Printer comparison
FlashForge AD5X vs QIDI X-Smart 3
Compare hardware, build volume, printing specifications, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore FlashForge AD5X comparisonsMore QIDI X-Smart 3 comparisons
| Property | FlashForge AD5XCOREXY | QIDI X-Smart 3COREXY |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Brand | FlashForge | QIDI |
| Class | COREXY | COREXY |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first) | Flashforge AD5X, sold as "AD5X - Multicolor 3D Printer for High-Speed, Full-Color Printing"[1][2] | QIDI X-Smart 3, listed in QIDI navigation as X-Smart3[3][4] |
| Release date (announcement and actual shipping) | Not documented | Not published by QIDI on the pages checked (Aug 2026)[3][4] |
| Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry) | $399.00 sale against a $549.00 compare-at price on flashforge.com, in stock, with a further $50 off at checkout, checked Aug 2026. A refurbished AD5X is listed at $315.00[1][2] | $399 on QIDI's official US page, which routes purchases to its AliExpress and Amazon stores; checked Aug 2026[4] |
| Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk) | Shares the 220 mm Adventurer chassis with the 5M and 5M Pro but differs on the points that matter: 300 °C nozzle (vs 280 °C), 4-colour IFS unit, NO air filtration, NO auto shutdown, and a 300 mm/s print speed against a 600 mm/s travel speed. 3DJake and eolasprints both describe it as open-frame[1][5][6][7] | Entry model of the 3-series. Unlike the X-Plus 3 and X-Max 3 it has no heated chamber, a 300 °C rather than 350 °C hotend, a brass rather than copper-alloy/hardened-steel nozzle head, and no Ethernet. It shares the Cortex-A53 board with them, so control-board specs must not be read as shared print specs[3][8][9] |
| Physical & Frame | ||
| Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable | 220 x 220 x 220 mm advertised[1][5] | 175 x 180 x 170 mm advertised[3][4] |
| Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang) | Not documented | 370 x 362 x 397 mm[3] |
| Net weight (kg) | Not documented | 10.5 kg[3] |
| Frame construction & material | Not documented | QIDI publishes no frame-material breakdown for this model[3] |
| Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lid | Open frame, no enclosure and no air filtration — FlashForge's own table records "Air Filtration: No". Chamber lighting and remote monitoring are listed as expandable options rather than fitted[1][6] | No heated chamber. 3DJake's table records "Heated chamber: No"; QIDI does not describe an enclosure for this model[3] |
| Kinematics & Motion Hardware | ||
| Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other) | CoreXY[6] | CoreXY[3][4] |
| Speed & Acceleration | ||
| Max print speed (claimed, mm/s) | FlashForge publishes two separate figures: max travel speed 600 mm/s and max print speed 300 mm/s. The 300 mm/s print figure is the one that describes printing[1][5] | <=500 mm/s (manufacturer claim)[3][4] |
| Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²) | 20,000 mm/s2 maximum (manufacturer claim)[1][5] | 20,000 mm/s2 (manufacturer claim)[4] |
| Max volumetric flow claimed (mm³/s) | Not documented | 30 mm3/s extruder flow (manufacturer claim)[3][4] |
| Extruder | ||
| Type (direct drive / bowden) & design name | Direct drive, one extruder, fed by the 4-colour Intelligent Filament System (IFS)[1] | Direct-drive extruder, single, 1.75 mm filament[3][4] |
| Hotend & Nozzle | ||
| Hotend design (proprietary/standard; quick-swap mechanism?) | Not documented | Brass nozzle head. 0.4 mm stock, 0.2/0.6/0.8 mm optional[3][4] |
| Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values) | 300 °C claimed[1][5] | <=300 °C claimed[3][4] |
| Stock nozzle size & sizes included in box | 0.4 mm default; 0.25, 0.6 and 0.8 mm optional[1][5] | Not documented |
| Stock nozzle material (brass / hardened steel / plated copper / composite tip) | Not documented | Brass[3] |
| Heated Bed & Surface | ||
| Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit | 110 °C claimed[1][5] | <=120 °C claimed[3][4] |
| Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sided | PEI flexible spring-steel sheet[1][5] | Double-sided flexible magnetic RF plate[3] |
| Leveling & Z-Offset | ||
| Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe) | Automatic levelling; probe technology not named[1][5] | 16-point automatic bed levelling per QIDI's US page; probe technology not named[4] |
| Mesh grid size (probe point count — firmware evidence) | Not documented | 16 points (QIDI's US page). Not verified against firmware[4] |
| Filament Handling & Detection | ||
| Filament runout sensor (type, location) | Filament detection fitted; type and location not published[1][5] | Filament detection fitted; type and location not published[3] |
| Multi-material/multi-color capability or official upgrade path | Four-colour printing via the integrated Intelligent Filament System (IFS), which handles filament switching[1] | Not documented |
| Electronics & Power | ||
| Host computer (SoC, RAM, storage) if firmware runs on embedded Linux | Not documented | Cortex-A53 64-bit at 1.5 GHz, 1 GB DDR3, 8 GB eMMC[3] |
| Input voltage (110/220 V, switch or auto) | Not documented | 100-240 VAC, 50/60 Hz[3] |
| Total rated power draw | Not documented | 350 W rated[3] |
| Firmware & Openness | ||
| Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary) | Not named by FlashForge; the supported slicers are Orca-Flashforge and OrcaSlicer[1] | Klipper[4] |
| Connectivity, UI & Camera | ||
| Display: size, type, touch? | Not documented | 4.3-inch touchscreen[4] |
| WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-drive | USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi[1][5] | Wi-Fi and USB. No Ethernet listed for this model[3][4] |
| Power-Loss & Interruption Recovery | ||
| Power-loss recovery: mechanism (how is state saved? capacitor / eeprom / file on shutdown?) | Power-outage recovery supported; mechanism not published[1][5] | Not documented |
| Materials Support | ||
| Officially supported filament list | PETG, PLA, TPU95A, TPU64D-75D, PLA-CF, PETG-CF[1][5] | Not documented |
| Reliability, Support & Ecosystem | ||
| Warranty length & support reputation (evidence, not vibes) | Not documented | 1-year coverage (QIDI standard store terms)[10] |
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
- Flashforge AD5X multicolour 3D printer product page flashforge.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Flashforge store product feed (live prices and stock) flashforge.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- QIDI Tech X-Smart 3 technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- QIDI X-Smart 3 official US page qidiusa.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- FlashForge AD5X technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Flashforge printer buyer's guide, 5M to Creator 5 eolasprints.com · 2026-08 · review
- Flashforge Adventurer 5M Pro product page flashforge.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- QIDI Tech X-Plus 3 technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- QIDI Tech X-Max 3 technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- QIDI Max4 product page (US store) us.qidi3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor