3D Printing Info

Printer comparison

Anycubic Kobra 2 vs Creality Ender-3 V3 SE

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

Anycubic Kobra 2 guideCreality Ender-3 V3 SE guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore Anycubic Kobra 2 comparisonsMore Creality Ender-3 V3 SE comparisons
Anycubic Kobra 2 vs Creality Ender-3 V3 SE — documented properties and sources
PropertyAnycubic Kobra 2BEDSLINGERCreality Ender-3 V3 SEBEDSLINGER
Identity
BrandAnycubicCreality
ClassBEDSLINGERBEDSLINGER
Identity & Market
Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first)Anycubic Kobra 2[1]Creality Ender-3 V3 SE[2]
Release date (announcement and actual shipping)Listed on the Anycubic store from 15 May 2023 (Shopify publish date)[1]Not documented
Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry)$169.00 on store.anycubic.com, Aug 2026, against a compare-at price of $279.00 - the cheapest machine in this file[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)Base model of a five-way family that is easy to confuse. All of Kobra 2, Kobra 2 Neo and Kobra 2 Pro share the same 220 x 220 x 250 mm build volume, but their speed ceilings differ: Neo 250 mm/s max / 150 typical, Kobra 2 300 / 200, Kobra 2 Pro 500 / 300. The Plus (320 x 320 x 400 mm) and Max (420 x 420 x 500 mm) are bigger but drop the bed ceiling to 90 C where the three small ones reach 110 C. Anycubic's own note: Kobra 2 firmware must be at V3.0.6 or above for the quoted speed[1][4][5][6][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 in X x Y x Z; Anycubic quotes 12.1 L[1]220 x 220 x 250 mm[10]
Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang)486 x 440 x 435 mm stated as HWD, so the desk footprint is about 440 x 435 mm and the height is 486 mm[1]349 x 364 x 490 mm (Tom's Hardware measurement of the machine footprint)[10]
Net weight (kg)8.4 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; Anycubic describes double metal spindles with SG15 bearings on the moving axes[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-backlashDouble-threaded rod Z axis (dual lead screws)[1]Rigid dual Z-axis, which Creality says reduces Z wobble[2]
Speed & Acceleration
Max print speed (claimed, mm/s)300 mm/s maximum print speed (Anycubic Lab figure; firmware V3.0.6 or above required)[1]250 mm/s max printing speed (manufacturer claim, Creality Lab figure)[2]
Recommended/typical print speed200 mm/s recommended print speed (manufacturer figure) - the number to plan around, not the 300 mm/s headline[1]Not documented
Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²)3000 mm/s2 acceleration (manufacturer figure) - modest next to the 20000 mm/s2 of the current Kobra generation[1][12]2500 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 nameDirect drive with a dual-geared extrusion structure[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 hotend heater (Anycubic states "upgraded extruder power reaches up to 60 watts")[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 smart Z-offset and a user-adjustable Z compensation value[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)Filament run-out sensor fitted, with power-loss recovery[1]Filament run-out sensor fitted[10]
Cooling & Air Handling
Part-cooling fan(s): count, size, ducting designPart-cooling fan rated to 7000 rpm (Anycubic 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)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[13][14][8]
Connectivity, UI & Camera
Display: size, type, touch?4.3-inch colour LCD 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.)Not documentedKnob-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-drivemicroSD card[1]SD 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 printModular assembly - Anycubic states 5 pieces in about 10 minutes[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[1]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 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 Neo store page and Shopify product JSON (Tech Specs block, price, store publish date) store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. Anycubic Kobra 2 Pro store page and Shopify product JSON (Tech Specs block, price, store publish date) store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Anycubic Kobra 2 Plus store page and Shopify product JSON (Tech Specs block, price, store publish date) store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Anycubic Kobra 2 Max 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