3D Printing Info

Printer comparison

Anycubic Kobra S1 vs QIDI X-Smart 3

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

2 selected · all documented properties

Anycubic Kobra S1 vs QIDI X-Smart 3 — documented properties and sources
PropertyAnycubic Kobra S1COREXYQIDI X-Smart 3COREXY
Identity
BrandAnycubicQIDI
ClassCOREXYCOREXY
Identity & Market
Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first)Anycubic Kobra S1[1]QIDI X-Smart 3, listed in QIDI navigation as X-Smart3[2][3]
Release date (announcement and actual shipping)Listed on the Anycubic store from 2 January 2025 (Shopify publish date)[4]Not published by QIDI on the pages checked (Aug 2026)[2][3]
Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry)$349.00 with a US plug on store.anycubic.com, Aug 2026, against a compare-at price of $549.00 ($401.00 for the EU plug variant)[4]$399 on QIDI's official US page, which routes purchases to its AliExpress and Amazon stores; checked Aug 2026[3]
Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk)The CoreXY line, not to be confused with the gantry/bed-slinger Kobra 3, Kobra 4 and Kobra X. Within the S line the Kobra S1 Max is a much bigger machine: 350 mm cube against 250, a 350 C hardened-steel nozzle against 320 C, 65 C active chamber heating that the S1 does not have at all, and 25.7 kg against 9.37 kg. Multicolour is sold separately on both (ACE Pro / ACE 2 Pro)[1][5]Entry model of the 3-series. Unlike the X-Plus 3 and X-Max 3 it has no heated chamber, a 300 °C rather than 350 °C hotend, a brass rather than copper-alloy/hardened-steel nozzle head, and no Ethernet. It shares the Cortex-A53 board with them, so control-board specs must not be read as shared print specs[2][6][7]
Physical & Frame
Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable250 x 250 x 250 mm[1]175 x 180 x 170 mm advertised[2][3]
Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang)400 x 410 x 490 mm[1]370 x 362 x 397 mm[2]
Net weight (kg)9.37 kg net, 20.2 kg packaged[1]10.5 kg[2]
Frame construction & materialNot documentedQIDI publishes no frame-material breakdown for this model[2]
Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lidFully enclosed - Anycubic's own wording is "Fully Enclosed CoreXY Construction". There is no active chamber heating on the S1 (that is the S1 Max's addition)[1][5]No heated chamber. 3DJake's table records "Heated chamber: No"; QIDI does not describe an enclosure for this model[2]
Kinematics & Motion Hardware
Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other)CoreXY (stated outright in Anycubic's specification table)[1]CoreXY[2][3]
Speed & Acceleration
Max print speed (claimed, mm/s)600 mm/s maximum print speed (manufacturer claim), 300 mm/s recommended[1]<=500 mm/s (manufacturer claim)[2][3]
Recommended/typical print speed300 mm/s recommended print speed (manufacturer figure)[1]Not documented
Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²)20000 mm/s2 maximum acceleration, 10000 mm/s2 recommended (manufacturer claims)[1]20,000 mm/s2 (manufacturer claim)[3]
Max volumetric flow claimed (mm³/s)Not documented30 mm3/s extruder flow (manufacturer claim)[2][3]
Extruder
Type (direct drive / bowden) & design nameDirect drive ("short distance extrusion")[1]Direct-drive extruder, single, 1.75 mm filament[2][3]
Hotend & Nozzle
Hotend design (proprietary/standard; quick-swap mechanism?)Quick-release hotend; 0.4 mm standard nozzle expandable to 0.25, 0.6 and 0.8 mm[1]Brass nozzle head. 0.4 mm stock, 0.2/0.6/0.8 mm optional[2][3]
Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values)320 C maximum nozzle temperature[1]<=300 °C claimed[2][3]
Stock nozzle material (brass / hardened steel / plated copper / composite tip)Not documentedBrass[2]
Heated Bed & Surface
Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit120 C maximum hotbed temperature on a PEI spring steel build plate - the highest bed ceiling of any Anycubic machine in this file except the S1 Max[1]<=120 °C claimed[2][3]
Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sidedNot documentedDouble-sided flexible magnetic RF plate[2]
Leveling & Z-Offset
Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe)LeviQ 3.0 auto-levelling with Z-offset, plus area levelling[1]16-point automatic bed levelling per QIDI's US page; probe technology not named[3]
Mesh grid size (probe point count — firmware evidence)Not documented16 points (QIDI's US page). Not verified against firmware[3]
Filament Handling & Detection
Filament runout sensor (type, location)Filament detection with auto resume, filament entanglement detection and power-loss resume[1]Filament detection fitted; type and location not published[2]
Multi-material/multi-color capability or official upgrade pathMulticolour is sold separately - the ACE Pro / ACE 2 Pro units are not included with the bare S1[1]Not documented
Electronics & Power
Host computer (SoC, RAM, storage) if firmware runs on embedded LinuxNot documentedCortex-A53 64-bit at 1.5 GHz, 1 GB DDR3, 8 GB eMMC[2]
Input voltage (110/220 V, switch or auto)Not documented100-240 VAC, 50/60 Hz[2]
Total rated power drawNot documented350 W rated[2]
Firmware & Openness
Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary)Kobra OS, with pressure advance and flow calibration supported[1]Klipper[3]
Connectivity, UI & Camera
Display: size, type, touch?4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen[1]4.3-inch touchscreen[3]
On-device UI capabilities (model preview, per-object controls, etc.)Touchscreen plus slicing software, the Anycubic app and USB (print only); AI spaghetti detection and object-skip supported[1]Not documented
WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-drivePrinter UI, slicing software, Anycubic app, USB (print only)[1]Wi-Fi and USB. No Ethernet listed for this model[2][3]
Camera: built-in / optional? Resolution & framerate (verify — marketing often omits real fps)Standard HD camera fitted, but only 480p - lower than the 720p units on the S1 Max, Kobra 4 and Kobra X[1][5][8]Not documented
Materials Support
Officially supported filament listPLA, PETG, TPU, ABS, ASA[1]Not documented
Noise & Power Consumption
Noise: claimed dB and independently measured dB (distance/method)46 dB or less in standard mode and 44 dB or less in quiet mode - manufacturer figures with no distance or method stated, so not comparable with an independently measured reading[1]Not documented
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[9]1-year coverage (QIDI standard store terms)[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 S1 product page (Specifications table) store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  2. QIDI Tech X-Smart 3 technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  3. QIDI X-Smart 3 official US page qidiusa.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  4. Anycubic Kobra S1 Shopify product JSON (variant prices and store publish date) store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. Anycubic Kobra S1 Max product page (Specifications table) store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. QIDI Tech X-Plus 3 technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. QIDI Tech X-Max 3 technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Anycubic Kobra 4 product page (Specifications table) store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Anycubic refund and warranty policy store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. QIDI Max4 product page (US store) us.qidi3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor