ESAKO Telescope for Kids & Beginners, 70mm Aperture Portable Telescopes with 3 Eyepieces, Height Adjustable Tripod & Phone Adapter & Remote Control Gift for Christmas Review

First Look: Promising Package, Tempered Expectations

The ESAKO 70mm telescope arrives looking like a proper gift — bundled with three eyepieces, a height-adjustable tripod, phone adapter, and even a remote control shutter. For a parent scanning holiday gift lists, it checks every box on paper. But does it actually deliver a worthwhile stargazing experience for kids and beginners, or is it just a well-photographed box of ambitions?

Let's be direct: this is an entry-level refractor aimed squarely at curious kids and absolute beginners. Judge it on those terms, and it becomes a much more interesting conversation.

What the 70mm Aperture Actually Gets You

Aperture is the most important number on any telescope. At 70mm, the ESAKO gathers meaningfully more light than the cheap 50mm scopes flooding the market. In practical terms, you can expect:

• Clear views of the Moon's craters — the genuine highlight for most kids
• Saturn's rings becoming visible (though small) under good sky conditions
• Jupiter's disc and its four Galilean moons
• Basic terrestrial use — birdwatching, distant landscapes

What you should not expect: deep-sky nebulae, resolved star clusters, or the kind of imagery you've seen from professional observatories. The three included eyepieces offer different magnification levels, but pushing to maximum magnification on a budget refractor typically produces blurry, wobbly images — especially if the tripod isn't rock-solid, which at this price point it rarely is.

The Accessory Bundle: Clever Marketing or Genuine Value?

The phone adapter and Bluetooth remote control are the headline accessories, and they're genuinely fun additions for a beginner. Attaching your smartphone to the eyepiece for afocal photography — pointing your phone camera through the eyepiece — is a simple technique that can yield surprisingly satisfying Moon shots. The remote shutter helps avoid camera shake when taking those photos, which is a real practical benefit that experienced astrophotographers will recognize.

That said, buyers should temper expectations here. The phone adapter requires fiddling to get properly aligned, and results depend heavily on your phone's camera quality. Don't expect Instagram-worthy nebula shots — the Moon is your best bet, and even then, getting a clean image takes patience.

The height-adjustable tripod is functional for kids and shorter adults, but it introduces one of the more common complaints about telescopes in this category: stability. Any vibration — from footsteps, wind, or even touching the focuser — will send your target swimming across the eyepiece. This is frustrating for adults and can quickly discourage younger users.

Who This Is Actually For

This scope makes the most sense as a first telescope for a child aged 8-14 who has expressed genuine curiosity about astronomy. It's enough to show the Moon in stunning detail on a clear night, which is often all it takes to spark a lifelong interest. As a Christmas or birthday gift, the full bundle presentation — scope, tripod, eyepieces, phone adapter, remote — feels substantial and exciting to unwrap.

It is not the right choice for:

• Adults who want to get serious about amateur astronomy
• Anyone hoping to photograph deep-sky objects
• Buyers expecting professional optical quality

If you're an adult beginner who wants to actually explore the night sky with something that won't frustrate you within a month, spending more on a proper 4.5" reflector from a dedicated astronomy brand will serve you dramatically better. The ESAKO is a gateway, not a destination.

The Honest Drawbacks

At this price point, a few issues are predictable and worth naming plainly. The focuser mechanism on budget refractors like this one can feel imprecise — getting a sharp focus often requires slow, careful adjustment, and the sweet spot is narrow. Children may find this frustrating without an adult to help. The included eyepieces are serviceable but not optically impressive; chromatic aberration (color fringing around bright objects like the Moon) is expected on an uncoated refractor objective at this price.

The tripod, while height-adjustable, is lightweight by necessity. On uneven outdoor ground, achieving a stable, level platform takes effort. Several budget telescopes in this category have been noted for tripods that wobble more than they should, and there's little reason to assume this one bucks that trend.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is the ESAKO 70mm telescope good for viewing planets?

A: Yes, with realistic expectations. You'll see the Moon's surface in excellent detail, Saturn's rings, and Jupiter with its moons — but images will be small and magnification-limited. It's rewarding for a beginner, not a serious planetary observer.

Q: Can kids use this telescope independently?

A: Children aged 10 and up can likely manage it with some initial adult guidance. Younger kids will need help with focusing and alignment. The tripod and controls are relatively straightforward once set up.

Q: How does the phone adapter and remote work?

A: The phone adapter clips over the eyepiece, letting you use your smartphone camera to capture what you see through the scope. The Bluetooth remote shutter minimizes camera shake when taking photos. Best results come with Moon photography — deep-sky objects are beyond this setup's capability.

Q: Is this better than cheap 50mm telescopes?

A: The 70mm aperture does collect noticeably more light than a 50mm, which translates to brighter, somewhat clearer views. It's a meaningful upgrade, though still firmly in the budget beginner category.

Q: What's a good upgrade path after this scope?

A: If a child (or adult beginner) outgrows the ESAKO and wants to go deeper, a 4.5" or 6" Dobsonian reflector from brands like Orion or Sky-Watcher represents a serious step up in optical performance for a reasonable price increase.

The ESAKO 70mm is a decent gift for a curious kid — nothing more, nothing less. It'll deliver memorable Moon nights, introduce the concept of magnification and focusing, and look impressive under the Christmas tree. Just don't expect it to compete with dedicated astronomy equipment, and make sure whoever receives it understands they're starting a journey, not arriving at a destination.

— Home Lead Editor 2, CPrice