3D Printing Info

Printer comparison

Anycubic Kobra X vs Original Prusa XL+ Dual-Head

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

2 selected · all documented properties

Anycubic Kobra X vs Original Prusa XL+ Dual-Head — documented properties and sources
PropertyAnycubic Kobra XBEDSLINGEROriginal Prusa XL+ Dual-HeadTOOLCHANGER
Identity
BrandAnycubicPrusa Research
ClassBEDSLINGERTOOLCHANGER
Identity & Market
Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first)Anycubic Kobra X (store variant title "Kobra X (4 Colors)")[1]Original Prusa XL+, Dual-Head variant ("Prusa XL+ Dual-Head" in the e-shop variant data)[2]
Release date (announcement and actual shipping)Listed on the Anycubic store from 25 December 2025 (Shopify publish date)[3]The XL+ refresh was announced on 13 August 2026, on sale immediately in all toolhead configurations, with assembled printers shipping later in August 2026 and upgrade kits for existing XL owners from around the end of August. The original Original Prusa XL predates it[4]
Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry)$299.00 with a US plug on store.anycubic.com, Aug 2026, against a compare-at price of $399.00 ($344.00 for the EU plug variant). The collection page headline reads "Kobra X - Price from $289"[3][5]$2,768.52 on prusa3d.com, Aug 2026 (lowest listed price for the Dual-Head variant; the 2-toolhead Enclosure bundle starts at $3,128.70)[2]
Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk)Same 260 mm cube and the same machine dimensions as the Kobra 4 (455.4 x 445.3 x 461.3 mm) - the difference is that the Kobra X has native 4-colour printing built in, expandable to 19 colours, where the Kobra 4 needs an ACE 2 Pro for any multicolour at all. The Kobra X also takes a wider filament list (adds PVA, PLA-CF, PETG-CF, ASA) but still needs an ACE 2 Pro for active drying[1][6]One of three XL+ configurations - Single-Tool $2,128.70, Dual-Head $2,768.52, Five-Head $3,610.18 (Aug 2026). The frame, bed, electronics and 360 mm cube build volume are identical across all three; only the toolhead count, the price and the achievable multi-material workflow change. Toolheads can be added later[2][7]
Physical & Frame
Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable260 x 260 x 260 mm[1]360 x 360 x 360 mm, which Prusa states as 46.7 litres[2]
Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang)455.4 x 445.3 x 461.3 mm for the printer; the ACE 2 Pro, if added, is a separate 368 x 291.5 x 236.5 mm unit[1]About 700 x 900 x 720 mm (Prusa's own figure is approximate)[2]
Net weight (kg)About 9.5 kg for the printer (Anycubic's own figure is approximate); packaged 13.2 kg bare or 18 kg as the Combo[1]About 30 kg[2]
Frame construction & materialNot documentedAluminium extrusions and steel sheets (Prusa's comparison table for the XL)[8]
Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lidOpen frame, no enclosure[1]Open frame. The Enclosure for Prusa XL+ is an optional add-on; Prusa says the printer is ready for chamber temperatures up to 60 C, that the new better-sealed enclosure reaches around 50 C on the printer's own waste heat, and that 60 C needs an upcoming chamber heater for which no shipping date has been given[2][4]
Kinematics & Motion Hardware
Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other)Anycubic does not state a construction type for the Kobra X, but its dimensions, price and feature set match the gantry/bed-slinger Kobra 4 rather than the CoreXY S1 series[1][6]CoreXY with 1.5 mm GT belts, Input Shaper and Phase Stepping[2]
Belts (type, width, e.g. Gates?)Not documented1.5 mm GT belts[2]
Speed & Acceleration
Max print speed (claimed, mm/s)600 mm/s maximum print speed (manufacturer claim), 300 mm/s recommended[1]Not documented
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[1]Not documented
Vibration Compensation / Input Shaping
Input shaping supported? Implementation (Klipper IS / Marlin ZV / proprietary)Not documentedInput Shaper and Phase Stepping[2]
Extruder
Type (direct drive / bowden) & design nameDirect drive ("short distance extrusion")[1]Nextruder direct drive; each toolhead carries its own extruder, hotend, nozzle and filament[2]
Hotend & Nozzle
Hotend design (proprietary/standard; quick-swap mechanism?)Hardened-steel nozzle, 0.4 mm standard, expandable to 0.25, 0.6 and 0.8 mm[1]Quick-swap nozzles - 0.25 mm for detail, 0.6/0.8 mm for speed, hardened steel for abrasives, high-flow CHT for throughput; toolheads ship with high-flow nozzles[2]
Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values)300 C maximum nozzle temperature[1]290 C claimed max nozzle temperature[2]
Heated Bed & Surface
Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit100 C maximum hotbed temperature on a PEI spring steel build plate[1]120 C max heatbed temperature[2]
Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sidedNot documentedSegmented heatbed of 16 individually controlled tiles across the 360 x 360 mm surface, so only the tiles under the part are powered; removable double-sided satin print sheet supplied[2]
Leveling & Z-Offset
Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe)LeviQ 3.0 auto-levelling with Z-offset and area levelling[1]Load-cell sensor - the nozzle is the probe, which Prusa says automatically accounts for nozzle changes, surface textures and thermal expansion and removes manual Z-offsets. Toolhead-to-toolhead alignment on the XL+ uses a separate permanently mounted eddy-current Tool Offset Sensor, replacing the removable mechanical pin used on the original XL[2][4]
Filament Handling & Detection
Filament runout sensor (type, location)Filament detection with auto resume, entanglement detection and power-loss resume[1]Filament sensors fitted; Prusa's comparison table lists two filament sensors for the XL[8]
Multi-material/multi-color capability or official upgrade pathNative 4-colour printing built in, expandable to 19 colours; active drying still needs a separate ACE 2 Pro[1]Two independent toolheads with automatic tool changing - two materials or two nozzle sizes in one job, with no purge tower waste between materials because each head keeps its own nozzle[2]
Cooling & Air Handling
Part-cooling fan(s): count, size, ducting designNot documented360-degree part cooling on each toolhead, new on the XL+ and matching the MK4S and CORE One arrangement; Prusa states it delivers more airflow and distributes it more evenly around the nozzle. Additional fans and heatsinks cool the electronics. Fan sizes are not published[2][4]
Electronics & Power
Mainboard model & MCU (exact chip markings if teardowns exist)Not documentedCustom 32-bit xBuddy electronics with STM32 (Prusa's comparison table for the XL)[8]
Firmware & Openness
Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary)Kobra OS with pressure advance and flow calibration supported[1]Open-source firmware - Prusa states "Firmware: Open-source; ships with the full current Prusa feature set", and the XL is covered by the prusa3d/Prusa-Firmware-Buddy source tree[2][9]
Connectivity, UI & Camera
Display: size, type, touch?Not documented3.5-inch 65k-colour screen with touch control (Prusa's comparison table for the XL)[8]
On-device UI capabilities (model preview, per-object controls, etc.)Control from the printer, the slicing software, the Anycubic app and USB (print only); AI spaghetti detection and object skip supported[1]On-device touch UI; Prusa Connect and the Prusa mobile app are optional - Prusa states the machine is fully offline capable[8][2]
WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-drivePrinter UI, slicing software, Anycubic app and USB drive (print only)[1]Ethernet, optional Wi-Fi; USB drive for print files. Prusa Connect optional and fully offline operation supported[2][8]
Camera: built-in / optional? Resolution & framerate (verify — marketing often omits real fps)Standard HD camera fitted, 720p[1]Not documented
Materials Support
Officially supported filament listPLA, PETG, TPU, PVA, PLA-CF, PETG-CF, ASA[1]PLA, PETG, ASA, ABS, PC, PA (nylon), TPU, PVA, HIPS, PP, CPE, PVB and carbon-fibre composites. Prusa states an open material policy - any brand of 1.75 mm filament, no chips and no subscriptions[2]
Safety
Thermal runaway protection (verify in firmware source if at all possible)Not documentedOpen-source firmware on the xBuddy platform, which carries hardware overcurrent protection cutting heater and heatbed power above 15 A[10][9]
Noise & Power Consumption
Noise: claimed dB and independently measured dB (distance/method)48 dB or less - a manufacturer figure with no mode, distance or method stated[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[11]2-year warranty for consumers in the EU, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Norway and Iceland; 1 year for EU enterprises and 1 year for the rest of the world, which includes the United States. A printer bought from a reseller or privately carries 1 year from the original delivery date and is handled by the reseller. Prusa advertises 24/7 chat and e-mail support in seven languages[12][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 X product page (Specifications table) store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  2. Original Prusa XL+ product page (spec block and variant price data) prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  3. Anycubic Kobra X Shopify product JSON (variant prices and store publish date) store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  4. Prusa blog - Better Prints, Easier Use: Prusa XL+, CORE One L+ and CORE One+ (Gen 2), Our Big Product Update (published 13 August 2026) blog.prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · doc
  5. Anycubic store 3D printers collection (current line-up and headline prices, Aug 2026) store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Anycubic Kobra 4 product page (Specifications table) store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Prusa 3D printers category listing with live e-shop prices, Aug 2026 prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Original Prusa MK4S 3D Printer product page (Technical Parameters + CORE One+/MK4S/XL comparison table) prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. GitHub - prusa3d/Prusa-Firmware-Buddy (firmware for MINI, MK4, XL and CORE One) github.com · 2026-08 · doc
  10. Prusa blog - Original Prusa MK4 is here (published 29 March 2023), including the MK4 specification table and launch prices blog.prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · doc
  11. Anycubic refund and warranty policy store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. Prusa Knowledge Base - Warranty help.prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · doc