Same 114 mm Newtonian, same 450 mm focal length, same principle: no eyepiece at all, you observe on a phone or tablet. Between the 2021 Unistellar eVscope eQuinox and the 2023 Unistellar eQuinox 2, everything hinges on the sensor and the field of view. One warning up front, and it matters: Unistellar has taken the first-generation eQuinox spec sheet offline. Not a single figure in the “eQuinox (2021)” column comes from the manufacturer — all of them come from the specialist press and from retailers. This page is for an owner thinking about upgrading, or a buyer looking at a second-hand unit.
The 20-second verdict
The eQuinox is Unistellar’s “no eyepiece” line: where the eVscope range puts an electronic eyepiece on the tube, the eQuinox sends the image straight to a phone or tablet screen. Hence a distinctly lower price, and far more comfort in a group: nobody queues up behind an eyepiece.
From one generation to the next the optics do not move: 114 mm, 450 mm, f/4 on both sides. What the second generation brings is the sensor — a 6.2 MP Sony IMX347 in place of the 1.2 MP Sony Exmor IMX224 — and the field, which goes from 27 × 37 arcmin to 0.57° × 0.76°. The eQuinox 2 sells for €2,599 ($2,899); the first generation’s launch price is published nowhere and we have no verified second-hand value. So the question is not which is better — it is the eQuinox 2 — but how big the price gap has to be for the older one to still make sense.
The numbers side by side
Read this before the table: the “eQuinox (2021)” column has been reconstructed from the specialist press and retailer listings, because Unistellar no longer publishes anything about this model. Two values are disputed between sources and we do not pick a winner; where nothing is documented we write “not published” rather than infer a figure from the eQuinox 2.
| Criterion | Unistellar eVscope eQuinox (2021) | Unistellar eQuinox 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Release year | 2021 | February 2023 |
| Status | Discontinued | Available |
| Optical design | Newtonian without eyepiece, viewing through the app | Newtonian |
| Aperture | 114 mm claimed — 110 mm measured by Astronomy Now | 114 mm |
| Focal length | 450 mm | 450 mm |
| Focal ratio | f/4 per Astronomy Now, f/3.9 per B&H | f/4 |
| Sensor | Sony Exmor IMX224 | Sony IMX347 |
| Resolution | 1.2 MP | 6.2 MP |
| Field of view | 27 × 37 arcmin | 0.57° × 0.76° |
| Mosaic | not published | No |
| Mosaic field | not published | not specified |
| Mount | Motorised GoTo altazimuth, double fork | Motorised alt-azimuth |
| Equatorial mode | No | No — alt-azimuth |
| Built-in filters | not published | No — Deep Dark software processing |
| Battery life | 12 h | 11 h |
| Storage | 64 GB | 64 GB (eMMC) |
| Weight | 9 kg (tripod included) | 7 kg (9 kg with tripod) |
| Tripod included | Yes | Yes |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi for up to 10 devices, GPS, iOS and Android app | Wi-Fi |
| Subscription | No — Unistellar app is free | No — all features included |
| Indicative price | not published | €2,599 ($2,899) |
Three caveats on the left-hand column. Aperture: 114 mm claimed, 110 mm measured by Astronomy Now. Focal ratio: f/4 at Astronomy Now, f/3.9 at B&H. We flag the discrepancy without settling it, since there is no manufacturer sheet to arbitrate. And the 12 h battery life and 64 GB of storage are press figures too.
What really separates them
The sensor: from 1.2 to 6.2 MP
This is the real jump between generations. The Sony Exmor IMX224 tops out at 1.2 MP, the eQuinox 2’s Sony IMX347 offers 6.2. On an instrument whose image ends up on a screen, shared or cropped, that factor of five shows. The optics, meanwhile, do not change.
Field of view: a wider frame with unchanged optics
The first generation covers 27 × 37 arcmin, roughly 0.45° × 0.62°; the eQuinox 2 claims 0.57° × 0.76°. With identical focal length the gain comes from the sensor: the eQuinox 2 simply frames more sky, which avoids compromises on open clusters and extended nebulae.
Screen rather than eye, on both
Neither has an eyepiece: that is the definition of the eQuinox line, and what places it below the eVscope range on price. Viewing goes through the Unistellar app, free and subscription-free. The first generation documents Wi-Fi shareable with up to 10 devices, plus GPS and iOS and Android apps; the eQuinox 2 sheet only mentions “Wi-Fi”, with no simultaneous device count, and we do not carry that figure over from the previous generation.
Battery and weight: the advantage is not where you would expect
On paper the first generation runs 12 h against 11 h for the eQuinox 2 — but that 2021 figure comes from the press, not from Unistellar, so it compares poorly. The 9 kg quoted in 2021 is tripod included, exactly matching the eQuinox 2’s 9 kg with tripod; the 7 kg tube alone has no published equivalent for 2021.
What we do not know about the 2021 eQuinox
Built-in filters, mosaic support, mosaic field, launch price: none of it is published, by Unistellar or by any reliable third party, and we do not infer it from the eQuinox 2 (which does no mosaic and handles light pollution in software, via Deep Dark). Before a second-hand purchase these gaps matter as much as the figures.
Which one to choose, by use case
You already own a 2021 eQuinox
Upgrade if image resolution is your daily frustration, and only for that: moving to the eQuinox 2 costs €2,599 and brings no extra aperture, no extra runtime and no equatorial mode. If the instrument mostly serves to show the sky to others in the evening, the gain will be subtler than the bill.
You are looking at a used unit
We have no verified second-hand value and we will not invent one. The reasoning stays relative: the discount has to cover a 1.2 MP sensor, a narrower field and a discontinued instrument, with no manufacturer sheet and no warranty, whose true aperture and focal ratio are disputed between sources. If the asking price approaches the eQuinox 2’s €2,599, walk away; if it falls well under half, the first generation becomes defensible again: same diameter, same GoTo mount, same app, no subscription.
For observing as a group
That is the whole point of the range: everyone watches on their own screen instead of passing an eyepiece around, and the first generation documents sharing with up to 10 devices. A working 2021 eQuinox already delivers that, for far less money.
For imaging and sharing
Clear advantage to the eQuinox 2: 6.2 MP against 1.2 MP and a wider field on the same optics. If the final image matters more than the session itself, this is where the price gap is easiest to justify.
For citizen science
Both rely on the Unistellar app, with no subscription, and the first generation remains usable. We have no verified information on how long a discontinued model keeps receiving software support — a risk to factor into a used purchase.
Frequently asked questions
Why insist on where the 2021 eQuinox data comes from?
Because Unistellar withdrew this model’s spec sheet: not one value in the 2021 column is confirmed by the manufacturer, they all come from the specialist press and retailers. For a second-hand purchase that is front-line information, and it explains why some rows stay empty.
Does the 2021 eQuinox really have a 114 mm aperture?
That is the claimed figure, but Astronomy Now measured 110 mm. With no manufacturer sheet, we publish both values. Same situation for the focal ratio: f/4 per Astronomy Now, f/3.9 per B&H.
How does this differ from the eVscope range?
The eQuinox has no electronic eyepiece: you observe on a screen only. That is what makes it cheaper than the eVscope 2 and more practical in a group, since everyone has their own display. The other trade-offs are covered in all our comparisons.
Can the eQuinox 2 track equatorially or shoot mosaics?
No on both counts: the mount is alt-azimuth and mosaic is not supported. On the 2021 generation equatorial mode is absent too, and mosaic is not documented.
Is a subscription required?
No, on both generations: the Unistellar app is free and, on the eQuinox 2, all features are included in the purchase price.