3D Printing InfoPrinter comparison
ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra 16K vs FlashForge Creator 5
Compare hardware, build volume, printing specifications, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra 16K comparisonsMore FlashForge Creator 5 comparisons
| Property | ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra 16KRESIN | FlashForge Creator 5TOOLCHANGER |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Brand | ELEGOO | FlashForge |
| Class | RESIN | TOOLCHANGER |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first) | 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[1][2] | Flashforge Creator 5, sold as "Creator 5 4-Toolheads Multi-Color 3D Printer"[3][4] |
| Release date (announcement and actual shipping) | Not documented | Announced with a $10 deposit programme; shipping to deposit backers by 19 May 2026. One secondary source puts general release in early May 2026[5][6] |
| Launch MSRP (USD) | Not documented | $649 early-bird (deposit price, open until 20 June 2026); $799 standard MSRP[5][6] |
| Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry) | $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)[2] | $799.00 on flashforge.com, in stock, with $100 auto-applied in cart, checked Aug 2026[3][4] |
| Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk) | 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[1][2] | Paired with the Creator 5 Pro at $949, which adds a sealed enclosure, 65 °C active chamber heating and HEPA13 + carbon filtration. Motion system, 256 mm build volume, four toolheads, 600 mm/s and 30,000 mm/s2 are the same on both, so enclosure and chamber are the only reliable discriminators[3][7][5][6][4] |
| Physical & Frame | ||
| Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable | 211.68 x 118.37 x 220 mm[1] | 256 x 256 x 256 mm[5][6][8] |
| Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang) | 327.4 x 329.2 x 548 mm[1] | Not documented |
| Frame construction & material | Metal housing with a flip-up cover and a drip guard[1] | CoreXY frame; FlashForge does not publish a frame-material breakdown and no dimensions or weight have been published for this model[5][6] |
| Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lid | Flip-up lid (Elegoo's own naming) over an open frame; UV-blocking cover[1] | Open frame. No enclosure, no chamber heating and no filtration[5][6][8] |
| Kinematics & Motion Hardware | ||
| Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other) | 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[1] | CoreXY with four independent toolheads on a FlashSwap changer. FlashForge claims a physical head swap in about 7 seconds[5][6][8] |
| Speed & Acceleration | ||
| Max print speed (claimed, mm/s) | Not documented | 600 mm/s maximum, reported by both secondary sources as a travel-speed figure (manufacturer claim)[5][6] |
| Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²) | Not documented | 30,000 mm/s2 maximum (manufacturer claim)[5][6] |
| Hotend & Nozzle | ||
| Stock nozzle material (brass / hardened steel / plated copper / composite tip) | Not documented | Hardened steel nozzles as standard[5][6] |
| Heated Bed & Surface | ||
| Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit | Not documented | 120 °C maximum (manufacturer claim)[5][6] |
| Leveling & Z-Offset | ||
| Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe) | Automatic levelling, plus intelligent mechanical sensor alarms[1] | Fully automatic calibration and levelling; FlashForge does not name the probe technology[3] |
| Filament Handling & Detection | ||
| Multi-material/multi-color capability or official upgrade path | Not documented | Four independent toolheads swapped physically rather than shared through one nozzle, which FlashForge markets as zero purge waste and up to 500% faster multi-colour printing[3][5] |
| Electronics & Power | ||
| Input voltage (110/220 V, switch or auto) | 100-240 V, 50/60 Hz, 24 V 6 A[1] | Not documented |
| Firmware & Openness | ||
| Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary) | Elegoo EL3D-4.0 system. Slicer is CHITUBOX[1] | Not named by FlashForge. Supported slicers are Flash Studio, Orca-Flashforge and OrcaSlicer[6] |
| Connectivity, UI & Camera | ||
| Display: size, type, touch? | 4-inch capacitive touchscreen (control panel — not the masking LCD, see W1)[1] | Not documented |
| WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-drive | USB and Wi-Fi, with WLAN file transfer[1] | Dual-band Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz, LAN, USB[5][6] |
| Camera: built-in / optional? Resolution & framerate (verify — marketing often omits real fps) | AI camera, 1920 x 1080[1] | 1080p camera at 30 fps. A camera module is also sold separately at $29.90, so verify whether a given SKU ships with it[5][6][4] |
| Camera features: live monitor, timelapse, AI failure detection (spaghetti detection) — how real is it? | AI camera with print-failure detection[1] | Not documented |
| Materials Support | ||
| Officially supported filament list | 405 nm photopolymer resin; the heated tank is aimed at high-viscosity and high-speed resins. No closed compatibility list published[1] | Not documented |
| Resin & MSLA | ||
| Masking LCD | 10-inch 16K monochrome masking LCD, 15120 x 6230 px, XY pixel pitch 14 x 19 um (manufacturer specification)[1][2] | Not documented |
| Light source | COB light source with a Fresnel collimating lens[1] | Not documented |
| Light uniformity & intensity | 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[1] | Not documented |
| Vertical print speedmm/h | Up to 150 mm/h (manufacturer claim). Elegoo does not state the layer height or resin type the figure assumes[1] | Not documented |
| Release film | PFA release film. No rated life published[1] | Not documented |
| LCD life & replaceability | Masking LCD shielded by tempered 9H protective glass. Elegoo publishes no rated screen life in hours and does not state user replaceability[1] | Not documented |
| Resin vat & feeding | 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[1] | 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
- 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
- Flashforge Creator 5 4-Toolheads product page flashforge.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Flashforge store search results for Creator 5 (live prices) flashforge.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Flashforge Creator 5 and Creator 5 Pro launch report 3dprinting.com · 2026-08 · review
- Flashforge Creator 5 and 5 Pro breakdown antonmansson.com · 2026-08 · review
- Flashforge Creator 5 Pro 4-Toolheads product page flashforge.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Flashforge printer buyer's guide, 5M to Creator 5 eolasprints.com · 2026-08 · review