3D Printing InfoPrinter comparison
Bambu Lab X1E vs Original Prusa i3 MK3S+
Compare hardware, build volume, printing specifications, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore Bambu Lab X1E comparisonsMore Original Prusa i3 MK3S+ comparisons
| Property | Bambu Lab X1ECOREXY | Original Prusa i3 MK3S+BEDSLINGER |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Brand | Bambu Lab | Prusa Research |
| Class | COREXY | BEDSLINGER |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first) | Bambu Lab X1E; spec PDF header "Bambu Lab X1E Technical Specification"[1] | Original Prusa i3 MK3S+. The only version still listed in Aug 2026 is the "Original Prusa i3 MK3S+ 10th Anniversary Edition"[2] |
| Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry) | Not documented | $1,199.00 assembled, $899.00 as a kit, for the 10th Anniversary Edition on prusa3d.com, Aug 2026. This is above the price the standard MK3S+ sold at, so do not read it as the MK3S+ street price[2] |
| Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk) | Enterprise variant of the X1-Carbon, not a trim level. Differences from the X1C, from the two manufacturer spec sheets side by side: active chamber heating to 60 C (X1C has none), 320 C vs 300 C hot end, Smooth PEI plate included vs Cool/Engineering plates, G3+H12+carbon filter stack vs carbon filter only, Ethernet with a network kill switch, removable network module and 802.1X vs Wi-Fi only, 16 kg vs 14.13 kg, and 1400 W at 220 V / 750 W at 110 V vs 1000 W / 350 W[1][3] | Only the 10th Anniversary Edition remains on sale; the standard MK3S+ is gone from Prusa's printer listing. Two official upgrade paths change the machine substantially and are frequently confused with it: MK3.5 (xBuddy board and new LCD, keeps the MK3 extruder) and MK3.9 (adds the Nextruder). A caution on Prusa's own pages: the "Awards & Press Reviews" paragraph about the MK3S is reproduced verbatim on the MINI+ product page, so award text found on a Prusa page does not necessarily belong to the printer on that page[2][4][5][6] |
| Market position: superseded? successor announced? | Not present in the Bambu Lab US store 3D-printer collection in Aug 2026, which lists A1, A1 mini, A2L, P1S, P2S, X2D, H2S, H2D and H2C. Bambu sells business machines through a separate Business & Institution channel, so absence from the consumer collection is not proof of discontinuation; no live first-party price could be recorded[7] | Superseded by the MK4/MK4S line. Prusa cut MK3S+ prices at the MK4 launch in March 2023 and said it would keep selling the MK3S+ at a lower price and hold spare parts in stock[5][6] |
| Physical & Frame | ||
| Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable | 256 x 256 x 256 mm (manufacturer figure)[1] | 25 x 21 x 21 cm = 250 x 210 x 210 mm (manufacturer figure)[2] |
| Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang) | 389 x 389 x 457 mm - identical to the X1-Carbon[1] | 500 x 550 x 400 mm (X x Y x Z), without the spool holder[2] |
| Net weight (kg) | 16 kg net (against 14.13 kg for the X1-Carbon)[1][3] | 7 kg (without spool)[2] |
| Frame construction & material | Steel chassis with an aluminium and glass shell[1] | Cut aluminium frame - Prusa's MK4 announcement contrasts "the cut aluminum frame we used so far" with the MK4's new die-cast frame[5] |
| Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lid | Fully enclosed with a door sensor, and the only X1 with active chamber heating; the chamber is controlled to a maximum of 60 C[1] | Open frame; the Original Prusa Enclosure is an optional separate product[5] |
| Passive chamber temperature reached (if enclosed; measured values preferred) | Actively heated chamber, maximum controlled temperature 60 C (manufacturer figure; not a passive measurement)[1] | Not documented |
| Kinematics & Motion Hardware | ||
| Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other) | CoreXY, two stepper motors with one belt each (X1 series motion system)[8] | Cartesian i3 bed-slinger. Prusa's MK4 announcement notes the MK3S+ Y-axis profiles and heatbed were among the few parts carried into the MK4[5] |
| X-axis guide type (rods / linear rails / V-wheels; size) | Carbon X rail as on the X1-Carbon (X1 series toolhead and gantry)[9] | Not documented |
| Z-axis: leadscrew count & type, sync mechanism, anti-backlash | Three leadscrews belt-driven from a single stepper motor, whole bed moving in Z (X1 series)[8] | Not documented |
| Stepper drivers (exact model e.g. TMC2209; UART/SPI; sensorless homing?) | Not documented | Trinamic 2130 drivers at 256 microstepping on the EINSY RAMBo 8-bit board, co-developed with UltiMachine; sensorless homing on X and Y[2] |
| Speed & Acceleration | ||
| Max print speed (claimed, mm/s) | 500 mm/s max toolhead speed (manufacturer claim); no independent measurement found[1] | Not documented |
| Max travel speed | Not documented | "200+ mm/s" max travel speed (manufacturer figure, no measurement basis given)[2] |
| Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²) | 20 m/s2 = 20000 mm/s2 max toolhead acceleration (manufacturer claim)[1] | Not documented |
| Max volumetric flow claimed (mm³/s) | 32 mm3/s claimed on a 150x150 mm single-wall model in Bambu ABS at 280 C[1] | Not documented |
| Extruder | ||
| Type (direct drive / bowden) & design name | Direct drive with hardened-steel extruder gears[1] | Direct drive with Bondtech gears and an E3D V6 hotend[2] |
| Hotend & Nozzle | ||
| Hotend design (proprietary/standard; quick-swap mechanism?) | All-metal hotend with a hardened-steel nozzle; 0.4 mm included, 0.2/0.6/0.8 mm optional; built-in filament cutter[1] | Not documented |
| Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values) | 320 C claimed max hot-end temperature - 20 C above the X1-Carbon[1][3] | 300 C claimed max nozzle temperature[2] |
| Heated Bed & Surface | ||
| Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit | 110 C at 220 V, 120 C at 110 V max build-plate temperature[1] | 120 C max heatbed temperature[2] |
| Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sided | Flexible steel plate, Smooth PEI plate included; High Temperature, Textured PEI and Cool plates optional[1] | Removable magnetic spring-steel sheets in several finishes; heatbed with cold-corner compensation[2] |
| Leveling & Z-Offset | ||
| Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe) | Nozzle-touch probing on the three ceramic heatbed force sensors, plus the Bambu micro-lidar for first-layer inspection[1][10] | SuperPINDA inductive probe (Prusa's temperature-drift-free replacement for the original PINDA), driving automatic mesh bed levelling and a self-test routine[2] |
| Filament Handling & Detection | ||
| Filament runout sensor (type, location) | Yes - run-out sensor and door sensor; odometry with AMS[1] | IR filament sensor built in, supporting filament auto-loading; the print pauses when filament runs out[2] |
| Cooling & Air Handling | ||
| Part-cooling fan(s): count, size, ducting design | Part-cooling fan, hot-end fan, control-board fan, chamber temperature regulator fan and auxiliary part-cooling fan, all closed-loop controlled[1] | Not documented |
| Chamber/exhaust fan & filtration (activated carbon / HEPA) | G3 pre-filter, H12 HEPA filter and granulated coconut-shell activated-carbon filter; VOC filtration rated Optimal and particulate filtration present[1] | Not documented |
| Electronics & Power | ||
| Mainboard model & MCU (exact chip markings if teardowns exist) | Motion controller dual-core Cortex-M4; application processor quad ARM A7 at 1.2 GHz with a 2 TOPS NPU; 4 GB eMMC[1] | EINSY RAMBo 8-bit board, co-developed with UltiMachine[2] |
| Input voltage (110/220 V, switch or auto) | Not documented | Custom Delta PSU with hardware-based power panic[2] |
| Total rated power draw | 100-240 VAC 50/60 Hz; 1400 W at 220 V, 750 W at 110 V[1] | Power consumption 80 W on PLA settings, 120 W on ABS settings[2] |
| 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[11] | prusa3d/Prusa-Firmware on GitHub, GPL-3.0, whose README states it is "proudly based on Marlin 1.0.x" and covers the MK3S/MK3/MK2.5S/MK2.5 line; last pushed August 2025. Updated over USB from a PC[12] |
| Connectivity, UI & Camera | ||
| Display: size, type, touch? | 5-inch 1280x720 touchscreen[1] | Not documented |
| On-device UI capabilities (model preview, per-object controls, etc.) | Touchscreen plus app and PC application[1] | Not documented |
| WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-drive | Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n) plus 100 Mbps full-duplex RJ45 Ethernet, a network kill switch covering both Wi-Fi and Ethernet, a removable network module and 802.1X network access control - the feature set that distinguishes the X1E from every other Bambu machine. 4 GB eMMC and a microSD card reader[1] | SD card (16 GB card included); Ethernet and Wi-Fi only via an optional Raspberry Pi[2] |
| Camera: built-in / optional? Resolution & framerate (verify — marketing often omits real fps) | Built-in 1920x1080 chamber monitoring camera; micro-lidar also fitted[1] | Not documented |
| Materials Support | ||
| Officially supported filament list | Optimal: PLA, PETG, TPU, PVA, BVOH. Superior: ABS, ASA, PC, PA, PET and carbon/glass-fibre reinforced PLA, PETG, PA, PET, PC, ABS, ASA. Ideal: PPA-CF/GF, PPS, PPS-CF/GF[1] | PLA, PETG, ASA, ABS, PC, CPE, PVA/BVOH, PVB, HIPS, PP, Flex, nGen, Nylon, carbon-filled, woodfill and other filled materials[2] |
| Safety | ||
| Thermal runaway protection (verify in firmware source if at all possible) | Firmware over-temperature protection is documented for the X1 series: HMS_0300-0200-0001-0003 fires when the heater runs at full power without reaching target in time. Thresholds are not published and the firmware is closed-source[13] | Prusa shipped Thermal Model protection to the MK3 line as a firmware update shortly before the MK4 launch; the firmware is open-source and auditable[5][12] |
| 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[14] | 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[15][16] |
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
- Bambu Lab X1E Technical Specification (PDF) cdn1.bambulab.com · 2026-08 · doc
- Original Prusa i3 MK3S+ 10th Anniversary Edition product page (Technical Parameters + Full Features List) prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Bambu Lab X1-Carbon - Technical Specifications (PDF) public-cdn.bambulab.com · 2026-08 · doc
- Original Prusa MINI+ Semi-assembled 3D Printer product page (Technical Parameters + Full Features List, January 2025 Edition) prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- 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
- Prusa 3D printers category listing with live e-shop prices, Aug 2026 prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Bambu Lab US Store - 3D Printers collection listing (base prices, Aug 2026) us.store.bambulab.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Bambu Lab Wiki - X1 introduction wiki.bambulab.com · 2026-08 · doc
- PRNewswire - Bambu Lab Launches X1 Series, 23 May 2022 (Kickstarter dates and MSRP table) prnewswire.com · 2026-08 · doc
- Bambu Lab Wiki - Replace the Heatbed Sensor Unit / Heatbed Piezo Interface Board wiki.bambulab.com · 2026-08 · doc
- GitHub - bambulab organisation repository list (11 repos, checked Aug 2026) github.com · 2026-08 · doc
- GitHub - prusa3d/Prusa-Firmware (MK3 line, GPL-3.0, based on Marlin 1.0.x) github.com · 2026-08 · doc
- Bambu Lab Wiki - HMS_0300-0200-0001-0003: nozzle heater over-temperature (X1 series) wiki.bambulab.com · 2026-08 · doc
- Bambu Lab Warranty Policy bambulab.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Prusa Knowledge Base - Warranty help.prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · doc
- Original Prusa MK4S 3D Printer product page (Technical Parameters + CORE One+/MK4S/XL comparison table) prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor