This printer is no longer sold new. It has been replaced by the Creality Ender 3 V4.
Best for: Budget-conscious beginners who want CoreXY speed without the Bambu ecosystem or Prusa premium — and are comfortable with a more hands-on setup experience.
Full details →Overdue for a refresh — no successor announced yet. Prices should be at their lowest
Best for: Budget makers who want 4-color multicolor printing without committing to the Bambu or Prusa ecosystem — and are comfortable with a less mature software experience.
Full details →| Creality Ender 3 V3 KE | Anycubic Kobra 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Tier | Entry | Prosumer |
| Motion | CoreXY | BedSlinger |
| Build Volume | 220 × 220 × 240 mm | 255 × 255 × 260 mm |
| Max Speed | 500 mm/s | 600 mm/s |
| Multicolor | ❌ No | ✅ 4 slots |
| Enclosure | ❌ | ❌ |
| Auto Calibration | ✅ | ✅ |
| Open Source | ❌ | ❌ |
| Upgrade Kit | — | — |
| Materials | PLA, PETG, TPU | PLA, PETG, ABS, TPU |
| Released | Sep 15, 2023 | May 15, 2025 |
| Cycle length | ~854 days | ~212 days |
| Cycle advice | Superseded | Wait |
| Deals advice | Clearance | Buy |
| Next model | — | — |
The KE brings CoreXY motion to the Ender 3 family — historically a bed-slinger platform — delivering 500 mm/s without the Bambu premium.
The Ender 3 series has one of the largest 3D printer communities in the world, with thousands of documented modifications and upgrades.
If you outgrow the KE, the Creality K1C and K2 Plus are natural next steps within the same brand ecosystem.
The V2 expands to 255×255×260 mm — 34% more printable volume than the original Kobra 3 — for larger parts and more batch production.
The V2 includes a 720p camera for real-time print monitoring and AI spaghetti detection, adding reliability features previously absent from the Kobra 3 line.
The Kobra 3 V2 Combo with ACE Pro is one of the most affordable 4-color setups available — often underpricing Bambu's A1 Combo.