3D Printing Info

Printer comparison

Anycubic Kobra 2 Neo vs Creality Ender-3 V3 SE

Compare hardware, build volume, printing specifications, dated prices and sources.

Anycubic Kobra 2 Neo guideCreality Ender-3 V3 SE guide

2 selected · all documented properties

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Anycubic Kobra 2 Neo vs Creality Ender-3 V3 SE — documented properties and sources
PropertyAnycubic Kobra 2 NeoBEDSLINGERCreality Ender-3 V3 SEBEDSLINGER
Identity
BrandAnycubicCreality
ClassBEDSLINGERBEDSLINGER
Identity & Market
Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first)Anycubic Kobra 2 Neo[1]Creality Ender-3 V3 SE[2]
Release date (announcement and actual shipping)Listed on the Anycubic store from 31 August 2023 (Shopify publish date), the same day as the Kobra 2 Plus and Kobra 2 Max[1][3][4]Not documented
Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry)$249.00 on store.anycubic.com, Aug 2026 - higher than the better-specified Kobra 2 at $169 on the same day, which is a listing quirk rather than a positioning statement[1][5]$186.00 on store.creality.com, Aug 2026; Creality's own product page shows $199.00 for the same machine on the same day, so the two Creality properties disagree[6][2]
Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk)Lowest model of the Kobra 2 family. Same 220 x 220 x 250 mm build volume as the Kobra 2 and Kobra 2 Pro but the slowest of the three (250 mm/s max, 150 mm/s typical against 300/200 and 500/300), and the only one with a 2.4-inch knob-driven screen instead of a 4.3-inch touchscreen[1][5][7]The cheapest of the Ender-3 V3 family and mechanically the most conservative: it keeps a conventional i3 bed-slinger layout, while the Ender-3 V3 and V3 Plus use CoreXZ and the V3 KE keeps the bed-slinger layout but adds an X-axis linear rail, a 60 W ceramic hotend and Klipper-based Creality OS. Speed ceilings differ sharply - 250 mm/s and 2500 mm/s2 on the SE against 500 mm/s on the KE and 600 mm/s on the V3/V3 Plus. The SE also stops at a 260 C nozzle where the others reach 300 C[2][8][9][10][11]
Physical & Frame
Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable250 x 220 x 220 mm stated HWD, i.e. 220 x 220 x 250 mm; 12.1 L[1]220 x 220 x 250 mm[10]
Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang)485 x 440 x 440 mm stated HWD - footprint about 440 x 440 mm[1]349 x 364 x 490 mm (Tom's Hardware measurement of the machine footprint)[10]
Net weight (kg)7.3 kg[1]7.12 kg[10]
Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lidOpen frame, no enclosure[1]Open frame, no enclosure[2]
Kinematics & Motion Hardware
Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other)Cartesian bed-slinger with a gantry frame structure built from 5 modules[1]Cartesian i3 bed-slinger - Creality describes "neat X, Y, Z-axis, smooth T-shaped profiles" with a rigid dual Z-axis and a moving build platform on the Y axis[2]
Y-axis guide typeNot documentedY axis runs on a pair of 8 mm steel linear shafts carrying the build platform[2]
Z-axis: leadscrew count & type, sync mechanism, anti-backlashNot documentedRigid dual Z-axis, which Creality says reduces Z wobble[2]
Speed & Acceleration
Max print speed (claimed, mm/s)250 mm/s maximum print speed (Anycubic Lab figure)[1]250 mm/s max printing speed (manufacturer claim, Creality Lab figure)[2]
Recommended/typical print speed150 mm/s recommended print speed (manufacturer figure)[1]Not documented
Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²)Not documented2500 mm/s2 max acceleration (manufacturer claim). Tom's Hardware attributes the modest Benchy time directly to this acceleration cap[2][10]
Extruder
Type (direct drive / bowden) & design nameIntegrated direct extruder[1]Creality "Sprite" direct-drive extruder, which Creality says works with PLA, PETG and flexible TPU and had shipped over 500,000 units as of June 2023[2]
Hotend & Nozzle
Hotend design (proprietary/standard; quick-swap mechanism?)Not documentedDirect-drive hotend with a 0.4 mm high-flow nozzle (Tom's Hardware description); Creality does not describe an all-metal path for the SE[10]
Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values)260 C nozzle temperature ceiling; 0.4 mm replaceable nozzle[1]260 C maximum nozzle temperature per Tom's Hardware's spec box - the lowest of the Ender-3 V3 family, where the V3, V3 Plus and KE all reach 300 C[10][9]
Heater cartridge power (W)60 W hot end (manufacturer figure)[1]Not documented
Heated Bed & Surface
Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit110 C hotbed temperature ceiling[1]Not documented
Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sidedNot documentedPC-coated spring steel sheet, heated, removable[10]
Leveling & Z-Offset
Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe)Anycubic LeviQ 2.0 automatic levelling with intelligent Z-offset compensation[1]CR Touch inductive/mechanical probe for auto bed levelling plus a separate strain sensor for automatic Z offset - Creality's pitch is no levelling screws and no paper method[2]
Filament Handling & Detection
Filament runout sensor (type, location)Not documentedFilament run-out sensor fitted[10]
Cooling & Air Handling
Part-cooling fan(s): count, size, ducting design7000 rpm cooling fan (manufacturer figure)[1]Two fans on the printhead: a front-mounted fan onto the hotend heatsink and a second fan in the shroud with twin ducts aimed at the nozzle (Tom's Hardware teardown description)[10]
Firmware & Openness
Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary)Marlin - Anycubic states it applies "linear propulsion and input shaping functions in Marlin firmware", which makes this one of the few Anycubic machines with a named firmware base rather than the later Kobra OS branding[1][12]Creality publishes an open-source firmware repository for this model, CrealityOfficial/Ender-3V3-SE on GitHub under GPL-3.0 (last pushed July 2024). Unlike the KE, K1 and K2 repositories, it is not described as a Klipper clone, and Creality does not call the SE a Creality OS machine on its product page[13][14][8]
Connectivity, UI & Camera
Display: size, type, touch?2.4-inch LCD knob screen - not a touchscreen[1]3.2-inch colour screen with a control knob - not a touchscreen, unlike the KE and V3[10]
On-device UI capabilities (model preview, per-object controls, etc.)Knob-driven UI, redesigned by Anycubic for the Kobra 2 generation[1]Knob-driven colour UI using motion graphics to show levelling progress and print parameters; auto filament load/unload from the menu[2]
WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-driveNot documentedSD card only - no Wi-Fi and no USB host, in contrast to the Wi-Fi-equipped KE and V3[10]
Calibration Routines & QoL
Assembly level & time from unbox to first printFive modules with a gantry frame design, described by Anycubic as easy assembly and low maintenance[1]Kit-style assembly from a small number of pre-built sections; Creality claims printing within 20 minutes of unboxing[2]
Materials Support
Officially supported filament listPLA, ABS, PETG, TPU (Kobra 2 family list)[5]PLA, PETG and TPU (Tom's Hardware); Creality's own copy names PLA, PETG and flexible TPU for the Sprite extruder[10]
Reliability, Support & Ecosystem
Warranty length & support reputation (evidence, not vibes)One year on the complete machine (excluding gifted and second-hand machines), with component warranty periods that vary by part; the period starts on the delivery date and is suspended while a replacement is in transit. Anycubic states it will follow longer local statutory periods where they apply[15]Creality's US store states "Up to 12-Month Warranty", a 14-day return and refund window and "Lifetime Customer Support" on its printer product pages. The "up to" wording means the term is not uniform across parts[16]
Independently Measured Performance
Benchmark print times (source + settings)Not documentedBenchy in 41 minutes under Speed Boat Rules (2 walls, 3 top/bottom layers, 10% grid infill, 0.25 mm layer height, 0.5 mm width) in ordinary grey PLA - independently measured by Tom's Hardware, not a manufacturer figure[10]
Review scores from major outlets (list outlet + score + date)Not documentedTom's Hardware rating 4.5 out of 5 in the page's structured data[10]

Manufacturer claims, independent measurements, packages and test conditions retain their source wording. FDM linear speed and resin vertical speed use different units and are not directly comparable. Unknown values are marked “Not documented”. Prices and source dates remain historical snapshots; check the linked guide for product details. Differences highlight text, not a universal winner.

Sources for this comparison

  1. Anycubic Kobra 2 Neo store page and Shopify product JSON (Tech Specs block, price, store publish date) store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  2. Creality Ender-3 V3 SE product page creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  3. Anycubic Kobra 2 Plus store page and Shopify product JSON (Tech Specs block, price, store publish date) store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  4. Anycubic Kobra 2 Max store page and Shopify product JSON (Tech Specs block, price, store publish date) store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. Anycubic Kobra 2 store page and Shopify product JSON (Tech Specs block, price, store publish date) store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Creality US store - Ender-3 V3 SE 3D Printer product page (live price) store.creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Anycubic Kobra 2 Pro store page and Shopify product JSON (Tech Specs block, price, store publish date) store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Creality Ender-3 V3 KE product page creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Creality Ender-3 V3 product page (full specification table) creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Tom's Hardware - Creality Ender 3 V3 SE Review (spec box and Speed Boat Rules Benchy time) tomshardware.com · 2026-08 · review
  11. Tom's Hardware - Creality Ender 3 V3 KE Review (spec box and Speed Boat Rules Benchy time) tomshardware.com · 2026-08 · review
  12. Anycubic Kobra 4 product page (Specifications table) store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. GitHub API - CrealityOfficial/Ender-3V3-SE repository metadata ("Open source for Ender-3V3 SE", GPL-3.0) api.github.com · 2026-08 · doc
  14. GitHub - CrealityOfficial organisation repositories (per-model firmware sources) github.com · 2026-08 · doc
  15. Anycubic refund and warranty policy store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  16. Creality US store - K1 3D Printer product page (live price, warranty and returns banner) store.creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor