3D Printing Info

Printer comparison

Anycubic Kobra 2 Pro vs Creality Ender-3 V3 SE

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

2 selected · all documented properties

Anycubic Kobra 2 Pro vs Creality Ender-3 V3 SE — documented properties and sources
PropertyAnycubic Kobra 2 ProBEDSLINGERCreality Ender-3 V3 SEBEDSLINGER
Identity
BrandAnycubicCreality
ClassBEDSLINGERBEDSLINGER
Identity & Market
Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first)Anycubic Kobra 2 Pro[1]Creality Ender-3 V3 SE[2]
Release date (announcement and actual shipping)Listed on the Anycubic store from 2 February 2026 (Shopify publish date for this listing; the model itself is older)[1]Not documented
Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry)$309.00 on store.anycubic.com, Aug 2026, with the compare-at price also $309.00[1]$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[3][2]
Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk)Same 220 x 220 x 250 mm build volume as the Kobra 2 and Kobra 2 Neo, but Anycubic's own comparison table puts it at 500 mm/s max and 300 mm/s typical against the Kobra 2's 300/200 - the build volume alone will not tell these three apart. It also adds Anycubic APP support, which the base Kobra 2 lacks[1][4][5]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][6][7][8][9]
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[8]
Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang)486 x 435 x 463 mm stated HWD - footprint about 435 x 463 mm[1]349 x 364 x 490 mm (Tom's Hardware measurement of the machine footprint)[8]
Net weight (kg)8.4 kg[1]7.12 kg[8]
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[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)500 mm/s maximum print speed (Anycubic Lab figure)[1]250 mm/s max printing speed (manufacturer claim, Creality Lab figure)[2]
Recommended/typical print speed300 mm/s typical 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][8]
Vibration Compensation / Input Shaping
Input shaping supported? Implementation (Klipper IS / Marlin ZV / proprietary)One-click vibration compensation that detects X/Y resonance frequencies, plus flow control with retraction and refill compensation[1]Not documented
Extruder
Type (direct drive / bowden) & design nameOptimised 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[8]
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[8][7]
Heated Bed & Surface
Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sidedNot documentedPC-coated spring steel sheet, heated, removable[8]
Leveling & Z-Offset
Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe)Anycubic LeviQ 2.0 automatic levelling with smart Z-offset[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[8]
Cooling & Air Handling
Part-cooling fan(s): count, size, ducting designNot documentedTwo 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)[8]
Electronics & Power
Host computer (SoC, RAM, storage) if firmware runs on embedded LinuxCortex-A7 1.2 GHz application processor[1]Not documented
Firmware & Openness
Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary)Not documentedCreality 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[10][11][6]
Connectivity, UI & Camera
Display: size, type, touch?Not documented3.2-inch colour screen with a control knob - not a touchscreen, unlike the KE and V3[8]
On-device UI capabilities (model preview, per-object controls, etc.)Supports the Anycubic app (firmware 3.0.5 or later) for online model search, real-time video supervision, online slicing and remote control[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[8]
Calibration Routines & QoL
Assembly level & time from unbox to first printNot documentedKit-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)[4]PLA, PETG and TPU (Tom's Hardware); Creality's own copy names PLA, PETG and flexible TPU for the Sprite extruder[8]
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[12]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[13]
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[8]
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[8]

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