Pros & Cons
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- Excellent print quality and reliability
- Fast, precise motion system
- Intelligent cooling for both low and high temperature filaments
- Works with the optional AMS 2 Pro for multi-material printing
- Improved touch-screen interface
- Crisp 1080p camera for monitoring and timelapses
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- Large footprint might not fit in some home offices
- Proprietary parts limit some third-party modifications
Bambu Lab P2S Specs
| 3D-Printing Technology | Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) |
| Dimensions (HWD) | 15.4 by 16 by 18.8 inches |
| Frame Design | Closed |
| LCD Screen | |
| Materials Supported | ABS |
| Materials Supported | ASA |
| Materials Supported | PETG |
| Materials Supported | PLA |
| Materials Supported | TPU |
| Maximum Build Area (HWD) | 10.1 by 10.1 by 10.1 |
| Number of Extruders | 1 |
| Number of Print Colors | 4 |
| Primary Interface(s) | USB Thumb Drive |
| Primary Interface(s) | Wi-Fi |
| Warranty (Parts/Labor) | 1 |
| Weight | 32.8 |
The original Bambu Lab P1S changed expectations for what a desktop 3D printer could do. It combined speed, polish, and reliability in a compact cube. Its new successor, the P2S (starts at $549; $799 as tested), keeps the same 10-inch-square (256mm) build volume but upgrades nearly every part of the system. It feels less like a hobbyist tool and more like a finished appliance. Bambu Lab describes the machine as “the icon, redefined,” and we must admit that this is a rare case where the marketing aligns with reality.
Everything about the printer has been reengineered. The toolhead got a significant upgrade. It now utilizes a permanent magnet synchronous motor that can push filament with a force of 19 pounds (8.5kg). That's a 70% jump from the last model, which makes a real difference when you're working with tougher materials. What's especially clever is the airflow system, which automatically switches modes depending on what you're printing. It pulls in cool air from outside the chamber when you're running PLA, then seals everything up to trap heat when you move to a material like ABS or nylon.
Oh, and did we mention Bambu Lab also refreshed pretty much everything else? The extruder, the sensors, the display, and even the LED illumination all got updates. All of this earns the P2S a rare 5-star rating and our Editors' Choice award as the best filament-based 3D printer for hobbyists.
Design and Setup: Improved Screen, Optional Multi-Material Management
The P2S arrives fully assembled and well-protected in the box. Once you unpack it, setup takes about 15 minutes. The frame measures roughly 15.4 by 16 by 18.8 inches (HWD) and weighs just under 33 pounds. The outer shell is steel, plastic, and glass, so it looks more like a small professional oven than a typical 3D printer.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)A 5-inch color touch screen is on the front panel, and it's a big improvement over the smaller, sluggish display from the earlier model. Bambu Lab’s updated interface is smoother and more responsive. Menus slide fluidly, animations load quickly, and setup prompts are clear. The printer guides the user through automatic bed leveling, filament loading, and first-layer calibration. During our tests, the P2S completed these steps without manual adjustment. The fans are quieter than before, and the enclosure dampens sound well enough that you can run overnight prints in a living room or office without disturbance.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)For this review, we tested the P2S Combo, a $250 upgrade over the base model, which includes the AMS 2 Pro, Bambu Lab’s multi-material system. (The AMS 2 Pro is also available as a separate purchase.) It connects to the top of the printer with a single cable and fits four spools of filament. The machine automatically detects the required color or material and switches without user intervention.
The AMS 2 Pro is more than a color-changing unit. It actively dries filament using an internal venting system. By circulating warm, dry air instead of relying on sealed heating or desiccant packs, it maintains low humidity inside the spools. In New York’s late summer humidity, the AMS maintained a stable environment with a relative humidity of around 15%, which kept PLA and PETG perfectly dry. Prints showed no stringing or bubbling even after several days of continuous use.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)The AMS system can scale up to four AMS 2 Pro units and four AMS HT units (which have an enhanced drying capability for use with specialized filaments), supporting up to 20 filament slots simultaneously. The P2S handled a complex, multi-color architectural model with more than 100 automatic tool changes without a single jam. Filament cutting and purging were clean, and color transitions were precise.
Performance and Print Quality: The Vanguard of Consumer 3D Printing
Bambu Lab rates the P2S for speeds of up to 24 inches (600mm) per second and an acceleration of 787 inches (20,000mm) per second squared. In real-world use, the printer sustained a speed of approximately 16 inches (400mm) per second on standard quality settings. The critical difference is not just speed but consistency. Even at high throughput, layer lines remained uniform and edges sharp.
The new servo extruder continuously samples position and resistance at a rate of 20KHz. This enables the firmware to detect early signs of grinding or clogging before they lead to failure. Combined with the eddy current sensor for flow calibration, extrusion remains steady across long runs. A 10-inch-tall ABS cylinder printed in just under 22 minutes and showed no visible defects.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)Benchmark prints (which we'll discuss in more detail later in the review) demonstrate how far Bambu Lab has pushed consumer-level performance. The classic 3DBenchy test boat finished in under 15 minutes, with a smooth hull and clear text. PETG overhang tests bridged up to 70 degrees without sagging. An ABS gear set measured within 0.04mm of the target dimension, which is excellent precision for a fused filament printer. Even flexible TPU can be printed at a rate of 3.15 inches (80mm) per second without clogging.
Against direct competitors, the results are decisive. In my tests, the P2S outpaced the now-discontinued Prusa MK4 by nearly a factor of two while producing cleaner surface detail. Compared with the more expensive Bambu Lab X1C (aka the Bambu "X1 Carbon"), print quality is almost identical. Only people who routinely print with abrasive carbon fiber or glass-filled materials might still prefer the X1C’s hardened hotend.
Camera Quality: Ready for Time Lapses
The printer’s built-in camera now captures 1080p video at 30 frames per second with enhanced LED lighting. The feed is sharp enough to see individual layers forming as they print. The camera also powers the AI error detection system. It can spot common print failures like filament spaghetti, nozzle blobs, or a mismatched build plate. During testing, I deliberately triggered two errors, and it caught both within seconds, paused the print, and showed clear instructions on the touch screen for what went wrong.
Time-lapse videos benefit from the higher frame rate and improved lighting. The result looks professional, rather than the usual flickering output seen on budget printers. Remote viewing through the Bambu Handy app worked reliably over both 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi. A wired Ethernet option would be nice for schools or offices, and is one of the few drawbacks of the P2S, but the wireless connection proved stable during two weeks of testing.
Cooling and Air Circulation: Innovative Cool Intake
The new Adaptive Airflow system is one of the P2S’s best features. Most enclosed printers simply circulate hot air, which can lead to inconsistent cooling for delicate materials. The P2S instead draws in cool air when printing low-temperature filaments and seals the chamber when printing high-temperature ones. A flap inside the air channel automatically switches modes.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)When I tried printing with PLA, the printer maintained crisp overhangs and fine bridges even with the door closed. And when I used ABS, the system maintained a stable internal temperature while filtering the air through a granular coconut-shell carbon filter. Measurements with a handheld meter showed negligible volatile organic compounds (VOCs) escaping from the chamber. It is one of the cleanest desktop printers we have used.
Software and Workflow: Navigating Bambu Studio
Bambu Studio remains the core of the workflow and continues to improve. It integrates tightly with MakerWorld, Bambu Lab’s online library of over a million ready-to-print models. From within the slicer, you can choose a design, preview it, and send it directly to the printer. Material profiles are well-tuned, and adaptive flow calibration ensures that what you see on screen is what you get on the bed.
The P2S also accepts G-code from third-party slicers, such as PrusaSlicer, SuperSlicer, and Cura; however, some advanced functions may not be available. For the best experience, you should use Bambu Studio, which automatically synchronizes with the mobile app and tracks filament consumption and print time statistics.
The software is available for macOS, Windows, and Linux. During testing, it never crashed or lost its connection. The only limitation is that all connectivity is through Wi-Fi or USB; as mentioned, the P2S lacks an Ethernet port or a removable network module.
Maintenance and Reliability: Impressive Uptime
Bambu Lab has quite a few generations of printers under its belt, and it appears to have learned from earlier iterations. Routine maintenance is straightforward. The nozzle can be swapped in under 30 seconds thanks to a quick-release system. The extruder gears and rods are made from hardened steel, which resists wear. The printer no longer uses carbon rods, which means cleaning residue is much easier.
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(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)During more than 120 hours of printing, we experienced no clogs, skipped steps, or layer shifts. One false positive from the AI system briefly paused a print, but resumption took only seconds. Power loss recovery worked as advertised. After unplugging the printer mid-print, it resumed within 15 seconds after power was restored and completed the job without visible seam lines.
Filament detection is comprehensive. The printer monitors run out, tangling, and feed rate using built-in sensors, and automatically pauses if a problem occurs. That level of attention to detail makes the P2S a machine you can trust to run unattended.
Supported Materials: It'll Print Nearly Anything
The P2S handles almost every common material on the market. It supports PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA, TPU, PA, PC, and PVA, as well as carbon- and glass-fiber-reinforced versions of several of these polymers. The hotend reaches 572 degrees F (300 degrees C), and the heatbed can reach 230 degrees F (110 degrees C). That range covers everything short of engineering thermoplastics such as PEEK or Ultem, which require much higher temperatures.
Flexible materials still perform best when loaded directly into the printer, rather than through the AMS; however, every other filament we tested worked perfectly. The PEI-coated build plate provides strong adhesion when hot, and easy release once cooled.
I measured the energy consumption throughout testing and saw it spike to 940 watts during heat-up, then settle down to around 200 watts once it was printing with PLA. The printer does a good job of maintaining temperature and cools down pretty gradually when you're done.
Controls and Connectivity: No Ethernet, But Plenty of On-Board Storage
The design of the 5-inch touch screen and the computing power that supports it deserve a special mention. The panel has a capacitive layer, similar to those found in smartphones, making it far more pleasant to use than resistive displays. The interface is intuitive, with large icons for maintenance, calibration, and filament management. The internal 8GB of storage allows you to keep several print files on the device at once, reducing dependence on network transfers.
You can print over Wi-Fi, send jobs from a computer, or use a USB drive. In our experience, the printer’s local mode works perfectly even without an internet connection, which will please users who prefer to keep their machines offline.
The P2S replaces the P1S as the company’s midrange model. It matches or exceeds the X1C's speed while costing several hundred dollars less. The differences are subtle but matter depending on what you need. The X1C has a LiDAR scanner for surface calibration and active chamber heating for advanced composites, but most people won't actually use those features. For general prototyping, cosplay, or small manufacturing runs, the P2S delivers nearly the same quality at a better price.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)Where the P1S occasionally struggled with cooling and noise, the P2S addresses both issues. Older Bambu printers could be intimidating to new users, but the updated interface and guided calibration make this one almost foolproof. It is the model that brings the company’s technology to its most balanced form.
The P2S Combo's price includes the AMS 2 Pro unit. While you can buy the printer by itself for $550, we think the Combo will likely remain the flagship configuration for most buyers. Considering the feature set, it represents substantial value. Comparable enclosed printers with multi-material capability, such as the Creality K1 Max or the Prusa MK4 enclosure bundle, cost more and deliver less polish. And many other printers in the $800 price range, such as the Qidi Plus 4 (our previous top pick in this category), lack multi-material capabilities. (That said, Qidi is planning to introduce an add-on module to compete with the AMS 2 Pro in the future.)
Testing the Bambu Lab P2S: Exceptional Accuracy
Setup time took about 17 minutes from unboxing to the start of the first print. The printer maintained an average noise level of 48 decibels, several points quieter than the P1S was when I tested it. Dimensional accuracy across repeated test parts was within 0.4mm. Surface finish remained clean, with minimal ringing. Uptime across more than 100 hours of continuous operation was above 99%. Energy use was moderate and stable.
To evaluate print performance across materials and geometries, we produced a series of benchmark models:
3DBenchy (PLA+): Our standard test boat finished in 14 minutes, 38 seconds. Layer lines were nearly invisible under natural light, and the hull text remained fully legible.
Calibration Cube (ABS): Printed at 482 degrees F (250 degrees C), the cube measured within 0.04mm of its target dimensions on all axes. The corners were sharp, and no elephant’s foot was visible at the base.
Overhang and Bridge Test (PETG): The printer maintained clean bridges up to 70 degrees with no sagging or stringing. The cooling transitions were smooth, and the surface retained its gloss without deformation.
Gear Assembly (Nylon-Carbon Composite): This multi-part print completed in 1 hour and 17 minutes with excellent meshing tolerances. The gears rotated freely without post-processing, showing even extrusion and stable layer adhesion.
Architectural Model (PLA, four colors via AMS 2 Pro): An 8-inch-tall cityscape with more than 100 automatic tool changes completed overnight without error. Color boundaries were crisp, and fine window details printed cleanly.
Flexible Phone Case (TPU 95A): Printed at 3.15 inches (80mm) per second, the case showed smooth walls and even elasticity. No under-extrusion occurred despite the filament’s softness.
Across all tests, adhesion to the PEI-coated build plate was reliable, and removal was effortless once the bed cooled. The P2S produced consistent results regardless of filament type, confirming its stability for both casual and professional workloads.