3D Printing InfoPrinter comparison
ELEGOO Neptune 3 Pro vs ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra 16K
Compare hardware, build volume, printing specifications, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore ELEGOO Neptune 3 Pro comparisonsMore ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra 16K comparisons
| Property | ELEGOO Neptune 3 ProBEDSLINGER | ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra 16KRESIN |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Brand | ELEGOO | ELEGOO |
| Class | BEDSLINGER | RESIN |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first) | ELEGOO Neptune 3 Pro[1] | Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra 16K. Elegoo's product handle is saturn-4-ultra-16k-10inch-monochrome-lcd-resin-3d-printer. 3DJake item number ELG-50.101.038300[2][3] |
| Release date (announcement and actual shipping) | Listed on the ELEGOO US store from 11 November 2022 (Shopify publish date)[4] | Not documented |
| Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry) | $259.99 on us.elegoo.com, Aug 2026, with the compare-at price also $259.99 - notably more than the newer and far faster Neptune 4 at $219[4][5] | $649.99 in us.elegoo.com's live Shopify product JSON, in stock, with compare_at_price also $649.99 — no discount active at the time of checking (Aug 2026)[3] |
| Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk) | The last Neptune 3 still listed; the 3 Plus and 3 Max are gone from the store's Neptune section. Do not read Neptune 4 figures onto it: the 3 Pro runs Marlin, not Klipper, tops out at 180 mm/s rather than 500, uses a 36-point mesh rather than 121-point, and its nozzle stops at 260 C rather than 300 C. Its machine size, 475 x 445 x 515 mm, is identical to the Neptune 4's, so body dimensions will not tell them apart[1][6][7] | Distinct from the earlier Saturn 4 Ultra (12K); the 16K carries a 15120 x 6230 masking LCD with 14 x 19 um pixels. Elegoo also sells it bundled with a Mercury Plus V2.0 wash/cure station and as a pre-owned SKU, neither of which is the printer-only price[2][3] |
| Market position: superseded? successor announced? | Superseded by the Neptune 4 series and, in ELEGOO's current marketing, by the Centauri line[7] | Not documented |
| Physical & Frame | ||
| Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable | 225 x 225 x 280 mm; printing platform 235 x 235 mm[1] | 211.68 x 118.37 x 220 mm[2] |
| Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang) | 475 x 445 x 515 mm - the same body as the Neptune 4. ELEGOO's maximum size for machine activity is 475 x 580 x 725 mm[1][6] | 327.4 x 329.2 x 548 mm[2] |
| Net weight (kg) | 8.1 kg net, 10.15 kg gross[1] | Not documented |
| Frame construction & material | CNC-machined aluminium extrusion frame (Neptune family)[6] | Metal housing with a flip-up cover and a drip guard[2] |
| Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lid | Open frame, no enclosure[1] | Flip-up lid (Elegoo's own naming) over an open frame; UV-blocking cover[2] |
| Kinematics & Motion Hardware | ||
| Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other) | Cartesian i3 bed-slinger[1] | MSLA with tilt-release: the vat tilts to peel each layer rather than pulling straight up. Elegoo claims the mechanism cuts curing time by 25%. Single Z axis, Z precision 0.02 mm[2] |
| Z-axis: leadscrew count & type, sync mechanism, anti-backlash | Two lead screws[1] | Not documented |
| Stepper drivers (exact model e.g. TMC2209; UART/SPI; sensorless homing?) | "Silent Drive (All Axes)"; no driver part number published[1] | Not documented |
| Speed & Acceleration | ||
| Max print speed (claimed, mm/s) | 30-180 mm/s, with 60 mm/s given by ELEGOO as the recommended speed - a pre-Klipper machine, and the slowest in this file apart from the OrangeStorm Giga[1] | Not documented |
| Recommended/typical print speed | 60 mm/s recommended printing speed (manufacturer figure)[1] | Not documented |
| Extruder | ||
| Type (direct drive / bowden) & design name | Dual-gear direct extruder with 2 fans[1] | Not documented |
| Hotend & Nozzle | ||
| Hotend design (proprietary/standard; quick-swap mechanism?) | Brass nozzle, 0.4 mm, titanium-alloy heat break[1] | Not documented |
| Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values) | 260 C claimed max nozzle temperature - 40 C below the Neptune 4 series[1][6] | Not documented |
| Heated Bed & Surface | ||
| Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit | 100 C max heated bed temperature at 25 C ambient[1] | Not documented |
| Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sided | PEI spring steel sheet[1] | Not documented |
| Leveling & Z-Offset | ||
| Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe) | 36-point auto-levelling (the Neptune 4 family moved to 121 points)[1][8] | Automatic levelling, plus intelligent mechanical sensor alarms[2] |
| Filament Handling & Detection | ||
| Filament runout sensor (type, location) | Filament run-out sensor and power-loss recovery[1] | Not documented |
| Electronics & Power | ||
| Input voltage (110/220 V, switch or auto) | Not documented | 100-240 V, 50/60 Hz, 24 V 6 A[2] |
| Total rated power draw | 300 W rated power, 24 V output[1] | Not documented |
| Firmware & Openness | ||
| Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary) | Marlin - ELEGOO names the system "Marlin" for the Neptune 3 Pro, against "Klipper" for the whole Neptune 4 family[1][8] | Elegoo EL3D-4.0 system. Slicer is CHITUBOX[2] |
| Connectivity, UI & Camera | ||
| Display: size, type, touch? | 4.3-inch colour capacitive touch screen[1] | 4-inch capacitive touchscreen (control panel — not the masking LCD, see W1)[2] |
| On-device UI capabilities (model preview, per-object controls, etc.) | Colour capacitive touch UI; ElegooSlicer recommended, Orca and Cura supported[1] | Not documented |
| WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-drive | TF (microSD) card and USB cable only - no LAN and no Wi-Fi[1] | USB and Wi-Fi, with WLAN file transfer[2] |
| Camera: built-in / optional? Resolution & framerate (verify — marketing often omits real fps) | Not documented | AI camera, 1920 x 1080[2] |
| Camera features: live monitor, timelapse, AI failure detection (spaghetti detection) — how real is it? | Not documented | AI camera with print-failure detection[2] |
| Materials Support | ||
| Officially supported filament list | PLA, TPU, PETG, ABS, ASA - no Nylon, unlike the Neptune 4 family[1][6] | 405 nm photopolymer resin; the heated tank is aimed at high-viscosity and high-speed resins. No closed compatibility list published[2] |
| Noise & Power Consumption | ||
| Noise: claimed dB and independently measured dB (distance/method) | Operating sound published as 48 dB or less - a manufacturer figure with no distance or method stated[1] | Not documented |
| Reliability, Support & Ecosystem | ||
| Warranty length & support reputation (evidence, not vibes) | 12 months on brand-new machines and parts, but ELEGOO's own table excludes a long list of parts from that: PEI plate / build plate / nozzle kit / PTFE tube / heater / thermistor / hot end / packaging / manual / tools carry no warranty at all, and the extruder, extruder kit and printhead kit get 6 months. Certified pre-owned machines carry no warranty[9] | Not documented |
| Resin & MSLA | ||
| Masking LCD | Not documented | 10-inch 16K monochrome masking LCD, 15120 x 6230 px, XY pixel pitch 14 x 19 um (manufacturer specification)[2][3] |
| Light source | Not documented | COB light source with a Fresnel collimating lens[2] |
| Light uniformity & intensity | Not documented | Light energy at the plate quoted as 5 mW/cm2, i.e. 5000 uW/cm2 (manufacturer claim, attributed to the tilt-release and Fresnel optics). No uniformity percentage published and no independent measurement[2] |
| Vertical print speedmm/h | Not documented | Up to 150 mm/h (manufacturer claim). Elegoo does not state the layer height or resin type the figure assumes[2] |
| Release film | Not documented | PFA release film. No rated life published[2] |
| LCD life & replaceability | Not documented | Masking LCD shielded by tempered 9H protective glass. Elegoo publishes no rated screen life in hours and does not state user replaceability[2] |
| Resin vat & feeding | Not documented | Replaceable resin vat with a dual pour spout and a drip guard. Heated tank with automatic temperature measurement: Elegoo states resin reaches 25 C in 26 minutes from a 5 C ambient at 50% humidity (manufacturer figure). Capacity not published; no auto-refill[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
- ELEGOO compare-products page, which embeds the full per-model specification JSON for every Neptune, Centauri and OrangeStorm machine us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra 16K product page (technical data and description) 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra 16K live Shopify product JSON us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- ELEGOO Neptune 3 Pro Shopify product JSON (price and store publish date) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- ELEGOO Neptune 4 Shopify product JSON (variant prices and store publish date) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- ELEGOO Neptune 4 product page (Specification table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- ELEGOO US store 3D printers collection (current line-up, Aug 2026) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- ELEGOO Neptune 4 Plus product page (full specification table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- ELEGOO Refund & Warranty policy (warranty period table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor