Beginner telescope is a price band rather than a design, and knowing what falls inside it saves a lot of confusion. It stretches from a genuine instrument at under a hundred dollars to something that will still satisfy after several years.
What the band contains
At the bottom, small tabletop reflectors: $79.95 for 76mm and $91.00 on sale for 114mm in this index. In the middle, 130mm tabletop dobsonians at $305.00, which is where most recommendations sit. At the top, floor standing 150mm and 200mm dobsonians, which are beginner instruments only in the sense that a beginner can use one immediately.
What is not in it, despite the label
Long thin refractors on light tripods advertising high magnification. They occupy the same shelf and the same prices and they are the single commonest reason people give up. The aperture is small, the mount shakes, and finding anything is hard enough to end the interest before it starts.
Starter telescopes and what the word promises
Starter implies something to be replaced, and the good instruments in this band are not. A 200mm dobsonian bought as a first telescope is an instrument many people still own decades later. Treating the first purchase as disposable is what leads to buying twice.
How to choose within the band
By aperture and by what you will carry, in that order, with the mount's settling time as the tiebreaker. Those three questions sort the whole band, and no other specification on the box changes the answer.
Questions people ask about telescope
What is a beginners telescope?
A price band rather than a design, running from small tabletop reflectors to 200mm dobsonians that many owners keep for decades.
What is the best starter telescope?
A dobsonian, as large as you will carry. The word starter is misleading: a good one does not need replacing.
Are cheap beginner telescopes any good?
Real ones from real brands, yes. The instruments to avoid are the magnification-led refractors on flexing tripods at the same price.