3D Printing InfoPrinter comparison
ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra 16K vs Prusa CORE One+ (Gen 2)
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 Prusa CORE One+ (Gen 2) comparisons
| Property | ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra 16KRESIN | Prusa CORE One+ (Gen 2)COREXY |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Brand | ELEGOO | Prusa Research |
| Class | RESIN | COREXY |
| 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] | Prusa CORE One+ (Gen 2). Prusa's e-shop lists "Prusa CORE One+ (Gen 2)" and "Prusa CORE One+ (Gen 2) Assembly kit"[3][4] |
| Release date (announcement and actual shipping) | Not documented | The CORE One+ (Gen 2) refresh was announced on 13 August 2026, on sale immediately, with the first assembled units shipping at once and kits, upgrade kits and individual parts rolling out over the following weeks. It succeeds the CORE One and CORE One+ on the same platform[5] |
| 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] | $1,202.78 assembled, $925.00 as an assembly kit, on prusa3d.com, Aug 2026. Bundles run to $1,301.85 with camera and advanced filtration. Prusa's own marketing table on the same page quotes "from $1,299" assembled, which does not match the live e-shop price[4][3] |
| 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] | Three generations share the CORE One name: the original CORE One, the CORE One+, and the CORE One+ (Gen 2), with paid upgrade kits between them (CORE One+ to CORE One+ (Gen 2), and an MK4S to CORE One+ (Gen 2) conversion kit). The specifications recorded here are those published on Prusa's current CORE One+ (Gen 2) page and should not be assumed to hold for a first-generation CORE One. The INDX 4-tool and 8-tool machines are variants of the same product page, and the CORE One L is a larger, separate machine[3][4][6] |
| Market position: superseded? successor announced? | Not documented | Current model and Prusa's mainstream enclosed machine, above the MK4S and below the CORE One L+[4] |
| Physical & Frame | ||
| Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable | 211.68 x 118.37 x 220 mm[1] | 250 x 220 x 270 mm (manufacturer figure)[3] |
| Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang) | 327.4 x 329.2 x 548 mm[1] | 415 x 444 x 555 mm (X x Y x Z)[3] |
| Net weight (kg) | Not documented | 22.5 kg[3] |
| Frame construction & material | Metal housing with a flip-up cover and a drip guard[1] | All-steel exoskeleton (Prusa's own comparison wording, against "aluminium extrusions and frame" for the MK4S)[7] |
| Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lid | Flip-up lid (Elegoo's own naming) over an open frame; UV-blocking cover[1] | Fully enclosed with a door-open sensor and active chamber temperature control up to 55 C; HEPA/advanced filtration is an optional add-on[3][7] |
| Passive chamber temperature reached (if enclosed; measured values preferred) | Not documented | Active chamber heating, maximum 55 C (manufacturer figure)[3] |
| 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 - stated as such in Prusa's own comparison table against the Cartesian MK4S[3] |
| Stepper motors (frame size, step angle, brand if known) | Not documented | 0.9 degree X and Y stepper motors[3] |
| Stepper drivers (exact model e.g. TMC2209; UART/SPI; sensorless homing?) | Not documented | Trinamic 2130[3] |
| Extruder | ||
| Type (direct drive / bowden) & design name | Not documented | Nextruder direct drive, E3D V6 compatible with an adapter; planetary gear system with a 10:1 ratio; aluminium heatsink and all-metal hotend[3] |
| Gear ratio & drive gear material | Not documented | 10:1 planetary gearbox[3] |
| Hotend & Nozzle | ||
| Hotend design (proprietary/standard; quick-swap mechanism?) | Not documented | Quick-swap nozzle system; high-flow Prusa brass CHT 0.4 mm nozzle supplied. An optional HT hotend raises the ceiling to 400 C[3] |
| Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values) | Not documented | 290 C claimed max nozzle temperature. Prusa's comparison table adds "400 C w/ HT" for the optional HT hotend, which its 13 August 2026 blog post says will only become available in September 2026 - so 400 C is a forthcoming option, not a shipping specification[3][5] |
| Heated Bed & Surface | ||
| Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit | Not documented | 120 C max heatbed temperature[3] |
| Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sided | Not documented | Magnetic heatbed with removable PEI spring-steel sheets; whole-bed heating regardless of object size[3] |
| Leveling & Z-Offset | ||
| Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe) | Automatic levelling, plus intelligent mechanical sensor alarms[1] | Load-cell sensor - fully automatic first-layer calibration with the nozzle as the probe[3] |
| Filament Handling & Detection | ||
| Filament runout sensor (type, location) | Not documented | Two filament sensors, plus a door sensor and five Semitec thermistors with fan RPM monitoring[3][7] |
| Multi-material/multi-color capability or official upgrade path | Not documented | MMU3 for five filaments, or the INDX system for up to eight, both officially supported[3] |
| Cooling & Air Handling | ||
| Part-cooling fan(s): count, size, ducting design | Not documented | High-performance turbine part-cooling fan with 360-degree cooling, the same arrangement as the MK4S[3] |
| Electronics & Power | ||
| Mainboard model & MCU (exact chip markings if teardowns exist) | Not documented | Custom 32-bit xBuddy board with STM32[3] |
| PSU (brand, wattage, rail voltage) | Not documented | 240 W PSU with hardware power panic[3] |
| Input voltage (110/220 V, switch or auto) | 100-240 V, 50/60 Hz, 24 V 6 A[1] | Not documented |
| Total rated power draw | Not documented | Power consumption 90 W printing PLA, 110 W printing ABS (manufacturer figures)[3] |
| Firmware & Openness | ||
| Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary) | Elegoo EL3D-4.0 system. Slicer is CHITUBOX[1] | Open-source Prusa Buddy firmware. The source tree (prusa3d/Prusa-Firmware-Buddy on GitHub) explicitly covers the Original Prusa MINI/MINI+, MK4, XL and CORE One and was last pushed to in August 2026. Updates are applied from a USB drive, through Prusa Connect or through the Prusa mobile app[8][7] |
| Connectivity, UI & Camera | ||
| Display: size, type, touch? | 4-inch capacitive touchscreen (control panel — not the masking LCD, see W1)[1] | 3.5-inch 65k-colour graphic screen with touch control[3] |
| On-device UI capabilities (model preview, per-object controls, etc.) | Not documented | On-device touch UI; remote monitoring and printing through Prusa Connect and the Prusa mobile app; firmware updates from USB, Prusa Connect or the app[3] |
| WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-drive | USB and Wi-Fi, with WLAN file transfer[1] | Ethernet and Wi-Fi (NFC receiver plus an optional Wi-Fi module), USB drive for print files[3] |
| Camera: built-in / optional? Resolution & framerate (verify — marketing often omits real fps) | AI camera, 1920 x 1080[1] | Optional in-chamber camera solution (Buddy3D camera bundle listed at $1,237.03 against $1,202.78 for the bare printer)[3][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] | PLA, PETG, Flex, PVA, PC, PP, CPE, PVB, and - as advanced materials in the heated chamber - ABS, ASA, HIPS and PA[3] |
| Safety | ||
| Thermal runaway protection (verify in firmware source if at all possible) | Not documented | The xBuddy platform carries hardware overcurrent protection that cuts heater and heatbed power above 15 A, and the firmware is open-source and auditable[9][8] |
| Reliability, Support & Ecosystem | ||
| Warranty length & support reputation (evidence, not vibes) | Not documented | 2-year warranty for consumers in the EU, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Norway and Iceland; 1 year for EU enterprises and 1 year for the rest of the world, which includes the United States. A printer bought from a reseller or privately carries 1 year from the original delivery date and is handled by the reseller. Prusa advertises 24/7 chat and e-mail support in seven languages[10][7] |
| 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
- Prusa CORE One+ (Gen 2) product page (Technical Parameters + CORE One+/MK4S/CORE One L comparison) prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Prusa 3D printers category listing with live e-shop prices, Aug 2026 prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Prusa blog - Better Prints, Easier Use: Prusa XL+, CORE One L+ and CORE One+ (Gen 2), Our Big Product Update (published 13 August 2026) blog.prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · doc
- Prusa CORE One L+ product page (CORE One L+ Technical Specifications) prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Original Prusa MK4S 3D Printer product page (Technical Parameters + CORE One+/MK4S/XL comparison table) prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- GitHub - prusa3d/Prusa-Firmware-Buddy (firmware for MINI, MK4, XL and CORE One) github.com · 2026-08 · doc
- Prusa blog - Original Prusa MK4 is here (published 29 March 2023), including the MK4 specification table and launch prices blog.prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · doc
- Prusa Knowledge Base - Warranty help.prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · doc