Comparison
Bambu Lab P1S vs Bambu Lab A1: Full Comparison (2026)
| At a glance | Bambu Lab P1S | Bambu Lab A1 |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | ★★★★⯨ 4.8/5 | ★★★★⯨ 4.7/5 |
| Price | $550-700 | $320-400 |
| Best for | Makers ready to move past PLA into engineering materials and color. | Beginners who want zero fuss but a full-size build volume. |
| Guarantee | Amazon return policy applies | Amazon return policy applies |
| Check Today's Price → | Check Today's Price → |
The difference between these two printers is about $200 and a box. The A1 ($320-400) is an open-frame bed-slinger; the P1S ($550-700) is an enclosed CoreXY. Print quality, reliability, and the option of four-color printing are much closer than the price gap suggests — which is exactly why so many people stall on this decision.
So make it about materials, because that's what the enclosure is really for. PLA and PETG print happily in open air, and the A1 handles both beautifully. ABS, ASA, and polycarbonate shrink as they cool, and without an enclosure holding in heat they warp, crack, and peel off the bed. If those materials are in your future, the P1S isn't an upgrade — it's the requirement.
The picks
Bambu Lab P1S Editor's Pick
Enclosed, fast CoreXY that prints ABS and color without the fuss.
$550-700 · Amazon return policy applies
The P1S is the one you buy so you never have to think about the printer again. Enclosed, fast CoreXY motion, and rock-solid reliability, with an optional AMS that turns it into a genuine four-color machine. It's the natural landing spot for someone who's outgrown an open-frame printer and wants engineering materials without a heated-chamber science project.
Bambu Lab A1
The A1 Mini's bigger sibling: same hands-off reliability, full 256mm bed.
$320-400 · Amazon return policy applies
The A1 is the A1 Mini's bigger sibling: the same auto-everything calibration and hands-off reliability, stretched to a full 256mm bed. Stock print quality is excellent, and the AMS lite adds four-color printing here too. For a first printer that just works at full size, this is the easy answer.
How to actually choose
Ask two questions. First: will you ever print anything besides PLA and PETG? A "yes" or even a "probably" points at the P1S, because buying the A1 and discovering ABS six months later means buying twice. A confident "no" saves you a couple hundred dollars with essentially zero regret — the ratings (4.7 vs 4.8) tell you how little quality separates them.
Second: where does it live? A bed-slinger throws its whole bed back and forth, so the A1 needs more desk depth than its frame suggests. The P1S keeps everything inside its box, which also muffles some of the racket — though pushed hard it's still louder than the A1. Neither is a machine you'd want on the desk where you take calls.
Two things they share, for better or worse. Both are fairly closed ecosystems — Bambu's hardware and software work well together, but if you're the type who wants to flash custom firmware and swap third-party parts freely, neither printer will make you happy. And multi-color on either one is a single-nozzle system that purges filament on every color change, so expect a pile of waste next to every rainbow print. Budget spools accordingly.
Who should skip which
Skip the P1S if you're a PLA-only printer of miniatures, toys, and household parts. You'd be paying for an enclosure you never need. Skip the A1 if you already know you want functional parts in ABS or ASA — an open frame can't hold the heat those materials demand, and no slicer setting fixes that. And skip both if open-source tinkering is half the fun for you.
Bottom line
Same brand, same reliability, nearly identical print quality. The A1 is the better first printer and the better value for PLA and PETG. The P1S is the better only printer — the one that still fits when your ambitions grow into engineering plastics. Buy the A1 for what you print now, or the P1S for what you'll print in a year. Just be honest about which question you're answering.