3D Printing Info

Printer comparison

ELEGOO Neptune 4 Plus vs QIDI X-Max 3

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

ELEGOO Neptune 4 Plus guideQIDI X-Max 3 guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore ELEGOO Neptune 4 Plus comparisonsMore QIDI X-Max 3 comparisons
ELEGOO Neptune 4 Plus vs QIDI X-Max 3 — documented properties and sources
PropertyELEGOO Neptune 4 PlusBEDSLINGERQIDI X-Max 3COREXY
Identity
BrandELEGOOQIDI
ClassBEDSLINGERCOREXY
Identity & Market
Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first)ELEGOO Neptune 4 Plus[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)Listed on the ELEGOO US store from 20 September 2023 (Shopify publish date), the same date as the Neptune 4 Max[4][5]Not 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)$309.00 on us.elegoo.com, Aug 2026, against a compare-at price of $425.00. Only a Ribbon-Cable printhead variant is listed for the Plus, unlike the Neptune 4 and 4 Max which also offer a Type-C version[4][6][5]$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][7]
Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk)Middle model of the Neptune 4 family. Against the base Neptune 4: bigger (320 x 320 x 385 mm), but a lower bed ceiling (100 C rather than 110 C) and much lower acceleration (12000 rather than 20000 mm/s2). Against the Max: smaller and lighter (14.4 kg against 18.1 kg) but with a higher bed ceiling (100 C against 85 C) and higher acceleration (12000 against 8000). Its Z drive is 2 lead screws with 2 tie rods, where the Centauri machines use 3 lead screws[1][8][9][10]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][11][12][13]
Market position: superseded? successor announced?Not documentedDiscontinued and out of production; QIDI directs buyers to the Max4[2]
Physical & Frame
Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable320 x 320 x 385 mm; printing platform 330 x 330 mm[1]325 x 325 x 315 mm advertised[2][3][7]
Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang)533 x 517 x 638 mm; ELEGOO also publishes a maximum size for machine activity of 578 x 750 x 860 mm including rack and tray, so allow 750 mm of depth[1]553 x 553 x 601 mm[3][7]
Net weight (kg)14.4 kg net, 16.65 kg gross[1]30.2 kg net[3][7]
Frame construction & materialCNC-machined aluminium extrusion frame (Neptune 4 family)[8]Enclosed CoreXY chassis, fully assembled from the factory. QIDI does not publish a frame-material breakdown[3]
Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lidOpen frame, no enclosure[1]Fully enclosed, with a chamber circulation blower and activated-carbon air filter[3]
Passive chamber temperature reached (if enclosed; measured values preferred)Not documented65 °C maximum, independent chamber heating (manufacturer claim)[2][3]
Kinematics & Motion Hardware
Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other)Cartesian i3 bed-slinger[1]CoreXY[3]
X-axis guide type (rods / linear rails / V-wheels; size)Not documentedLinear optical axis (polished steel rod) of high-strength steel[3]
Z-axis: leadscrew count & type, sync mechanism, anti-backlashTwo lead screws with two tie rods[1]Double Z axis[3]
Stepper drivers (exact model e.g. TMC2209; UART/SPI; sensorless homing?)"Silent Drive (All Axes)" is all ELEGOO publishes; the driver part number is not given on the product page[1]Not documented
Speed & Acceleration
Max print speed (claimed, mm/s)30-500 mm/s printing speed, with 250 mm/s given by ELEGOO as the recommended figure - the 500 mm/s number is a ceiling, not a working speed[1]<=600 mm/s (manufacturer claim)[2][3][7]
Recommended/typical print speed250 mm/s recommended printing speed (manufacturer figure)[1]Not documented
Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²)12000 mm/s2 maximum acceleration; default acceleration 5000 mm/s2[1]20,000 mm/s2 (manufacturer claim)[2]
Max volumetric flow claimed (mm³/s)Not documented35 mm3/s extruder flow (manufacturer claim)[3]
Extruder
Type (direct drive / bowden) & design nameDual-gear direct extruder with 2 fans (the Centauri machines use a 1-fan version)[1][10]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?)Brass nozzle, 0.4 mm, with a titanium-alloy heat break[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)300 C claimed max nozzle temperature[1]<=350 °C claimed[2][3][7]
Heated Bed & Surface
Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit100 C max heated bed temperature at 25 C ambient[1]<=120 °C claimed[3][7]
Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sidedPEI spring steel sheet; ELEGOO notes it is now upgraded to a dual-sided textured PEI + PLA-specific surface[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)Manual levelling combined with 121-point auto-levelling[1]Automatic levelling via Klipper adaptive meshing; probe technology not named by QIDI[2]
Filament Handling & Detection
Filament runout sensor (type, location)Filament run-out sensor and power-loss recovery; no camera, no clog detection, no auto filament unloading[1]Filament detection fitted; type and location not published[3]
Cooling & Air Handling
Auxiliary part-cooling fan?Not documentedAdditional (auxiliary) cooling fan fitted[3]
Chamber/exhaust fan & filtration (activated carbon / HEPA)Not documentedChamber circulation blower with activated-carbon air filter[3]
Electronics & Power
Mainboard model & MCU (exact chip markings if teardowns exist)ELEGOO describes it only as a "Klipper High-Speed Quiet Motherboard" - no board model or MCU is published[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 draw320 W rated power; 24 V output; 110-120 V / 220-240 V input[1]900 W rated[3][7]
Firmware & Openness
Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary)Klipper (ELEGOO names the system "Klipper" outright for the Neptune 4 Plus, rather than the ELEGOO OS branding used on the Centauri machines)[1][10]Klipper with the Fluidd web console. Fork and version not published[2]
Connectivity, UI & Camera
Display: size, type, touch?4.3-inch colour capacitive touch screen[1]5-inch touchscreen, 800 x 480[3]
On-device UI capabilities (model preview, per-object controls, etc.)Colour capacitive touch UI; ElegooSlicer is recommended, with Orca and Cura also supported[1]Not documented
WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-driveUSB, LAN and Wi-Fi[1]Wi-Fi (QIDI states 150M 2.4G), Ethernet, USB flash drive[3]
Materials Support
Officially supported filament listPLA, TPU, PETG, ABS, ASA, Nylon[1]ABS, PLA, PETG, TPU, nylon, carbon fibre, PC[7]
Noise & Power Consumption
Noise: claimed dB and independently measured dB (distance/method)Operating sound is published as 65 dB or less - a manufacturer figure with no measuring distance or method given, so it is not comparable with a reviewer's dB reading[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[14]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. ELEGOO Neptune 4 Plus product page (full specification table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  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. ELEGOO Neptune 4 Plus Shopify product JSON (variant prices and store publish date) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. ELEGOO Neptune 4 Max Shopify product JSON (variant prices and store publish date) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. ELEGOO Neptune 4 Shopify product JSON (variant prices and store publish date) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Qidi Tech X-Max 3 FDM 3D Printer listing 3dprintersonlinestore.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. ELEGOO Neptune 4 product page (Specification table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. ELEGOO Neptune 4 Max product page (Specification table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. ELEGOO Centauri Carbon product page (full specification table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. QIDI Tech X-Plus 3 technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. QIDI Tech X-Smart 3 technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. QIDI Max4 product page (US store) us.qidi3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  14. ELEGOO Refund & Warranty policy (warranty period table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor