3D Printing Info

Printer comparison

ELEGOO Neptune 4 vs ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra 16K

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

2 selected · all documented properties

ELEGOO Neptune 4 vs ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra 16K — documented properties and sources
PropertyELEGOO Neptune 4BEDSLINGERELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra 16KRESIN
Identity
BrandELEGOOELEGOO
ClassBEDSLINGERRESIN
Identity & Market
Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first)ELEGOO Neptune 4 (spec table "Product Model: Neptune 4")[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 27 May 2023 (Shopify publish date)[4]Not documented
Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry)$219.00 on us.elegoo.com, Aug 2026, against a compare-at price of $249.00; both the Ribbon-Cable and Type-C printhead variants are the same price[4]$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)Two printhead variants of the same machine are sold under one SKU - "Ribbon-Cable Version" and "Type-C Version" - which use different printhead parts. Within the Neptune 4 family the numbers diverge sharply and get mixed up constantly: Neptune 4 is 225 x 225 x 265 mm with a 110 C bed and 20000 mm/s2; the Plus is 320 x 320 x 385 mm with a 100 C bed and 12000 mm/s2; the Max is 420 x 420 x 480 mm with an 85 C bed and only 8000 mm/s2. The Neptune 4 Pro is a separate model again[4][1][5][6]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Market position: superseded?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?Still listed in ELEGOO's US store Neptune section in Aug 2026 alongside the 4 Pro, 4 Plus and 4 Max, but ELEGOO's current development is on the Centauri line[7]Not documented
Physical & Frame
Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable225 x 225 x 265 mm; the PEI platform itself is 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. ELEGOO separately publishes a "maximum size for machine activity" of 475 x 550 x 735 mm including rack and tray - the depth to allow for is 550 mm, not 445 mm[1]327.4 x 329.2 x 548 mm[2]
Net weight (kg)8.3 kg net, 10.6 kg gross[1]Not documented
Frame construction & materialCNC-machined aluminium extrusion frame[1]Metal housing with a flip-up cover and a drip guard[2]
Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lidOpen 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-backlashTwo lead screws (the Neptune 4 Plus and Max add two tie rods to the same arrangement)[8]Not documented
Stepper drivers (exact model e.g. TMC2209; UART/SPI; sensorless homing?)"Silent Drive (All Axes)" is all ELEGOO publishes; no driver part number is given[8]Not documented
Speed & Acceleration
Max print speed (claimed, mm/s)500 mm/s max toolhead speed (manufacturer claim); the Neptune 4 Plus page for the same family states a recommended 250 mm/s[1][5]Not documented
Recommended/typical print speed250 mm/s recommended printing speed against the 500 mm/s ceiling (ELEGOO's own figure)[8]Not documented
Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²)20000 mm/s2 max toolhead acceleration (manufacturer claim) - notably higher than the Plus at 12000 and the Max at 8000, because the moving mass is smaller[1][5][6]Not documented
Extruder
Type (direct drive / bowden) & design nameDual-gear direct extruder with 2 fans[8]Not documented
Hotend & Nozzle
Hotend design (proprietary/standard; quick-swap mechanism?)Brass nozzle, 0.4 mm, with a copper and titanium-alloy heat break - the Plus and Max use a titanium-alloy heat break only[8]Not documented
Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values)300 C claimed max nozzle temperature[1]Not documented
Heated Bed & Surface
Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit110 C max heated bed temperature[1]Not documented
Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sidedPEI spring steel sheet, now upgraded by ELEGOO to a dual-sided textured PEI + PLA-specific surface[8]Not documented
Leveling & Z-Offset
Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe)Manual levelling combined with 121-point auto-levelling; no full-auto calibration on this model[8]Automatic levelling, plus intelligent mechanical sensor alarms[2]
Filament Handling & Detection
Filament runout sensor (type, location)Filament detection fitted; power-loss resume printing supported[1]Not documented
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 published[8]Not documented
Input voltage (110/220 V, switch or auto)115/230 V, 50/60 Hz on the product page; ELEGOO's compare page gives 110-120 / 220-240 VAC 50/60 Hz[1][8]100-240 V, 50/60 Hz, 24 V 6 A[2]
Total rated power draw310 W rated power, 24 V output[8]Not documented
Firmware & Openness
Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary)Klipper (ELEGOO names the system "Klipper" outright for the Neptune 4 series, rather than the ELEGOO OS branding used on the Centauri machines)[8][9]Elegoo EL3D-4.0 system. Slicer is CHITUBOX[2]
Connectivity, UI & Camera
Display: size, type, touch?4.3-inch colour capacitive touch screen[8]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, with Orca and Cura also supported[8]Not documented
WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-driveLAN and USB file transfer; no Wi-Fi is listed for the base Neptune 4, unlike the Plus (USB/LAN/Wi-Fi) and Max (Wi-Fi/USB/WLAN)[1][5][6]USB and Wi-Fi, with WLAN file transfer[2]
Camera: built-in / optional? Resolution & framerate (verify — marketing often omits real fps)Not documentedAI camera, 1920 x 1080[2]
Camera features: live monitor, timelapse, AI failure detection (spaghetti detection) — how real is it?Not documentedAI camera with print-failure detection[2]
Materials Support
Officially supported filament listPLA, TPU, PETG, ABS, ASA, Nylon[1]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 60 dB or less - a manufacturer figure with no distance or method stated, so it is not comparable with an independently measured reading[8]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[10]Not documented
Resin & MSLA
Masking LCDNot documented10-inch 16K monochrome masking LCD, 15120 x 6230 px, XY pixel pitch 14 x 19 um (manufacturer specification)[2][3]
Light sourceNot documentedCOB light source with a Fresnel collimating lens[2]
Light uniformity & intensityNot documentedLight 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/hNot documentedUp to 150 mm/h (manufacturer claim). Elegoo does not state the layer height or resin type the figure assumes[2]
Release filmNot documentedPFA release film. No rated life published[2]
LCD life & replaceabilityNot documentedMasking LCD shielded by tempered 9H protective glass. Elegoo publishes no rated screen life in hours and does not state user replaceability[2]
Resin vat & feedingNot documentedReplaceable 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

  1. ELEGOO Neptune 4 product page (Specification table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  2. Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra 16K product page (technical data and description) 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  3. Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra 16K live Shopify product JSON us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  4. ELEGOO Neptune 4 Shopify product JSON (variant prices and store publish date) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. ELEGOO Neptune 4 Plus product page (full specification table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. ELEGOO Neptune 4 Max product page (Specification table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. ELEGOO US store 3D printers collection (current line-up, Aug 2026) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. 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
  9. ELEGOO Centauri Carbon product page (full specification table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. ELEGOO Refund & Warranty policy (warranty period table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor