3D Printing Info

Printer comparison

Creality Ender-3 V3 SE vs QIDI Plus4

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

2 selected · all documented properties

Creality Ender-3 V3 SE vs QIDI Plus4 — documented properties and sources
PropertyCreality Ender-3 V3 SEBEDSLINGERQIDI Plus4COREXY
Identity
BrandCrealityQIDI
ClassBEDSLINGERCOREXY
Identity & Market
Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first)Creality Ender-3 V3 SE[1]QIDI Plus4, sold as "Plus4 3D Printer". QIDI's own wiki files it under X-Plus4[2][3]
Release date (announcement and actual shipping)Not documentedAnnounced September 2024; QIDI ran launch promotional pricing in the week of 20-27 September 2024 (secondary reporting, not a QIDI press release)[4]
Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry)$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[5][1]$649.00 on us.qidi3d.com for the Plus4 + 1 filament variant against a $799.00 compare-at price; $699.00 on qidi3d.com against $799.00. Checked Aug 2026[2][3]
Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk)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[1][6][7][8][9]Two purchasable variants: Plus4 + Filament x1 at $649 and Plus4 Combo + Filament x1 at $799 (Combo adds the QIDI Box multi-material unit). Distinct from the older X-Plus 3 (280x280x270, 350 °C) and from the newer Plus5 (320x320x300)[3][2]
Market position: superseded? successor announced?Not documentedSuperseded at the top of the large-format line by the Plus5, launched 5 August 2026 with 18% more build volume; Plus4 still listed and in stock Aug 2026[10][11]
Physical & Frame
Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable220 x 220 x 250 mm[8]305 x 305 x 280 mm advertised. No independently measured usable envelope found[2][4]
Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang)349 x 364 x 490 mm (Tom's Hardware measurement of the machine footprint)[8]505 x 487 x 550 mm[4]
Net weight (kg)7.12 kg[8]32 kg gross (3DJake). QIDI does not publish a net weight on the product page[4]
Frame construction & materialNot documentedEnclosed CoreXY chassis with double-layer chamber insulation; QIDI does not publish a frame material breakdown[2]
Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lidOpen frame, no enclosure[1]Fully enclosed, double-layer insulated chamber with second-generation active heating to 65 °C[2][4]
Passive chamber temperature reached (if enclosed; measured values preferred)Not documented65 °C, actively heated by a 400 W heater which QIDI says reaches setpoint in about 8 minutes (manufacturer claim)[2][4]
Kinematics & Motion Hardware
Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other)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[1]CoreXY[4]
Y-axis guide typeY axis runs on a pair of 8 mm steel linear shafts carrying the build platform[1]Not documented
Z-axis: leadscrew count & type, sync mechanism, anti-backlashRigid dual Z-axis, which Creality says reduces Z wobble[1]Dual independent Z motors on 10 mm linear shafts and screws[2]
Speed & Acceleration
Max print speed (claimed, mm/s)250 mm/s max printing speed (manufacturer claim, Creality Lab figure)[1]600 mm/s (manufacturer claim, tool-head maximum)[4]
Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²)2500 mm/s2 max acceleration (manufacturer claim). Tom's Hardware attributes the modest Benchy time directly to this acceleration cap[1][8]<=20,000 mm/s2 (manufacturer claim)[4]
Extruder
Type (direct drive / bowden) & design nameCreality "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[1]Direct drive with hardened steel dual gears, 1.75 mm filament[2][4]
Hotend & Nozzle
Hotend design (proprietary/standard; quick-swap mechanism?)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]Second-generation 80 W bimetal hotend with a multi-metal composite hardened-tip nozzle; 0.4 mm standard, 0.2/0.5/0.8 mm optional[2][4]
Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values)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]<=370 °C claimed. No firmware max_temp verified for this model[2][4]
Heater cartridge power (W)Not documented80 W hotend heater (manufacturer figure)[2]
Heated Bed & Surface
Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limitNot documentedConflicting manufacturer figures: QIDI's own Plus4 page states a 100 °C bed temperature, 3DJake's spec table states <=120 °C. Not resolved; the lower vendor-published figure is used as the sortable value[2][4]
Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sidedPC-coated spring steel sheet, heated, removable[8]6 mm aluminium-substrate heated bed with a double-sided textured PEI plate[2][4]
Leveling & Z-Offset
Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe)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[1]Full-auto calibration; QIDI markets "hands-free automatic" levelling and does not name the probe technology on the product page[2][4]
Filament Handling & Detection
Filament runout sensor (type, location)Filament run-out sensor fitted[8]Filament run-out sensor, plus a filament cutter and filament tangle detection (tangle mechanism not described)[4]
Multi-material/multi-color capability or official upgrade pathNot documentedQIDI Box multi-material unit supported; sold bundled as the Plus4 Combo[2][3]
Cooling & Air Handling
Part-cooling fan(s): count, size, ducting designTwo 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]Auxiliary part-cooling fan plus a chamber circulation fan; fan sizes and duct design not published[4]
Electronics & Power
Input voltage (110/220 V, switch or auto)Not documented100-240 VAC, 50/60 Hz[4]
Total rated power drawNot documented450 W plus 400 W for chamber heating (rated)[4]
Firmware & Openness
Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary)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[12][13][6]Klipper v0.12, described by QIDI as open source. Fork details and current release not published on the product page[2]
Connectivity, UI & Camera
Display: size, type, touch?3.2-inch colour screen with a control knob - not a touchscreen, unlike the KE and V3[8]5-inch touchscreen, 800 x 480[2][4]
On-device UI capabilities (model preview, per-object controls, etc.)Knob-driven colour UI using motion graphics to show levelling progress and print parameters; auto filament load/unload from the menu[1]Not documented
WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-driveSD card only - no Wi-Fi and no USB host, in contrast to the Wi-Fi-equipped KE and V3[8]Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz, Ethernet, USB[2][4]
Cloud service & phone app; LAN-only mode possible?Not documentedMobile and computer control, remote cloud or LAN-only operation[2]
Camera: built-in / optional? Resolution & framerate (verify — marketing often omits real fps)Not documentedBuilt-in low-frame-rate camera, up to 1080p, timelapse supported[2][4]
Calibration Routines & QoL
Assembly level & time from unbox to first printKit-style assembly from a small number of pre-built sections; Creality claims printing within 20 minutes of unboxing[1]QIDI claims about 10 minutes from unbox to printing[2]
Power-Loss & Interruption Recovery
Power-loss recovery: mechanism (how is state saved? capacitor / eeprom / file on shutdown?)Not documentedPower-loss recovery listed; mechanism not published[4]
Materials Support
Officially supported filament listPLA, PETG and TPU (Tom's Hardware); Creality's own copy names PLA, PETG and flexible TPU for the Sprite extruder[8]PLA, ABS, ASA, PETG, TPU, PA, PC, PA-CF/GF, PET-CF/GF, PPA-CF/GF, PPS-CF and other CF/GF-filled polymers[2][4]
Reliability, Support & Ecosystem
Warranty length & support reputation (evidence, not vibes)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[14]1-year coverage, 14-day no-reason return, 30-day price protection[2]
Independently Measured Performance
Benchmark print times (source + settings)Benchy 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]Not documented
Review scores from major outlets (list outlet + score + date)Tom's Hardware rating 4.5 out of 5 in the page's structured data[8]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

  1. Creality Ender-3 V3 SE product page creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  2. QIDI Plus4 product page (global store) qidi3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  3. QIDI Plus4 product page (US store) us.qidi3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  4. QIDI Tech Plus4 technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. Creality US store - Ender-3 V3 SE 3D Printer product page (live price) store.creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  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. QIDI Plus5 product page (US store) us.qidi3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. QIDI Plus5 launch write-up 3dprintbeginner.com · 2026-08 · review
  12. GitHub API - CrealityOfficial/Ender-3V3-SE repository metadata ("Open source for Ender-3V3 SE", GPL-3.0) api.github.com · 2026-08 · doc
  13. GitHub - CrealityOfficial organisation repositories (per-model firmware sources) github.com · 2026-08 · doc
  14. Creality US store - K1 3D Printer product page (live price, warranty and returns banner) store.creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor