3D Printing Info

Printer comparison

ELEGOO Neptune 4 vs QIDI X-Max 3

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

ELEGOO Neptune 4 guideQIDI X-Max 3 guide

2 selected · all documented properties

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ELEGOO Neptune 4 vs QIDI X-Max 3 — documented properties and sources
PropertyELEGOO Neptune 4BEDSLINGERQIDI X-Max 3COREXY
Identity
BrandELEGOOQIDI
ClassBEDSLINGERCOREXY
Identity & Market
Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first)ELEGOO Neptune 4 (spec table "Product Model: Neptune 4")[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 27 May 2023 (Shopify publish date)[4]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)$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]$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][5]
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][6][7]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][8][9][10]
Market position: superseded?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[11]Discontinued and out of production; QIDI directs buyers to the Max4[2]
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]325 x 325 x 315 mm advertised[2][3][5]
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]553 x 553 x 601 mm[3][5]
Net weight (kg)8.3 kg net, 10.6 kg gross[1]30.2 kg net[3][5]
Frame construction & materialCNC-machined aluminium extrusion frame[1]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 (the Neptune 4 Plus and Max add two tie rods to the same arrangement)[12]Double Z axis[3]
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[12]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][6]<=600 mm/s (manufacturer claim)[2][3][5]
Recommended/typical print speed250 mm/s recommended printing speed against the 500 mm/s ceiling (ELEGOO's own figure)[12]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][6][7]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[12]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 copper and titanium-alloy heat break - the Plus and Max use a titanium-alloy heat break only[12]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][5]
Heated Bed & Surface
Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit110 C max heated bed temperature[1]<=120 °C claimed[3][5]
Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sidedPEI spring steel sheet, now upgraded by ELEGOO to a dual-sided textured PEI + PLA-specific surface[12]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; no full-auto calibration on this model[12]Automatic levelling via Klipper adaptive meshing; probe technology not named by QIDI[2]
Filament Handling & Detection
Filament runout sensor (type, location)Filament detection fitted; power-loss resume printing supported[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 published[12]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)115/230 V, 50/60 Hz on the product page; ELEGOO's compare page gives 110-120 / 220-240 VAC 50/60 Hz[1][12]100-240 VAC, 50/60 Hz[3]
Total rated power draw310 W rated power, 24 V output[12]900 W rated[3][5]
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)[12][13]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[12]5-inch touchscreen, 800 x 480[3]
On-device UI capabilities (model preview, per-object controls, etc.)Colour capacitive touch UI; ElegooSlicer recommended, with Orca and Cura also supported[12]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][6][7]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[5]
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[12]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 product page (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 Shopify product JSON (variant prices and store publish date) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. Qidi Tech X-Max 3 FDM 3D Printer listing 3dprintersonlinestore.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. ELEGOO Neptune 4 Plus product page (full specification table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. ELEGOO Neptune 4 Max product page (Specification table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. QIDI Tech X-Plus 3 technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. QIDI Tech X-Smart 3 technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. QIDI Max4 product page (US store) us.qidi3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. ELEGOO US store 3D printers collection (current line-up, Aug 2026) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. 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
  13. ELEGOO Centauri Carbon product page (full specification table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  14. ELEGOO Refund & Warranty policy (warranty period table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor