The Bambu Lab P1S and Creality K3 are cross-brand rivals: both are prosumer-tier printers, listed $300 apart. Note that the P1S has been replaced by the P2S and is no longer sold new. Both are CoreXY printers with 4-slot multicolor, a 500 mm/s rated top speed and automatic calibration. The K3 costs $300 more and gets you support for PET, PCTG, PLA-CF and PETG-CF; the P1S answers with an enclosed chamber (with ABS, ASA, PA, PA-CF and PC on its materials list).
This printer is no longer sold new. It has been replaced by the Bambu Lab P2S.
Best for: Makers who need an enclosed printer for ABS, ASA, PA, and PC at prosumer price — now available at clearance pricing after P2S launch.
Full details →First-generation product — recently released, still early days
Best for: Multicolor hobbyists and small creators who are tired of purge towers and filament waste, and who want tool-changer-style multicolor at well under half the price of Bambu's tool changers.
Full details →| Bambu Lab P1S | Creality K3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | ||
| Starting Price | ★ $549 | $849 |
| Print Specs | ||
| Tier | Prosumer | Prosumer |
| Motion | CoreXY | CoreXY |
| Build Volume | 256 × 256 × 256 mm | ★ 260 × 260 × 260 mm |
| Max Speed | 500 mm/s | 500 mm/s |
| Multicolor | ✅ 4 slots | ✅ 4 slots |
| Enclosure | ★ ✅ | ❌ |
| Auto Calibration | ✅ | ✅ |
| Open Source | ❌ | ❌ |
| Upgrade Kit | — | — |
| Buy Timing | ||
| Released | Jul 5, 2023 | Oct 13, 2026 |
| Cycle length | ~335 days | — |
| Cycle advice | Superseded | Buy |
| Deals advice | Clearance | Caution |
| Next model | — | — |
The P1S has been replaced by the P2S and is no longer sold new, so there is no release cycle left to time — any unit you find now is leftover or second-hand stock.
The K3 was released on Oct 13, 2026, 30 days ago. It is a first-generation product, so there is no earlier cycle to predict its successor from.
On timing alone, the K3 is the safer buy right now — it launched only 30 days ago, while the P1S has already been replaced by the P2S.
Cycle and deal status as of November 12, 2026. See the launch calendar →
The P1S lists at $549 and the K3 at $849 — $300 apart, so the K3 costs 55% more.
Per litre of build volume, that works out to $33 for the P1S versus $48 for the K3 — the P1S is the better value per litre as well.
Buy the K3. The P1S has already been replaced by the P2S and is no longer sold new, so it is only worth considering at a clearance price. If the P1S appealed to you, the fair comparison today is the K3 against the P2S.
Compare Bambu Lab P2S vs Creality K3 →
How we judge timing and deals: read our methodology →
Active chamber temperature control enables reliable ABS, ASA, PA, and PC printing without warping.
500 mm/s print speed with Bambu's vibration compensation delivers fast, accurate prints.
With the P2S released, P1S prices are at their lowest — an opportunity for budget-conscious buyers.
Four docked nozzles swap in about 5 seconds, so color changes no longer require purging a single nozzle. Creality quotes up to 85% less filament waste and up to 80% shorter multicolor print times.
Nozzles from 0.2 to 0.8 mm can be mixed in one print using extra nozzles sold separately. With a dedicated nozzle, TPU 95A prints without the feeding problems common to filament-switching systems.
The K3 brings near-tool-changer multicolor to a sub-$900 printer, well below Bambu's $2,399 H2C and $2,499 H3C.