A great pocket telescope can make any outdoor activity better. Our favorite new pocket telescope is the Gosky 12×55. It has everything we look for in a monocular telescope: clarity, range, lightweight, rugged – and it comes with a phone adapter. This Gosky handheld telescope will help you enjoy nature and capture those memories on your phone.
Of course, Gosky has some serious competition. There are many excellent models on the market. Here are the best at different price points:
Quick Guide to the Pocket Telescope
When shopping for a monocular telescope, you can learn everything you need to know pretty quickly.
Of course, there is always more to learn about the optics and technology. This can be fun, but it’s not truly needed to make a good choice. The real essentials that the average person may not know about are the magnification, lens size, and field of view. Other than that, the key features involve easy ideas like size, weight, and water resistance.
Gosky 12×55 – High Definition Monocular Telescope with Phone Attachment
This Gosky model has a whopping 325 feet field of view at 1000 yards. And the image is crystal clear. This wide field of view makes any outdoor adventure even more vivid. It is especially perfect spotting animals while bird watching, sightseeing, or hunting.
Our favorite feature is the smart phone attachment. You can capture all the beautiful sights with photos and videos. This attachment is like adding a high power zoom lens to your smart phone. Installation is quick and easy once you get the hang of it.
This Gosky is also rugged and ready to rock. It is water-proof, shock-proof, dust-proof, fog-proof, and has a rubberized no-slip exterior. It is very light at 14.5 oz. And it is tripod ready with a standard ¼” hole to screw in any regular tripod.
Best Features
- 12x Magnification
- 55 mm Lens
- 325 Feet Field of View
- Only 14.5 oz.
- PHONE ATTACHMENT INCLUDED
- Tripod Ready
- 12× Magnification & 55mm Objective Lens: This Gosky monocular is equipped with 12×55 high power magnification, which is the best...
- Premium FMC Lens & BAK-4 Prism: The HD monocular telescope uses 18mm BAK-4 optics prism and FMC (Fully Multi-Coating) lens, which could...
- Lightweight Monocular & IPX7 Waterproof: The comfortable and portable hand strap could prevent the lightweight monocular scope from slipping...
Bestguarder 6×50 - Night Vision Pocket Telescope with HD Infrared Camera
This more expensive model is a definite wish list item. It is your typical pocket telescope on steroids. It has night vision and an HD digital infrared camera. The possibilities are endless. You can use it all day and then let the adventure continue in the dark. The field of view is a whopping 390 feet at 1000 yards. This results from the lower magnification power combined with the 50 mm lens.
Best Features
- Night Vision
- HD Digital Infrared Camera
- 50 mm Lens
- 390 Feet Field of View
- Tripod Ready
- 1). outstanding optical clarity: 5Mega CMOS sensor; high performance digital night vision monocular with 6x magnification and a 50mm...
- 2). long viewing distance: built in 850Nm infrared illuminator for up to 1150 ft./350M viewing
- 3). user friendly interface: built-in 1. 5” TFT screen with setting menu in seven languages, easy to use; 4 adjustable IR level, make you...
Wingspan Optics Explorer 12X50 Monocular
Many consider this to be the best pocket telescope. We agree that this is an excellent monocular. We prefer the Gosky for field of view, image quality, and the phone attachment, but the Explorer is very impressive as well.
It’s well-known for being extremely rugged and durable. The interior of the telescope has been nitrogen purged then sealed with military grade silicone O-rings. This makes the model water-proof, dust-proof, and fog-proof. The protected lens and rubberized coating make it shock-proof (drop-proof) as well.
The image quality is bright and clear. It has a powerful 12 x zoom, and the lens size is 50 mm. The field of view is 246 feet / 1000 yards. It’s not as wide as the Gosky, but still an excellent field of view.
The single hand focus is so useful. You can hold the telescope and focus the lenses at the same time with one hand.
Best Features
- Single Hand Focus
- Rugged and Durable
- Water-Proof, Fog-Proof, Shock-Proof
- 50 mm Lens
- 246Feet Field of View
- Tripod Ready
- 12X50 MAGNIFICATION - See things 12X closer and Get Clearer and Brighter range of view with 50mm lens - The most powerful hand held...
- DURABLE EXTERNAL ARMOR - Provides a secure, non-slip grip, and durable external protection.
- WATERPROOF AND FOG PROOF - Prevents moisture, dust, and debris from getting inside the monocular - designed to inhibit internal fogging. For...
Vivreal 12X50 – Pocket Telescope with Phone Attachment
The Vivreal is another top contender. At about half the price of the Gosky, it will be irresistible for many buyers. It does deliver excellent value for the money.
It has a huge 360 feet field of view at 1000 yards – very impressive. The image quality is quite good and better than many more expensive pocket telescopes. But the image quality is less crisp and bright than the Gosky.
It comes with a phone attachment and tripod with the regular purchase price! It is a very good deal. You can use the tripod to hold the scope rock steady. Then you can use the phone attachment to record all those magical moments.
Best Features
- Phone Attachment and Tripod Included
- Water-Proof, Fog-Proof, Shock-Proof
- 50 mm Lens
- 360 Feet Field of View
- Affordable
- ✅【12X42 High Power Magnification】A full 12x magnification and 42mm object lens diameter monocular provides a clear and bright image,...
- ✅【High Contrast And Resolution Images】 Latest optics technology, the HD monocular telescope equipped with BAK-4 prism and fully...
- ✅【Dust-Proof, Waterproof & Fog Proof】 Ergonomic design helps you focus on your target quickly and accurately with one hand. And the...
Here is a comparison chart for the top pocket telescopes:
Best Budget Models
Beware of most cheap pocket telescopes. The glassware is generally low grade. The construction is usually flimsy. And they are overall a waste of money.
Roxant is the most trustworthy maker of affordable pocket telescopes. Roxant scopes are well made and have high quality glass optics. They keep prices down by reducing features and size. These models have less magnification, smaller lenses, and smaller fields of view. Roxant models have less features and a shorter range than others in the category, but they are also a fraction of the price. If you are a hobbyist looking to spend around $20 or less, Roxant is an excellent, reliable brand.
Here are 2 Quality Mini Pocket Telescopes from Roxant
Both models are compact, lightweight, and durable. The image quality is clear, crisp, and bright – for this price point. They are small enough and rugged enough to give to children.
The Many Uses of a Pocket Telescope
The pocket telescope is most often used for outdoor adventures, but they have many uses in everyday life too. Each pocket telescope on our list is a convenient addition to any outdoor adventure. They are all perfect for hunting, camping, birdwatching, sightseeing, hiking, or backpacking.
Pocket telescopes are also great for concerts, sporting events, and a ton of daily activities. They are so compact and light that you will start to bring them everywhere. It is a hidden gem for travelers. We absolutely love the phone attachment. We bring a pocket telescope whenever we travel. It replaces so much heavy and bulky camera gear.
Whichever pocket telescope you choose, you can get the most value by finding new and interesting ways to enjoy it. Of course, you will likely have a primary purpose for the telescope – birdwatching, game spotting, or whatever. But don’t underestimate the power and usefulness of these little scopes.
