3D Printing Info

Printer comparison

Bambu Lab X1E vs QIDI X-Max 3

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

Bambu Lab X1E guideQIDI X-Max 3 guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore Bambu Lab X1E comparisonsMore QIDI X-Max 3 comparisons
Bambu Lab X1E vs QIDI X-Max 3 — documented properties and sources
PropertyBambu Lab X1ECOREXYQIDI X-Max 3COREXY
Identity
BrandBambu LabQIDI
ClassCOREXYCOREXY
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]QIDI X-Max 3, listed by QIDI as "Qidi Tech X-Max 3 3D Printer" and in navigation as X-Max3[2][3]
Release date (announcement and actual shipping)Not documentedNot published by QIDI; the product page carries a discontinuation notice rather than a launch date (checked Aug 2026)[2]
Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry)Not documented$899.00 (from a $999.00 sale reference) on us.qidi3d.com but marked Sold Out and discontinued, checked Aug 2026. 3D Printers Online Store lists $1,099 USD, also out of stock[2][4]
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][5]Same-generation siblings X-Plus 3 (280x280x270, 500 mm/s, 800 W) and X-Smart 3 (175x180x170, no chamber heating, 300 °C, 350 W). All three share the Cortex-A53 1.5 GHz / 1 GB DDR3 / 8 GB eMMC control board, so shared-board specs are not evidence of shared print specs. Replaced by the Max4[3][6][7][8]
Market position: superseded?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[9]Discontinued and out of production; QIDI directs buyers to the Max4[2]
Physical & Frame
Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable256 x 256 x 256 mm (manufacturer figure)[1]325 x 325 x 315 mm advertised[2][3][4]
Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang)389 x 389 x 457 mm - identical to the X1-Carbon[1]553 x 553 x 601 mm[3][4]
Net weight (kg)16 kg net (against 14.13 kg for the X1-Carbon)[1][5]30.2 kg net[3][4]
Frame construction & materialSteel chassis with an aluminium and glass shell[1]Enclosed CoreXY chassis, fully assembled from the factory. QIDI does not publish a frame-material breakdown[3]
Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lidFully enclosed with a door sensor, and the only X1 with active chamber heating; the chamber is controlled to a maximum of 60 C[1]Fully enclosed, with a chamber circulation blower and activated-carbon air filter[3]
Passive chamber temperature reached (if enclosed; measured values preferred)Actively heated chamber, maximum controlled temperature 60 C (manufacturer figure; not a passive measurement)[1]65 °C maximum, independent chamber heating (manufacturer claim)[2][3]
Kinematics & Motion Hardware
Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other)CoreXY, two stepper motors with one belt each (X1 series motion system)[10]CoreXY[3]
X-axis guide type (rods / linear rails / V-wheels; size)Carbon X rail as on the X1-Carbon (X1 series toolhead and gantry)[11]Linear optical axis (polished steel rod) of high-strength steel[3]
Z-axis: leadscrew count & type, sync mechanism, anti-backlashThree leadscrews belt-driven from a single stepper motor, whole bed moving in Z (X1 series)[10]Double Z axis[3]
Speed & Acceleration
Max print speed (claimed, mm/s)500 mm/s max toolhead speed (manufacturer claim); no independent measurement found[1]<=600 mm/s (manufacturer claim)[2][3][4]
Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²)20 m/s2 = 20000 mm/s2 max toolhead acceleration (manufacturer claim)[1]20,000 mm/s2 (manufacturer claim)[2]
Max volumetric flow claimed (mm³/s)32 mm3/s claimed on a 150x150 mm single-wall model in Bambu ABS at 280 C[1]35 mm3/s extruder flow (manufacturer claim)[3]
Extruder
Type (direct drive / bowden) & design nameDirect drive with hardened-steel extruder gears[1]High-flow direct-drive extruder; QIDI states a 9.5:1 gear ratio for this model[2][3]
Gear ratio & drive gear materialNot documented9.5:1[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]Ceramic heating core. Two interchangeable nozzle-head sets shipped: copper alloy for standard materials, hardened steel for abrasives. 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 claimed max hot-end temperature - 20 C above the X1-Carbon[1][5]<=350 °C claimed[2][3][4]
Heated Bed & Surface
Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit110 C at 220 V, 120 C at 110 V max build-plate temperature[1]<=120 °C claimed[3][4]
Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sidedFlexible steel plate, Smooth PEI plate included; High Temperature, Textured PEI and Cool plates optional[1]Double-sided flexible magnetic plate (QIDI's "HF" plate)[2][3]
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][12]Automatic levelling via Klipper adaptive meshing; probe technology not named by QIDI[2]
Filament Handling & Detection
Filament runout sensor (type, location)Yes - run-out sensor and door sensor; odometry with AMS[1]Filament detection fitted; type and location not published[3]
Cooling & Air Handling
Part-cooling fan(s): count, size, ducting designPart-cooling fan, hot-end fan, control-board fan, chamber temperature regulator fan and auxiliary part-cooling fan, all closed-loop controlled[1]Not documented
Auxiliary part-cooling fan?Not documentedAdditional (auxiliary) cooling fan fitted[3]
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]Chamber circulation blower with activated-carbon air filter[3]
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]Not documented
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][3]
Input voltage (110/220 V, switch or auto)Not documented100-240 VAC, 50/60 Hz[3]
Total rated power draw100-240 VAC 50/60 Hz; 1400 W at 220 V, 750 W at 110 V[1]900 W rated[3][4]
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]Klipper with the Fluidd web console. Fork and version not published[2]
Connectivity, UI & Camera
Display: size, type, touch?5-inch 1280x720 touchscreen[1]5-inch touchscreen, 800 x 480[3]
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-driveWi-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]Wi-Fi (QIDI states 150M 2.4G), Ethernet, USB flash drive[3]
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 listOptimal: 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]ABS, PLA, PETG, TPU, nylon, carbon fibre, PC[4]
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[14]Not documented
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[15]1-year coverage[2]

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 X1E Technical Specification (PDF) cdn1.bambulab.com · 2026-08 · doc
  2. QIDI X-Max 3 product page (US store) us.qidi3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  3. QIDI Tech X-Max 3 technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  4. Qidi Tech X-Max 3 FDM 3D Printer listing 3dprintersonlinestore.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. Bambu Lab X1-Carbon - Technical Specifications (PDF) public-cdn.bambulab.com · 2026-08 · doc
  6. QIDI Tech X-Plus 3 technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. QIDI Tech X-Smart 3 technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. QIDI Max4 product page (US store) us.qidi3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. Bambu Lab US Store - 3D Printers collection listing (base prices, Aug 2026) us.store.bambulab.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Bambu Lab Wiki - X1 introduction wiki.bambulab.com · 2026-08 · doc
  11. PRNewswire - Bambu Lab Launches X1 Series, 23 May 2022 (Kickstarter dates and MSRP table) prnewswire.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. Bambu Lab Wiki - HMS_0300-0200-0001-0003: nozzle heater over-temperature (X1 series) wiki.bambulab.com · 2026-08 · doc
  15. Bambu Lab Warranty Policy bambulab.com · 2026-08 · vendor