Dwarf II vs ZWO Seestar S50 – How Do They Compare?

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2023 is turning out to be the year that smart telescopes became affordable and within the reach of “regular” people.

Previously the only available options were thousands of dollars, but two new models have emerged this year that are available for a fraction of the cost:

1. The Dwarflab Dwarf II – released early in the year and proving very popular
2. The ZWO Seestar S50 – announced in April 2023 and available at a similar price point to the DWARF II

Both are currently available for pre-order at discounted prices for a short time.

In this article, we are going to examine the Dwarf II vs ZWO Seestar S50 to see how they compare and what the similarities and differences might be.

Let’s get into it, starting with a comparison of the key specifications:

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Dwarf II vs ZWO Seestar S50 Similarities

So the DWARF II is already out and getting good feedback, but the ZWO Seestar is currently only available for pre-order (at a discount price) with a target of delivery in July.

I actually own a DWARF II which I’ve had for a little while and will be putting through its paces this spring and summer.

However, since we cannot compare the two models in hand, we can examine the specifications and descriptions to see what looks to be the same, and where they will differ.

Portable Budget Automated Smart Telescopes

We know that the DWARF II and Seestar S50 are both smart telescopes, operated via app on your smartphone. They scan the sky, take you to what you want to see, image it, and send the photo to your phone.

As it stands, it is also fair to say two things:

1. The DWARF II has been getting great feedback from those who already have their hands on one, and
2. ZWO has a great reputation of delivering high-quality products, with their CCD/CMOS cameras dominating and more recently with very popular harmonic drive mounts and ASIAIR devices.

We can therefore, I think, assume that the Seestar will perform as least as well as the DWARF in terms of operation and usability.

We also know the prices that they will sell at – both are less than $500 at full price, with pre-order discounts currently available on both. This makes them substantially cheaper than any of the smart telescopes previously available.

They are both also small and light and designed to be portable and easy to travel with.

Dwarf II vs ZWO Seestar S50 Differences

Let’s look now at the differences that we can see from looking at the specifications and see which model has which advantages.

Dwarflab Dwarf 2 Advantages

Firstly, the DWARF II has a number of pros that we can identify:

1. Resolution: The DWARF II has a higher resolution 8MP camera versus the 2MP camera of the ZWO model
2. Weight: The DWARF II is lighter, coming in at less than half of the weight of the Seestar
3. Size: The DWARF II is smaller and more compact than the Seestar
4. Availability: The DWARF II can be bought right now and has been getting great reviews
5. Price: Whilst the pre-order price of these telescopes is about the same, the full price of the DWARF II will be $459 whereas the Seestar S50 will be $499

The downsides would be the mostly lower aperture and shorter focal length.

Let’s look now at the pros for the Seestar.

ZWO Seestar S50 Advantages

Looking then at ZWO Seestar S50, we can see some of the positives that it has in comparison to the Dwarf II:

1. Aperture: The Seestar aperture is double that of the DWARF, therefore having twice the light-gathering power
2. Focal length: The focal length is more than twice as long
3. Pixel Size: The lower resolution actually means that the Seestar has a larger pixel size which is generally better for imaging deep-sky objects
4. Reputation: ZWO has a good and reliable reputation of delivering high-quality astrophotography gear
5. Price: The current pre-order discount price of $399 makes it the cheapest option right now

Apart from being a bit heavier than the DWARF II (but still very light), the main downside is the smaller resolution of the camera.

Therefore, what’s best and what to go for?

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Verdict: ZWO Seestar S50 vs Dwarflab Dwarf II

The Dwarflab Dwarf II was released earlier in the year and has shaken up the market by providing a budget alternative to the premium models from Vaonis and Unistellar.

Now in April 2023, ZWO have announced their own budget smart telescope, the ZWO Seestar S50, and things are getting really interesting.

It is hard to say what is “best” between these two as we cannot compare the images they are delivering.

The DWARF II is proving to be a big success with a lot of fans who already have their hands on one.

I think that the ZWO Seestar S50 will prove more popular with the astrophotography community that already know and trust ZWO as a brand and may already own some of their gear.

Check the live prices and availability here:

• Dwarflab Dwarf II
• ZWO Seestar S50

The main alternative to these two telescopes is the Vaonis Vespera. It is similar in terms of aperture, focal length and camera resolution to the ZWO Seestar but quite a bit more expensive.

However, it does boast a slick interface and great usability. This is something that Vaonis have perfected – making their telescopes easy to use straight out of the box.

To see all available smart telescopes and how they compare, go to Best Smart Telescopes.

Let me know if you have any comments or questions below!

More information and related content:

• Dwarf II Smart Telescope Review
• Dwarflab website
• ZWO website