The best smart binoculars are brand new to the market and are unique in that they can identify stars, constellations, galaxies, landscapes and even wildlife in real-time, telling you what you’re seeing.
Because the market is so new, there are only two viable options at the moment, with Swarovski’s model focusing on birds and animals and Unistellar’s specializing in landscapes and astronomy.
Not only can they identify subjects, but they also store the geo-locations of your observations, so you can refer back to a precise location at any point. This feature is one of optic technology’s most significant steps forward in recent years. With built-in guides, it’s easy to share smart binoculars amongst a group and find the night sky objects with ease.
Currently, the best smart telescopes dominate the artificially intelligent world of astronomy for consumers, but with the lower cost and portability of smart binoculars, we think this is an area worth keeping an eye on.
With several astronomical events coming up soon, be sure to check our night sky guide. But if it’s more traditional optics you’re looking for, we’ve highlighted (and tested) the very best binoculars and the best telescopes currently on offer.
The quick list
Offering excellent analogue imagery, these cutting-edge smart binoculars are a game changer for beginners and experts alike.
Unistellar is offering their smart Envision binoculars for less than a quarter of the price of Swarovski’s AX Visio.
Best smart binoculars we recommend in 2025
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Best overall
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Buy if:
✅ You’re a keen wildlife watcher: This model’s most attractive feature is the ability to identify wildlife with the click of a button.
✅You want top-tier optics: Swarovski is known for the quality of its optical technology, from binoculars to camera lenses.
Don’t buy if:
❌ You’re working to a budget: Costing several thousand dollars, these are not cheap.
❌ You want these for stargazing: These are focused on wildlife and won’t help you identify planets, stars or galaxies.
The bottom line:
🔎 Swarovski AX Visio: Featuring smart technology, superb quality optics and more, these are a pricey but powerful, game-changing tool for wildlife watchers.
The AX Visio’s smart technology is a blessing for beginners and experts alike. It identifies and stores the positions of birds in their various habitats and creatures too, including mammals and insects. We’ve rated it 4/5 stars in our full Swarovski AX Visio 10×32 binocular review.
Identified something interesting? Then why not photograph or record it? The Swarovski AX Visio’s 8GB of internal memory is enough for 1,000 photographs or an hour of footage. On top of that, its built-in GPS ensures you won’t get lost when you’re out and about wildlife-watching.
This pair weighs 2.4 lbs/1090g, so they’re not light, but considering they have to have batteries to function, it’s not bad. The Swarovski AX VISIO is a game changer in the world of binoculars. Time will tell whether the implementation could be improved, because purchasers have reported difficulty identifying some birds.
Hopefully, market research will soon improve the product, as with all new technology. Swarovski’s reputation for high-quality optics precedes the Visio, and with its smart features, it’s an attractive package.
Best for price
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Buy if:
✅ You want to stargaze with them: The stargazing features will make it easier to spot objects of interest and the 50mm aperture drinks in plenty of light.
✅ You’re working to a budget: These are a fraction of the price of Swarovski’s AX Visio binoculars.
Don’t buy if:
❌ You want something lightweight: At over 2.65 lb, these binos are pretty hefty.
❌ You want to able to take pictures directly: The Envision does not include a still image or video camera.
The bottom line:
🔎 Unistellar Envision smart binoculars: With AR integration and a record of over 200,000 stars, plus quality Nikon lenses, these should be a treat for stargazers and wildlife watchers.
Although not yet released, the opening price of the Unistellar Envisions is considerably less than the aforementioned Visio. Primarily using similar technology and combining the same features, the Unistellars will be hard to beat in price.
The listed night sky objects you should be able to observe, as stated by Unistellar, are as follows: Constellations, Nebulas and galaxies, stars, planets and moons, comets, asteroids and even human-made points of interest like the International Space Station (ISS) and highlights of Lunar landing sites including the Apollo missions.
The Unistellar Envision does not have built-in identification apps but does have a built-in Augmented Reality (AR) system that enables you to identify over a million mountains and trails and approximately 200,000 night sky objects. The Envision uses Nikon lenses, so you can expect the analog side of the binoculars to be excellent.
Unistellar is putting the project out to crowdfunding, so the prototypes should be made later this year. Those who pre-order them through Kickstarter can get them for as little as $599. As with any Kickstarter, there’s a risk you may not get what you paid for, but Unistellar is hardly a new compan,y and we’ve been a fan of their smart telescopes for years.
We won’t be able to compare the two head-to-head until they’re out in the wild. But if you have an interest in astronomy, these seem to have the edge compared to the Swarovski AX Visio, which is made for wildlife watchers and hunters.
User reviews
The Swarovski Optik AX Visio users have said that the camera has a few problems identifying birds accurately. The image you see isn’t the one the camera sees, which means that the image is often too small for the ID software to be reliable.
Best smart binoculars: Comparison
|
Product |
Magnification: |
Objective lens |
Built-in camera |
Is AR built in? |
Can use without power? |
Field of view |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Swarovski AX Viso |
10x |
32mm |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
6 degrees |
|
Unistellar Envision |
10x |
50mm |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
6.4 degrees |
Best smart binoculars: Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best smart binoculars?
As the Swarovski Optik AX Visio binoculars are the only smart binoculars in production at the time of writing, we would have to recommend them over their competition. They are an auspicious start in the new market of smart binoculars.
What are the cheaper smart binoculars?
If the Unisteller Envision binoculars’ current crowdfunding campaign succeeds, they will likely be very keenly priced, with Nikon glass and well-integrated Augmented Reality. We are currently unaware of any other smart binoculars priced lower than this.
Update log
Going forward, this is where we will record any updates to this guide.
How we test the best smart binoculars
To guarantee you’re getting honest, up-to-date recommendations on the best smart binoculars to buy, here at Space.com, we rigorously review every binocular to fully test each instrument. Each binocular is reviewed based on a multitude of aspects, from its construction and design to how well it functions as an optical instrument and its performance in the field. We have currently completed our first review of the only smart binocular available to buy by consumers, the Swarovski Optik AX Visio, which we will publish soon.
Where possible, each pair of binoculars is carefully tested by our expert staff or knowledgeable freelance contributors who know their subject areas in depth. This ensures fair reviewing, backed by personal, hands-on experience with each binocular and judged based on its price point, class, and intended use.
