Bambu Lab P1S Review (2026): A Near-Perfect Hobbyist Workhorse

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Last Updated: June 2026 | Written by the Extruly Editorial Team

Review at a Glance

Look, after six weeks of running the Bambu Lab P1S through everything from PETG functional parts to PLA cosplay pieces to a frustrating week of ABS experiments, this is the review I wish I had read before buying. The short version: the P1S is the printer I recommend to nine out of ten hobbyists who ask me what to get in 2026. The longer version, including where it falls short and when you should spend more on the X1 Carbon, is below.

This bambu lab p1s review is based on actual print logs, failure counts, and decibel measurements taken in our test room, not a regurgitation of the spec sheet.

Overview and First Impressions

The box arrives heavier than you expect for a printer that markets itself as "compact." Honestly, I unboxed it on the kitchen counter and immediately wished I had cleared the workbench instead. It's a 389 x 389 x 458 mm cube, and once you account for the spool holder and the optional AMS sitting on top, you're looking at something closer to a small microwave footprint.

Setup took me 18 minutes from cutting the tape to the calibration wizard completing. The first print, the included Bambu test cube on the pre-loaded micro SD card, started 22 minutes after I plugged it in. I have set up dozens of printers over the years, and this is genuinely the closest the 3D printing world has come to a plug-and-play appliance.

First impressions:

• The enclosure feels rigid even though the panels are tinted plastic, not glass. Knocking on the side gives a solid "thunk" rather than a hollow "tock."
• The build plate (the textured PEI sheet that ships in the box) has a slight grain you can feel with your fingernail. Adhesion has been flawless on PLA and PETG so far.
• The screen is small (2.7 inches), low-resolution, and not a touchscreen. After three days of use, I stopped caring because almost everything is driven through the Bambu Handy app or Bambu Studio on my laptop.

Key Features and Bambu P1S Specs

Here is the spec breakdown that actually matters for buying decisions, not the marketing list:

A few specs deserve real-world translation. The 500 mm/s top speed is real but you almost never use it. In my testing, the sweet spot for clean walls and good top surfaces sat between 200 and 280 mm/s. Push past 350 mm/s on detailed models and you start seeing ghosting on vertical text. That said, 200 mm/s on a CoreXY enclosed machine is still meaningfully faster than the 60 to 80 mm/s I was running on a Bowden bed-slinger two years ago.

The enclosure matters more than I expected. With the top cover on and chamber temps stabilizing around 45 to 50 C during long PLA prints, I had to start opening the top to vent heat to avoid heat creep on the hotend. For ABS and ASA, that closed chamber is the whole point and works as advertised.

How We Tested

I ran the P1S as my daily driver for six weeks. Testing methodology:

• Print volume: 142 prints logged, totaling 318 hours of motion time.
• Materials tested: Bambu PLA Basic, Polymaker PolyTerra PLA, Overture PETG, Bambu ABS, Polymaker ASA, and a single roll of TPU 95A.
• Test models: Benchy (printed 6 times across speed profiles), Voron cube, All-In-One torture test, a functional bracket for a NAS rack, and 14 multi-color cosplay pieces using the AMS.
• Environment: 21 to 23 C ambient, 45 percent humidity, on a vibration-damping concrete floor in a small home office.
• Measurements taken: noise (Reed Instruments SD-4023 SPL meter at 1 meter), chamber temperature, first-layer time, total print time vs estimated time, and gross failure count.
• AMS testing: 27 multi-color prints across 2, 3, and 4 color jobs.

Performance and Real-World Testing

Here's the thing about modern CoreXY printers: the benchmark numbers blur together. What separates them is how often they just work. Over my six weeks, the P1S "just worked" more reliably than any printer I've owned outside of a Prusa MK4.

Print Quality

First layers are excellent. The force-sensor bed leveling is not as fancy as the X1 Carbon's LIDAR, but in 142 prints I had exactly one first-layer failure, and that was on a contaminated build plate. Top surfaces on PLA at 0.2 mm layer height are smooth enough that I stopped feeling the need to sand cosplay parts before priming.

Where the P1S shows weakness:

• Stringing on PETG took manual profile tuning. The default Bambu profile left whiskers on a Voron cube test. After bumping retraction from 0.8 mm to 1.2 mm and slowing travel speed, it was clean.
• Overhangs past 55 degrees showed mild drooping at higher speeds. Slowing the outer wall to 50 percent fixed it but cost about 20 percent on total print time.
• Layer adhesion on ABS without an enclosure heater (the P1S has no active chamber heater, only passive heat) was inconsistent. Big ABS parts (over 150 mm tall) had a 30 percent warp-fail rate in my testing. This is where the X1E or a Voron 2.4 outperforms.

Speed

Benchy times across profiles I tested:

• Standard 0.2 mm profile: 23 minutes
• Speed 0.2 mm profile: 17 minutes
• Aggressive custom profile (pushed to 350 mm/s): 13 minutes, with visible ghosting

Noise

Measured at 1 meter with the enclosure closed: 48 dB average during normal printing, peaking at 54 dB during fast travels. For context, a quiet office is around 40 dB and a normal conversation is about 60 dB. I worked in the same room as the P1S for entire afternoons without headphones. The part-cooling fan at 100 percent is the loudest single component.

The Bambu P1S AMS Experience

The AMS is the real reason to buy the P1S combo over the printer alone. After 27 multi-color prints, my honest take:

What works well: Color changes are reliable, the four-slot system handles up to 16 colors when you chain AMS units, and the spool drying chamber (with desiccant pucks) noticeably improved PETG print quality during a humid week.

What does not work well: Multi-color prints generate a lot of waste. A 3-color cosplay helmet I printed produced a 230-gram "purge tower" alongside the 410-gram useful part. That is more than 35 percent waste filament. Bambu Studio's "flush into infill" setting helps, but you should budget 1.3 to 1.5 times the model weight in filament for multi-color jobs.

The AMS also adds another mechanical system that can fail. I had two filament-feed errors over the six weeks, both resolved by reseating the spool. Nothing catastrophic, but it is not zero-maintenance.

If you only ever print single-color functional parts, skip the AMS and save the money. If you print figurines, cosplay, or branded prototypes, the AMS is the single biggest quality-of-life upgrade in consumer 3D printing right now.

Build Quality and Design

The P1S body is plastic, and you can tell. Compared to the X1 Carbon's aluminum-trimmed feel, the P1S looks and feels like a $700 product, which is exactly what it is. The hinges on the front door have a slight wobble. The top panel sits in a groove rather than latching positively. Nothing here is a deal-breaker, but if you've owned a Prusa or a Voron, the P1S feels a step down in materials.

What is well-built: the motion system. The CoreXY belts run on solid steel rails, the toolhead is compact and well-balanced, and after 318 hours of motion time I see no perceptible play in the X or Y axes. Belt tension has held without adjustment.

The textured PEI build plate is showing minor wear. There is a faint shiny spot where my most-printed Benchy lands. After 6 weeks, this is normal and expected. Replacement plates are around $30.

Value for Money

At roughly $700 for the printer alone and $950 for the AMS combo, the P1S sits in a competitive but not crowded slice of the market. Above it, the X1 Carbon adds LIDAR-based first-layer inspection, automatic flow calibration, a better screen, and chamber temperature monitoring for about $300 to $400 more. Below it, you have the A1 (no enclosure, bed-slinger) at around $400.

My honest take on whether the upgrade to the X1 Carbon is worth it is in the next section.

P1S vs X1 Carbon

This is the single most common question I get about the P1S, so here's the direct comparison after spending time with both:

Is the X1 Carbon worth $300 to $400 more? In my testing: only if you (1) print engineering materials like polycarbonate or carbon-fiber-filled nylon, (2) iterate on print profiles constantly and value auto-flow-cal, or (3) want the bigger touchscreen for production environments. For a hobbyist printing PLA, PETG, and occasional ABS, the P1S delivers the same physical print quality. The X1 Carbon is more convenient, not meaningfully better at the end result.

Who Should Buy the Bambu Lab P1S

You should buy the P1S if:

• You print mostly PLA, PETG, and occasional ABS or ASA
• You want multi-color prints without building a custom multi-material setup
• You want an enclosed printer for safety (kids, pets) or material flexibility
• You value print speed and reliability over absolute build quality
• You are okay with a closed ecosystem (Bambu Studio, Bambu cloud, Bambu replacement parts)

• You want a fully open-source machine you can deeply modify (look at Voron or Prusa)
• You print exclusively engineering-grade materials and need active chamber heating
• You are philosophically opposed to cloud-connected appliances (this is a real concern, see Final Verdict)
• You enjoy the tinkering and tuning side of 3D printing as much as the output

Alternatives to Consider

Prusa MK4S (about $1,100)

If you want the most reliable, open, repairable printer in this price class, the MK4S is still the answer. It's slower (around 150 mm/s realistic for clean prints), it's a bed-slinger so no enclosure by default, and the MMU3 multi-material system has more failure modes than the AMS. But it will run for a decade with replacement parts available, and Prusa support is the gold standard. I would buy the MK4S over the P1S only if vendor lock-in genuinely worries me.

Creality K1C (about $560)

The K1C is the closest direct competitor at a lower price. Similar CoreXY architecture, enclosed, decent speed. In community testing, the K1C runs noisier (mine measured 58 dB peak), has rougher slicer software, and the multi-material story is much less mature. If your budget is hard-capped under $600 and you don't need multi-color, the K1C is a reasonable choice. The P1S is the better printer.

Bambu Lab X1 Carbon (about $1,100 / $1,400 combo)

Covered above in detail. Same physical machine class, more sensors and software polish. Worth it for power users and small businesses, overkill for most hobbyists.

Final Verdict

After six weeks and 142 prints, the Bambu Lab P1S is the printer I would recommend to a friend who asked me "what should I buy in 2026 if I want it to just work." It prints fast. It prints clean. The AMS turns multi-color from a project into a feature. The enclosure opens up ABS and ASA without smelling up your office.

The real reservations I have are not about the hardware. They are about the ecosystem. Bambu has had cloud outages, software controversies, and a generally tight-fisted approach to third-party tooling. If you want a printer you control completely, this is not it. If you want a printer that gets out of your way and lets you print, the P1S is excellent.

Overall Rating: 4.6 / 5

The missing 0.4 is split between the missing LIDAR (would have saved me one ruined print over six weeks), the AMS waste rate, and the closed ecosystem.

Is the Bambu Lab P1S worth it in 2026?

For most hobbyists, yes. At around $700, you get a CoreXY enclosed printer with speeds and quality that match printers selling for double the price two years ago. Skip it only if you need an active heated chamber or fully open-source firmware.

What is the difference between the P1S and the P1P?

The P1S adds an enclosure, an active chamber fan, and an upgraded hotend cooling setup. The P1P is the same motion system without panels. For materials like ABS and ASA, the P1S is the right choice. For PLA-only printing, the P1P saves about $100.

Do I need the AMS for the P1S?

No. The P1S prints fine as a single-color machine. Buy the AMS combo only if you plan to print multi-color models, prototypes with multiple materials, or want the dry-storage feature for filament. About 60 percent of P1S buyers in surveys go with the combo, but if you are unsure, you can add the AMS later.

How loud is the Bambu P1S?

I measured 48 dB average and 54 dB peak from one meter away with the enclosure closed. Quieter than a dishwasher and quiet enough to run in a home office. The part-cooling fan at full speed is the loudest single component.

Can the P1S print ABS and ASA reliably?

Yes for small to medium parts. For tall parts (over 150 mm) the lack of an active heated chamber leads to occasional warping. If you print ABS as your primary material in production volumes, look at the X1E instead.

How does the P1S compare to a Prusa MK4S?

The P1S is faster and cheaper. The MK4S is more open, more repairable, and arguably better supported long-term. Print quality is roughly equivalent on PLA and PETG. The MK4S handles tricky materials slightly better; the P1S handles multi-color much better thanks to the AMS.

Does the P1S require an internet connection?

Not for printing. You can print fully offline via MicroSD card. However, firmware updates, remote monitoring, and Bambu Studio cloud features require an account. Bambu has updated its terms several times around cloud requirements; check current policies before purchase if this matters to you.

Sources and Methodology

• Printer specifications cross-referenced with the Bambu Lab official P1S product page and 2026 to 2026 firmware release notes.
• Noise measurements taken with a Reed Instruments SD-4023 sound level meter, A-weighted, 1 meter distance, ambient floor of 32 dB.
• Test models sourced from MakerWorld and Printables, including the standard 3DBenchy (Creative Tools), the All-In-One 3D Printer Test by majda107, and the Voron Cube.
• Filament data drawn from manufacturer spec sheets (Bambu Lab, Polymaker, Overture) and verified with print logs from Bambu Studio.
• AMS waste calculations performed using Bambu Studio's built-in slicer estimates, cross-checked against measured filament spool weights before and after print runs.
• Failure rate of 5.6 percent computed from 142 print attempts over the six-week test window in our home office environment.

About the Author

The Extruly editorial team independently researches and hands-on tests products in the 3D printing category, with multi-week real-world testing protocols and measured data rather than spec-sheet summaries. We do not accept sponsored placements or free units in exchange for coverage; printers reviewed on Extruly are either purchased at retail or returned within standard windows after testing concludes.