The Bambu Lab P2S and Snapmaker U1 are both prosumer-tier printers, but the U1 costs 1.6× as much — so the question is what the extra money buys. Both are CoreXY printers with 4-slot multicolor and automatic calibration. The U1 costs $350 more and gets you an open-source design and 17% more build volume; the P2S answers with an enclosed chamber (with ABS, ASA, PA, PA-CF and PC on its materials list) and a top speed of 600 mm/s (vs 500).
Early in release cycle — no urgency to wait
Best for: Serious makers and prosumers who need enclosed printing for ABS, ASA, PA, PA-CF, and PC — and want Bambu's plug-and-play experience at a prosumer price.
Full details →First-generation product — recently released, still early days
Best for: Multicolor and multi-material hobbyists who want a true tool changer (four separate hotends, soluble supports, TPU and PLA in one print) for well under $1,000, and tinkerers who value Klipper-based firmware they can inspect and modify.
Full details →| Bambu Lab P2S | Snapmaker U1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | ||
| Starting Price | ★ $549 | $899 |
| Print Specs | ||
| Tier | Prosumer | Prosumer |
| Motion | CoreXY | CoreXY |
| Build Volume | 256 × 256 × 256 mm | ★ 270 × 270 × 270 mm |
| Max Speed | ★ 600 mm/s | 500 mm/s |
| Multicolor | ✅ 4 slots | ✅ 4 slots |
| Enclosure | ★ ✅ | ❌ |
| Auto Calibration | ✅ | ✅ |
| Open Source | ❌ | ★ ✅ |
| Upgrade Kit | — | — |
| Buy Timing | ||
| Released | Oct 14, 2025 | Apr 10, 2026 |
| Cycle length | ~832 days | — |
| Cycle advice | Buy | Buy |
| Deals advice | Buy | Buy |
| Next model | P3S or next prosumer model (Expected late 2027) | — |
The P2S was released on Oct 14, 2025, 394 days ago. Based on Bambu Lab's release cadence, we expect the next model (P3S or next prosumer model) around late 2027 — about 323 days away, which puts the P2S 55% of the way through its cycle.
The U1 was released on Apr 10, 2026, 216 days ago. It is a first-generation product, so there is no earlier cycle to predict its successor from.
Both are early enough in their cycles that timing should not decide this one. The P2S has roughly 323 days of runway on past cadence and the U1 launched 216 days ago. Pick on features and price.
Cycle and deal status as of November 12, 2026. See the launch calendar →
The P2S lists at $549 and the U1 at $899 — $350 apart, so the U1 costs 64% more.
Per litre of build volume, that works out to $33 for the P2S versus $46 for the U1 — the P2S is the better value per litre as well.
With both in sale windows until Dec 5, 2026, this is a good moment to buy either — compare the live sale prices before you decide.
Our pick for most buyers is the P2S, for a lower price ($350 less) and an enclosed chamber (with ABS, ASA, PA, PA-CF and PC on its materials list), plus a higher editor score (9.2 vs 8.4). Go for the U1 instead if you want an open-source printer you can modify and repair yourself — the P2S is not open source.
How we judge timing and deals: read our methodology →
The P2S enclosure maintains a more consistent chamber temperature over the P1S, reducing warping on long ABS and PA prints.
PLA through PC — the P2S handles the entire engineering filament spectrum with reliable results.
The P-series CoreXY enclosure design strikes the best balance of price, speed, and material capability in Bambu's lineup.
Each filament has its own preheated hotend, and swaps take about 5 seconds. Multicolor prints skip the purge tower and filament waste of single-nozzle switching systems.
Separate hotends mean PLA with PVA or breakaway supports, or rigid PLA with TPU, in one print. Single-nozzle multicolor systems handle these combinations poorly.
Snapmaker has published its Klipper, Moonraker and Fluidd forks on GitHub, and Snapmaker Orca is built on Orca Slicer. There is already an active community firmware project. RFID filament recognition stays proprietary.