon.
Here is a shot of Arcturus, the red giant star, which is the fourth brightest in the night sky. As previously mentioned, it could be a bit clearer, but clouds passing in front of it muddied the shot a bit.
The Sun
The DWARF mini also ships with a sun filter, meaning you can take great shots of the sun as well.
| Tracking Sun | Resulting (stacked) shot | Live zoom |
|---|---|---|
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The pictures themselves are limited to Full HD, and some of the examples actually came out in HD (1280x720), but this is because the standard telescopic result is in 720p while "Wide" is in 1080p.
Above you can see how in the app the Sun is tracked, the resulting capture, and Live zoom.
I have only scratched the surface of what is possible with this telescope; I found several examples online of shots of the Milky Way, among others, such as nebulae and galaxies. All of this requires patience and knowledge, although if you know what you are looking for, simply enter it in the Atlas tab in the DWARFLAB app, tap the camera icon, and the telescope will attempt to track it.
Conclusion
The good
The DWARF mini definitely places itself in a price point that makes astronomy accessible to anyone looking to get started in the hobby. Say you want to have a closer look at the moon, simply enter it in the Atlas, and the Live view also lets you zoom in and snap pictures.
The bad
Some issues I came across while operating the DWARF mini were that it sometimes failed to connect unless I held my smartphone right next to it, and finding and tracking sometimes took several attempts to get it calibrated. I discovered that it helped if I sort of positioned and pointed the telescope in the general area it was supposed to detect, but this obviously wouldn't work with objects you can't see with the naked eye; more testing is required for that.
Another bit of advice is to ensure that the lens is clean. While making the examples of live zooming on the sun, I discovered that the telescope lens and sun filter were not completely clean, and only after cleaning with a microfiber cloth was I able to get a decent shot of the sun.
Where to buy and a coupon
Okay, $399 is not cheap for a side hobby, but nor is a $1,500 smartphone flagship that you'll most likely have for a couple of years. This is a one-time entrance into astronomy, and it won't become obsolete in one year like a smartphone. It's a thumbs up from me.
The DWARF mini is available to buy right now in the U.S. and U.K. at the links below.
- DWARF mini for $399 on the official site
- DWARF mini for $399 on Amazon U.S.
- Use the NEOWIN5OFF coupon code for an additional 5% off at checkout (expires June 21)
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
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