3D Printing Info

Printer comparison

Bambu Lab P1S vs Creality Ender-3 V3 SE

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

Bambu Lab P1S guideCreality Ender-3 V3 SE guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore Bambu Lab P1S comparisonsMore Creality Ender-3 V3 SE comparisons
Bambu Lab P1S vs Creality Ender-3 V3 SE — documented properties and sources
PropertyBambu Lab P1SCOREXYCreality Ender-3 V3 SEBEDSLINGER
Identity
BrandBambu LabCreality
ClassCOREXYBEDSLINGER
Identity & Market
Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first)Bambu Lab P1S. Store title: "Bambu Lab P1S 3D Printer"[1]Creality Ender-3 V3 SE[2]
Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry)From $369.00 (base P1S) on the Bambu Lab US store, Aug 2026, against a stated typical price of $399.00; with the P1S AMS 2 Pro Combo variant selected the same page shows $539.00 against a typical $579.00[3][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[4][2]
Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk)Enclosed version of the P1P and mechanically the same motion platform. Three SKUs on one product page: P1S, P1S AMS Combo and P1S AMS 2 Pro Combo (the AMS 2 Pro adds active filament drying). Sibling figures that get mixed up: net weight 12.95 kg (P1S) vs 9.65 kg (P1P); depth 389 mm vs 386 mm; ABS/ASA Ideal (P1S) vs Capable (P1P). Also distinct from the 2026 P2S, which is a different machine (600 mm/s, 110 C bed, 5-inch touchscreen, 14.9 kg)[1][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]
Market position: superseded? successor announced?Still sold in Aug 2026, but Bambu now markets the P2S as "The Classic Evolves" above it in the same enclosed-CoreXY slot[3][10]Not documented
Physical & Frame
Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable256 x 256 x 256 mm advertised. Bambu's own footnote sets the default printable height in Bambu Studio to 250 mm to prevent heatbed collisions, and notes the collapsible filament-cutter stopper occupies part of the print area when popped out[1]220 x 220 x 250 mm[8]
Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang)389 x 389 x 458 mm; package 485 x 480 x 530 mm[1]349 x 364 x 490 mm (Tom's Hardware measurement of the machine footprint)[8]
Net weight (kg)12.95 kg net, 17.60 kg gross; the AMS Combo ships at 21.60 kg gross and the AMS 2 Pro Combo at 21 kg gross[1]7.12 kg[8]
Frame construction & materialSteel chassis (shared with the P1P) inside plastic and glass panels[1]Not documented
Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lidFully enclosed - plastic and glass panels with a glass front door and lid, plus an activated-carbon air filter. No active chamber heater; the chamber temperature regulator fan is closed-loop controlled[1]Open frame, no enclosure[2]
Kinematics & Motion Hardware
Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other)CoreXY driven by two stepper motors, each with an independent belt to the printhead; the P1P and P1S share the same motion system[11]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-backlashThree leadscrews belt-driven from a single stepper motor, whole bed moving in Z; manual tramming by three knobs under the bed, no motorised Z-tilt[11]Rigid dual Z-axis, which Creality says reduces Z wobble[2]
Belts (type, width, e.g. Gates?)Rear adjustable belt tensioners with a Belt Tension Monitor[11]Not documented
Speed & Acceleration
Max print speed (claimed, mm/s)500 mm/s max toolhead speed (manufacturer claim); no independent measurement found[1]250 mm/s max printing speed (manufacturer claim, Creality Lab figure)[2]
Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²)20 m/s2 = 20000 mm/s2 max toolhead acceleration (manufacturer claim)[1]2500 mm/s2 max acceleration (manufacturer claim). Tom's Hardware attributes the modest Benchy time directly to this acceleration cap[2][8]
Extruder
Type (direct drive / bowden) & design nameDirect drive; the service part is the "Stainless Steel Extruder Unit (P1 series)"[11]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?)All-metal all-in-one hotend with the nozzle integrated into the heatblock, replaced as a unit; 0.4 mm stainless-steel nozzle included, 0.2/0.6/0.8 mm optional[1][11]Direct-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)300 C claimed max hot-end temperature[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
Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit100 C max build-plate temperature[1]Not documented
Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sidedTextured PEI plate; Cool Plate, Engineering Plate and High Temperature Plate compatible[1]PC-coated spring steel sheet, heated, removable[8]
Leveling & Z-Offset
Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe)Nozzle-touch probing using three ceramic force (piezo) sensors mounted under the heatbed - Z homing is done by detecting the force of the nozzle contacting the bed[12][11]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)Yes - filament run-out sensor[1]Filament run-out sensor fitted[8]
Multi-material/multi-color capability or official upgrade pathAMS-compatible; sold as P1S AMS Combo and P1S AMS 2 Pro Combo, up to 16 colours with four AMS units[1]Not documented
Cooling & Air Handling
Part-cooling fan(s): count, size, ducting designPart-cooling fan plus auxiliary part-cooling fan, control-board fan and chamber temperature regulator fan, all closed-loop controlled (all four are merely Optional on the P1P)[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)[8]
Chamber/exhaust fan & filtration (activated carbon / HEPA)Chamber temperature regulator fan with an activated-carbon air filter[1]Not documented
Electronics & Power
Total rated power draw100-240 VAC 50/60 Hz; 1000 W at 220 V, 350 W at 110 V[1]Not documented
Firmware & Openness
Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary)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[13]Creality 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[14][15][6]
Connectivity, UI & Camera
Display: size, type, touch?2.7-inch 192x64 monochrome screen, not a touchscreen; control by button, app or PC application (P1 series)[11]3.2-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.)Button-driven monochrome on-device UI; job setup happens in Bambu Studio or Bambu Handy[11]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-driveWi-Fi, Bluetooth and Bambu-Bus, microSD card storage, 5 V/1.5 A USB output power (P1 series)[11]SD card only - no Wi-Fi and no USB host, in contrast to the Wi-Fi-equipped KE and V3[8]
Camera: built-in / optional? Resolution & framerate (verify — marketing often omits real fps)Low-rate chamber monitoring camera, 1280x720 at 0.5 fps, timelapse supported[1]Not documented
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 listIdeal: PLA, PETG, TPU, PVA, PET, ABS, ASA. Capable: PA, PC[1]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)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]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[17]
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. Bambu Lab P1S store page - 'Parameters Comparison' table giving P1P and P1S in separate columns us.store.bambulab.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  2. Creality Ender-3 V3 SE product page creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  3. Bambu Lab US Store - 3D Printers collection listing (base prices, Aug 2026) us.store.bambulab.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  4. Creality US store - Ender-3 V3 SE 3D Printer product page (live price) store.creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. Bambu Lab P2S Spec Sheet (PDF) store.bblcdn.com · 2026-08 · doc
  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. Bambu Lab P2S store page us.store.bambulab.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. Bambu Lab Wiki - Introduction to P1 series wiki.bambulab.com · 2026-08 · doc
  12. Bambu Lab Wiki - Replace the Heatbed Sensor Unit / Heatbed Piezo Interface Board wiki.bambulab.com · 2026-08 · doc
  13. GitHub - bambulab organisation repository list (11 repos, checked Aug 2026) github.com · 2026-08 · doc
  14. GitHub API - CrealityOfficial/Ender-3V3-SE repository metadata ("Open source for Ender-3V3 SE", GPL-3.0) api.github.com · 2026-08 · doc
  15. GitHub - CrealityOfficial organisation repositories (per-model firmware sources) github.com · 2026-08 · doc
  16. Bambu Lab Warranty Policy bambulab.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  17. Creality US store - K1 3D Printer product page (live price, warranty and returns banner) store.creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor