3D Printing InfoPrinter comparison
ANYCUBIC Photon Mono M7 vs Bambu Lab A1 mini
Compare hardware, build volume, printing specifications, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore ANYCUBIC Photon Mono M7 comparisonsMore Bambu Lab A1 mini comparisons
| Property | ANYCUBIC Photon Mono M7RESIN | Bambu Lab A1 miniBEDSLINGER |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Brand | Anycubic | Bambu Lab |
| Class | RESIN | BEDSLINGER |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first) | ANYCUBIC Photon Mono M7[1][2] | Bambu Lab A1 mini. Store title: "Bambu Lab A1 mini 3D Printer"[3] |
| Release date (announcement and actual shipping) | Not documented | Shipped in the second half of 2023; Tom's Hardware published its A1 mini review on 13 October 2023, ahead of the full-size A1 review of 14 December 2023[4][5] |
| Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry) | $493.00 on store.anycubic.com against a $597.00 compare-at price, in stock and quoted as shipping in 24 hours, checked Aug 2026[1] | From $219.00 (base A1 mini) on the Bambu Lab US store, Aug 2026, during an advertised Back-to-School sale; the product page lists A1 mini and A1 mini Combo variants[6][7] |
| Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk) | Distinct from the Photon Mono M7 Pro, which shares the 223 x 126 x 230 mm envelope and a 10.1-inch 14K LCD but adds LighTurbo 3.0 optics, a heated peristaltic-pump vat and auto resin refill, and runs 170 vs 150 mm/h on high-speed resin. The M5s is a different machine again (12K, 218 x 123 x 200 mm). 3DJake shows the M7 sold out[1][8][9][2][10] | Two SKUs: A1 mini and A1 mini Combo (adds the AMS lite). Distinguish from the full-size A1 by build volume (180 vs 256 mm cube), bed ceiling (80 vs 100 C), screen (2.4 vs 3.5 inch), Z drive (single leadscrew with a coupling vs dual leadscrews belt-synced) and weight (5.5 vs 8.3 kg)[3][11][12][13] |
| Market position: superseded? successor announced? | Not documented | Still the entry model in the Bambu Lab US store line-up in Aug 2026 and the cheapest machine listed[6] |
| Physical & Frame | ||
| Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable | 223 x 126 x 230 mm (Anycubic quotes 6.5 L)[1][2] | 180 x 180 x 180 mm (manufacturer figure)[3] |
| Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang) | 312 x 315 x 520 mm[1][2] | 347 x 315 x 365 mm (Bambu tech specs; Tom's Hardware prints 347 x 314 x 365 mm)[3][4] |
| Net weight (kg) | 12 kg[1][2] | 5.5 kg net[3] |
| Frame construction & material | Not documented | Steel plus extruded aluminium chassis[3] |
| Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lid | Open-frame MSLA with a UV-blocking cover[1] | Open frame, no enclosure[3] |
| Kinematics & Motion Hardware | ||
| Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other) | MSLA, single Z axis on dual linear rails, straight-lift peel[1][2] | Cartesian bed-slinger: toolhead on an X guide rail and crossbeam, print platform moving in Y on a guide rail, toolhead carried in Z[12] |
| X-axis guide type (rods / linear rails / V-wheels; size) | Not documented | Horizontal linear guide rail with the printhead on a sliding block; rail size not published[12] |
| Y-axis guide type | Not documented | Horizontal linear guide rail carrying the print platform, belt-driven in Y[12] |
| Z-axis: leadscrew count & type, sync mechanism, anti-backlash | Dual linear rails, Anycubic quotes 10 um Z precision[1] | Single leadscrew with nut, coupling and stepper motor - the motor drives the leadscrew directly through the coupling. This is the clearest hardware difference from the A1, which uses two leadscrews synchronised by a belt[12][13] |
| Speed & Acceleration | ||
| Max print speed (claimed, mm/s) | Not documented | 500 mm/s max toolhead speed (manufacturer claim); no independent measurement found[3] |
| Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²) | Not documented | 10000 mm/s2 max toolhead acceleration (manufacturer claim)[3] |
| Max volumetric flow claimed (mm³/s) | Not documented | 28 mm3/s claimed on a 150x150 mm single-wall model in Bambu ABS at 280 C - note this is the ABS figure quoted for a machine whose own spec sheet lists ABS as not recommended[3] |
| Extruder | ||
| Type (direct drive / bowden) & design name | Not documented | Direct drive with hardened-steel extruder gears; toolhead also holds the cutter unit, filament hub and filament sensor[3][12] |
| Hotend & Nozzle | ||
| Hotend design (proprietary/standard; quick-swap mechanism?) | Not documented | All-metal integrated hotend (nozzle plus heatsink in one unit), quick-swap; stainless-steel nozzle, 0.4 mm included, 0.2/0.6/0.8 mm optional[3][12] |
| Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values) | Not documented | 300 C claimed max hot-end temperature[3] |
| Heated Bed & Surface | ||
| Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit | Not documented | 80 C max build-plate temperature - the lowest of the current Bambu range, and the reason ABS/ASA are listed as not recommended[3][12] |
| Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sided | Laser-engraved build plate[1] | Textured PEI plate; Smooth PEI and Dual-Texture PEI plates also compatible[3] |
| Leveling & Z-Offset | ||
| Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe) | Levelling-free — no user levelling step[1][2] | Nozzle-touch automatic bed levelling and automatic Z-offset; Tom's Hardware confirms the nozzle itself is the probe[4][12] |
| Filament Handling & Detection | ||
| Filament runout sensor (type, location) | Not documented | Yes - run-out sensor, filament odometry and filament-tangle sensor[3] |
| Multi-material/multi-color capability or official upgrade path | Not documented | Optional AMS lite (A1 mini Combo); AMS / AMS 2 Pro / AMS HT need an AMS HUB (SA013) accessory[7] |
| Cooling & Air Handling | ||
| Part-cooling fan(s): count, size, ducting design | Not documented | One custom 5015 centrifugal part-cooling fan with two opposing outlets; closed-loop control. A separate MC board cooling fan is also fitted[3][12] |
| Electronics & Power | ||
| Mainboard model & MCU (exact chip markings if teardowns exist) | Not documented | Bambu names the motion controller as a dual-core Cortex-M4; no board model or chip markings published[3] |
| Total rated power draw | 135 W power supply[1] | 100-240 VAC 50/60 Hz; max power 150 W for the whole machine. Bed heater wattage is not published separately[3] |
| Firmware & Openness | ||
| Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary) | Not documented | Closed-source proprietary firmware - not a Klipper or Marlin derivative, and no printer-firmware source is published. The bambulab GitHub organisation carries 11 repositories (Bambu Studio, wxWidgets/boost/ffmpeg forks, the wiki); none is printer firmware. Updates are delivered over the air via Bambu Studio / Bambu Handy[14] |
| Connectivity, UI & Camera | ||
| Display: size, type, touch? | 4.3-inch touch control screen (control panel — not the masking LCD, see W1)[1] | 2.4-inch 320x240 IPS touchscreen[3] |
| On-device UI capabilities (model preview, per-object controls, etc.) | Not documented | Touchscreen plus Bambu Handy app and Bambu Studio PC application[3] |
| WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-drive | USB and Wi-Fi[2] | Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz only (802.11 b/g/n), Bambu-Bus, microSD card. No Ethernet, no USB host[3] |
| Camera: built-in / optional? Resolution & framerate (verify — marketing often omits real fps) | Not documented | Built-in low-rate camera, up to 1080p, timelapse supported[3] |
| Camera features: live monitor, timelapse, AI failure detection (spaghetti detection) — how real is it? | Failed-print detection[2] | Not documented |
| Calibration Routines & QoL | ||
| Assembly level & time from unbox to first print | Not documented | Arrives mostly pre-assembled - only the filament wiper, spool holder and Bowden tubes to fit[4] |
| Materials Support | ||
| Officially supported filament list | High-speed, water-washable, standard, ABS-like and plant-based resins (Anycubic's own list)[1] | Ideal: PLA, PETG, TPU, PVA. Not recommended: ABS, ASA, PC, PA, PET and fibre-reinforced polymers[3] |
| Noise & Power Consumption | ||
| Noise: claimed dB and independently measured dB (distance/method) | Not documented | Manufacturer claim only: the US store page claims "49dB Whisper-Quiet Operation" - the identical sentence appears on the A1 page, so treat it as line-level marketing copy rather than a per-model measurement. No independent dB measurement with a stated distance was found[7][15] |
| Reliability, Support & Ecosystem | ||
| Warranty length & support reputation (evidence, not vibes) | Not documented | 2-year limited warranty for consumers in the US, Canada, the EU, Switzerland, Norway and Iceland; 1 year in the rest of the world. Bambu Lab's own policy records the US/Canada term as a 2026 extension from one year to two[16] |
| Independently Measured Performance | ||
| Review scores from major outlets (list outlet + score + date) | Not documented | Tom's Hardware: Editor's Choice, rating 4.5 out of 5 in the page's structured data (13 October 2023)[4] |
| Resin & MSLA | ||
| Masking LCD | 10.1-inch monochrome masking LCD at 14K, XY pixel pitch 16.8 x 24.8 um (manufacturer specification)[1][2] | Not documented |
| Light source | COB light source with a Fresnel lens and a light-uniformity algorithm[1][2] | Not documented |
| Light uniformity & intensity | Uniformity >=90% and intensity 4500 +/-10% uW/cm2 (both manufacturer claims, no independent measurement). Anycubic also states light intensity is uniform within an angle of <=3 degrees[1][2] | Not documented |
| Vertical print speedmm/h | 150 mm/h with high-speed resin at 0.1 mm layer height; 90 mm/h with standard resin at the same layer height. Anycubic's headline maximum is 90 mm/h for standard resin, so the 150 figure is resin-dependent (manufacturer claims)[1][2] | Not documented |
| Layer height range | 0.01-0.15 mm[1] | Not documented |
| Release film | Improved ACF film. No rated life published for this model (the M7 Pro's ACF film is rated ~45,000 uses)[1][2][10] | Not documented |
| Resin vat & feeding | Resin vat capacity up to 1 L, with resin level monitoring. No auto-refill on this model[1][2] | Not documented |
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
- Anycubic Photon Mono M7 product page store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Anycubic Photon Mono M7 technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Bambu Lab A1 mini - Technical Specifications bambulab.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Tom's Hardware - Bambu Lab A1 Mini Review, 13 October 2023 tomshardware.com · 2026-08 · review
- Tom's Hardware - Bambu Lab A1 Review, Denise Bertacchi, 14 December 2023 tomshardware.com · 2026-08 · review
- Bambu Lab US Store - 3D Printers collection listing (base prices, Aug 2026) us.store.bambulab.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Bambu Lab A1 mini store page (A1 mini / A1 mini Combo variants) us.store.bambulab.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Anycubic Photon Mono M7 Pro product page store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Anycubic Photon Mono M5s product page store.anycubic.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Anycubic Photon Mono M7 Pro technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Bambu Lab A1 - Technical Specifications bambulab.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Bambu Lab Wiki - A1 mini introduction wiki.bambulab.com · 2026-08 · doc
- Bambu Lab Wiki - A1 introduction wiki.bambulab.com · 2026-08 · doc
- GitHub - bambulab organisation repository list (11 repos, checked Aug 2026) github.com · 2026-08 · doc
- Bambu Lab A1 store page (A1 / A1 Combo variants) us.store.bambulab.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Bambu Lab Warranty Policy bambulab.com · 2026-08 · vendor