3D Printing InfoPrinter comparison
Phrozen Sonic Mini 8K S vs Original Prusa XL+ Five-Head
Compare hardware, build volume, printing specifications, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore Phrozen Sonic Mini 8K S comparisonsMore Original Prusa XL+ Five-Head comparisons
| Property | Phrozen Sonic Mini 8K SRESIN | Original Prusa XL+ Five-HeadTOOLCHANGER |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Brand | Phrozen | Prusa Research |
| Class | RESIN | TOOLCHANGER |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first) | Phrozen Sonic Mini 8K S 7.1" LCD 3D Printer. Manufacturer number 51010040501102[1][2][3] | Original Prusa XL+, Five-Head variant ("Prusa XL+ Five-Head" in the e-shop variant data)[4] |
| Release date (announcement and actual shipping) | Not documented | The XL+ refresh was announced on 13 August 2026, on sale immediately in all toolhead configurations, with assembled printers shipping later in August 2026 and upgrade kits for existing XL owners from around the end of August. The original Original Prusa XL predates it[5] |
| Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry) | $270.00 on us.phrozen3d.com, backordered with an end-of-September ETA, checked Aug 2026. The collection page rendered it as unavailable on the same day[3][2] | $3,610.18 on prusa3d.com, Aug 2026 (lowest listed price for the Five-Head variant; the 5-toolhead Enclosure bundle starts at $3,925.00)[4] |
| Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk) | Phrozen's 7.1-inch line is easy to confuse: the Sonic Mini 8K S ($270) sits beside the older Sonic Mini 8K ($340, sold out) and the 5.5-inch Sonic Mini ($129.99). The 10.1-inch Sonic Mighty family is a different size class entirely. The 8K S is the only one of the group with a single linear rail and a lead screw rather than a ball screw[2][1][3][6] | Top XL+ configuration. Single-Tool $2,128.70, Dual-Head $2,768.52, Five-Head $3,610.18 (Aug 2026); same frame, bed, electronics and build volume in all three. Prusa markets it as the largest active toolchanger on the market and states a silicone-printing toolhead is due in Q4 2026[4][7] |
| Physical & Frame | ||
| Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable | 165 x 72 x 170 mm[1][3] | 360 x 360 x 360 mm, which Prusa states as 46.7 litres[4] |
| Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang) | 290 x 290 x 430 mm[1][3] | About 700 x 900 x 720 mm (Prusa's own figure is approximate)[4] |
| Net weight (kg) | 10 kg[1][3] | About 30 kg[4] |
| Frame construction & material | Black textured housing with a neon-green plastic cover[1] | Aluminium extrusions and steel sheets (Prusa's comparison table for the XL)[8] |
| Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lid | Open-frame MSLA with a UV-blocking plastic cover[1] | Open frame. The Enclosure for Prusa XL+ is an optional add-on; Prusa says the printer is ready for chamber temperatures up to 60 C, that the new better-sealed enclosure reaches around 50 C on the printer's own waste heat, and that 60 C needs an upcoming chamber heater for which no shipping date has been given[4][5] |
| Kinematics & Motion Hardware | ||
| Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other) | MSLA, single Z axis on one linear rail with a lead screw, straight-lift peel[1][3] | CoreXY with 1.5 mm GT belts, Input Shaper and Phase Stepping[4] |
| X-axis guide type (rods / linear rails / V-wheels; size) | One linear rail; lead screw (not a ball screw)[1][3] | Not documented |
| Belts (type, width, e.g. Gates?) | Not documented | 1.5 mm GT belts[4] |
| Vibration Compensation / Input Shaping | ||
| Input shaping supported? Implementation (Klipper IS / Marlin ZV / proprietary) | Not documented | Input Shaper and Phase Stepping[4] |
| Extruder | ||
| Type (direct drive / bowden) & design name | Not documented | Nextruder direct drive; each toolhead carries its own extruder, hotend, nozzle and filament[4] |
| Hotend & Nozzle | ||
| Hotend design (proprietary/standard; quick-swap mechanism?) | Not documented | Quick-swap nozzles - 0.25 mm for detail, 0.6/0.8 mm for speed, hardened steel for abrasives, high-flow CHT for throughput; toolheads ship with high-flow nozzles[4] |
| Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values) | Not documented | 290 C claimed max nozzle temperature[4] |
| Heated Bed & Surface | ||
| Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit | Not documented | 120 C max heatbed temperature[4] |
| Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sided | Not documented | Segmented heatbed of 16 individually controlled tiles across the 360 x 360 mm surface, so only the tiles under the part are powered; removable double-sided satin print sheet supplied[4] |
| Leveling & Z-Offset | ||
| Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe) | Not documented | Load-cell sensor - the nozzle is the probe, which Prusa says automatically accounts for nozzle changes, surface textures and thermal expansion and removes manual Z-offsets. Toolhead-to-toolhead alignment on the XL+ uses a separate permanently mounted eddy-current Tool Offset Sensor, replacing the removable mechanical pin used on the original XL[4][5] |
| Filament Handling & Detection | ||
| Filament runout sensor (type, location) | Not documented | Filament sensors fitted; Prusa's comparison table lists two filament sensors for the XL[8] |
| Multi-material/multi-color capability or official upgrade path | Not documented | Up to five independent toolheads with automatic tool changing; five materials or five nozzle sizes loaded at once, fed from up to five 2 kg spools for multi-day unattended runs. Parked heads stay preheated and power down when unused[4] |
| Cooling & Air Handling | ||
| Part-cooling fan(s): count, size, ducting design | Not documented | 360-degree part cooling on each toolhead, new on the XL+ and matching the MK4S and CORE One arrangement; Prusa states it delivers more airflow and distributes it more evenly around the nozzle. Additional fans and heatsinks cool the electronics. Fan sizes are not published[4][5] |
| Electronics & Power | ||
| Mainboard model & MCU (exact chip markings if teardowns exist) | Not documented | Custom 32-bit xBuddy electronics with STM32 (Prusa's comparison table for the XL)[8] |
| Input voltage (110/220 V, switch or auto) | 24 V DC, 2 A[3] | Not documented |
| Total rated power draw | 48 W maximum system power[3] | Not documented |
| Firmware & Openness | ||
| Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary) | Not named by Phrozen. Native file format .PRZ; compatible slicers CHITUBOX, Lychee and VoxelDance Tango[1][3] | Open-source firmware - Prusa states "Firmware: Open-source; ships with the full current Prusa feature set", and the XL is covered by the prusa3d/Prusa-Firmware-Buddy source tree[4][9] |
| Connectivity, UI & Camera | ||
| Display: size, type, touch? | 3.5-inch touch panel (control panel — not the masking LCD, see W1)[3] | 3.5-inch 65k-colour screen with touch control (Prusa's comparison table for the XL)[8] |
| On-device UI capabilities (model preview, per-object controls, etc.) | Not documented | On-device touch UI; Prusa Connect and the Prusa mobile app are optional - Prusa states the machine is fully offline capable[8][4] |
| WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-drive | USB only[1][3] | Ethernet, optional Wi-Fi; USB drive for print files. Prusa Connect optional and fully offline operation supported[4][8] |
| Materials Support | ||
| Officially supported filament list | 405 nm photopolymer resin; no closed compatibility list published[1] | PLA, PETG, ASA, ABS, PC, PA (nylon), TPU, PVA, HIPS, PP, CPE, PVB and carbon-fibre composites. Prusa states an open material policy - any brand of 1.75 mm filament, no chips and no subscriptions[4] |
| Safety | ||
| Thermal runaway protection (verify in firmware source if at all possible) | Not documented | Open-source firmware on the xBuddy platform, which carries hardware overcurrent protection cutting heater and heatbed power above 15 A[10][9] |
| 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[11][8] |
| Resin & MSLA | ||
| Masking LCD | 7.1-inch 8K monochrome masking LCD, XY pixel pitch 22 um. Phrozen does not publish the pixel count for this model[1][3] | Not documented |
| Light source | Linear projection LED module. Wavelength not published for this model[1][3] | Not documented |
| Vertical print speedmm/h | Max 80 mm/h (manufacturer claim). Phrozen does not state the layer height or resin type the figure assumes[3] | Not documented |
| Layer height range | 0.01-0.30 mm[3] | Not documented |
| Release film | FEP film — note this is plain FEP, whereas the Sonic Mighty Revo 14K ships nFEP. No rated life published[3][6] | 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
- Phrozen Sonic Mini 8K S technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Phrozen US 3D printer collection (live prices and stock) us.phrozen3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Phrozen Sonic Mini 8K S 7.1" LCD 3D Printer product page us.phrozen3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Original Prusa XL+ product page (spec block and variant price data) 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
- Phrozen Sonic Mighty Revo 14K 10.1" LCD 3D Printer product page us.phrozen3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Prusa 3D printers category listing with live e-shop prices, Aug 2026 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