Printers
Bambu Lab P1S vs P2S
Two features separate these machines. If neither has annoyed you, the comparison is already over.
By Michael W. · Published October 5, 2026
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The verdict
Keep the P1S unless the missing touchscreen or the hotend-level nozzle change has genuinely irritated you over months. Those two things are the entire difference.
Reported build volume is the same 256 mm class. The chamber is passive on both. The P1S was already fast. So this is a workflow upgrade, which is a legitimate thing to buy and is not a print-quality upgrade however it is marketed.
The cheaper path: a third-party touchscreen plus a quick-change hotend deliver both features on the P1S for a fraction of a new machine. The trade is third-party firmware in the stack and a harder support conversation.
Side by side
| P1S | P2S | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | July 2023 | October 2025 |
| Frame | Enclosed CoreXY | Enclosed CoreXY |
| Build volume (reported) | 256 mm class | 256 mm cube |
| Chamber | Passive (bed-heated) | Passive (bed-heated) |
| Screen | None on machine | Touchscreen |
| Nozzle change | Hotend-level job | Quick-swap |
| AMS support | AMS / AMS 2 Pro | AMS / AMS 2 Pro |
| Third-party parts | The deepest catalog in the range | Growing; verify fitment per part |
What the quick-swap nozzle is actually worth
More than the spec line suggests, and this is the stronger of the two arguments for the P2S. On a P1S, changing nozzle diameter means changing the hotend. That friction is exactly why most owners run 0.4 mm forever and never use a 0.2 mm for a detailed part or a 0.6 mm for a bracket, even when they own both.
It also makes abrasive filament less of a commitment. Keeping a hardened nozzle for filled material and a stainless one for everything else only works if swapping is quick. See nozzle sizes and which filaments need hardened steel.
What the touchscreen is worth
Entirely subjective, and that is not a dodge. Some owners have never once minded starting prints from an app. Others find it the single most irritating thing about the machine. There is no objective answer, so the test is personal: in the last month, how many times did you wish there was a screen?
If the answer is "often", note that a Panda Touch solves it for a tenth of this, powers from the printer's own USB port, and can control up to ten printers from one unit. If the answer is "never", you have just saved the price of a printer.
Choose the P1S if
- You already own one and neither missing feature bothers you
- You want the deepest third-party upgrade catalog in the range
- You would rather spend the difference on an AMS 2 Pro, a dryer and a spare plate — which, for most people, improves more prints
Choose the P2S if
- You are buying a first enclosed machine today, where it is simply the newer one
- You swap nozzle diameters often, or want to
- You want the features without third-party firmware between you and the printer
If you do upgrade, what carries over
Build plates sized for the P1S bed generally transfer. Hotends, cooling ducts and screen brackets designed around the P1S toolhead and chassis may not — check fitment per part rather than assuming by brand. AMS units are shared across the enclosed P-series, so your AMS 2 Pro moves with you.
The two machines, side by side
Stock photograph of this product class, not of this specific unit.
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1. Keep this one
Bambu Lab P1S
Already enclosed, already fast, and the best-supported machine in the range for upgrades.
The P1S is the machine the P2S improves on, and the improvements are narrow. It is enclosed, it has the auxiliary fan and air filter, it takes an AMS, and almost every third-party part worth buying was designed for it first. That last point is worth money: the upgrade catalog for a P1S is deeper than for any other Bambu machine.
The two things it lacks relative to the P2S are a touchscreen and a quick-swap nozzle, and both have aftermarket answers. That is the whole case for keeping it.
What it gets right
- The enclosure plus auxiliary fan is what makes ABS and ASA realistic rather than aspirational
- Still the best-supported machine in the range for third-party upgrades — screens, hotends, plates, ducts
- Fast enough that the P2S's speed gain is not the reason to replace it
What it does not
- No touchscreen as shipped, which is why the Panda Touch exists
- No quick-swap nozzle: a nozzle change is a hotend job, not a 30-second one
- Passive chamber only — it holds heat, it does not make heat
| Released | July 13, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Type | Enclosed CoreXY |
| Over the P1P | Enclosure, auxiliary cooling fan and air filter |
| Multi-color | AMS and AMS 2 Pro (4 spools, expandable) |
Stock photograph of this product class, not of this specific unit.
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2. Buy this one if the workflow bothers you
Bambu Lab P2S
A touchscreen and a quick-swap nozzle, done properly from the factory rather than bolted on.
Released October 2025, the P2S is the P1S with the two most-requested changes made at the factory. A screen on the machine and a nozzle you can swap without stripping the hotend.
The case for buying rather than bolting on: no third-party firmware in the stack, no fitment questions, one warranty, and a nozzle-change mechanism designed in rather than adapted. If you value the machine being coherent, that is a real argument and not a small one.
What it gets right
- Quick-swap nozzle turns a 0.4-to-0.6 change from a maintenance task into a between-prints decision
- A real touchscreen on the machine, so you are not opening an app to start a print
- Same footprint and roughly the same build area as the P1S, so your enclosure and shelf still work
What it does not
- If you have never once wished your P1S had a screen, this is not the upgrade you need
- Reported build volume is a 256 mm cube — the same class as the P1S, so it buys you nothing in size
- Your P1S-specific third-party parts may not carry over; check fitment per part, not per brand
| Released | October 9, 2025 |
|---|---|
| Type | Enclosed CoreXY, P1S successor |
| Over the P1S | Touchscreen and quick-swap nozzle |
| Build volume (reported) | 256 mm cube |
Questions people actually ask
Is the P2S worth upgrading to from a P1S?
Only if the missing touchscreen or the hotend-level nozzle change has genuinely bothered you. Those two things are the entire difference. Reported build volume is the same 256 mm class, both chambers are passive, and the P1S was already fast - so there is no capability gain to point at.
What is the difference between the P1S and P2S?
The P2S adds a touchscreen on the machine and a quick-swap nozzle. Everything else is the same class: enclosed CoreXY, reported 256 mm build volume, passive chamber heated only by the bed, and the same AMS compatibility.
Can I add a touchscreen to a P1S instead of buying a P2S?
Yes. Third-party screens such as the Panda Touch line fit the P1P and P1S screen cutout, power from the printer's own USB port, and one unit can control up to ten printers. The trade is that you now have third-party firmware between you and the machine, which can lag behind a Bambu firmware update.
Does the P2S have a bigger build volume than the P1S?
No. Third-party roundups report a 256 mm cube for the P2S, which is the same class as the P1S. If build volume is what you need, the H-series machines are the only answer in the range.
Do my P1S accessories fit a P2S?
Some do, some do not. Build plates sized for the P1S bed generally transfer, and AMS units are shared across the enclosed P-series. Hotends, cooling ducts and screen brackets designed around the P1S toolhead often do not, so check fitment per part rather than by brand.
Sources
- Bambu Lab model list, release dates and model descriptions - Wikipedia
- Reported build volumes, chamber temperatures, nozzle hardness and positioning - third-party lineup roundups captured October 2026 (3dprinting.com, precwise.com, innoaddi.com)
Read this next
- Bambu Lab P1SWhat the P1S already does well, the three things it genuinely cannot do, and which cheap part fixes each complaint instead of a new machine.
- Bambu Lab P2SThe two things the P2S genuinely adds over a P1S, the things it does not, and what the same money buys as upgrades instead.
- Upgrading from a P1SThe two reasons to replace a P1S and the four cheaper parts that cover everything else, with the arithmetic laid out.
- BIQU Panda TouchWhat the Panda Touch adds to a P1P or P1S, the ten-printer capability nobody mentions, and the honest trade of third-party firmware.
- Bambu Lab nozzle sizes explainedWhat 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8 mm nozzles are each for, what changing costs in re-slicing, and why friction stops most people switching.
- Bambu Lab P2S vs X2DP2S for workflow, X2D for materials. Both reported at a 256 mm cube, so neither is a size upgrade over a P1S.