The amount of repairability is unheard of for Apple

It’s awesome! Due in part by EU legislation, as well as the Neo targeting the education segment, which values being able to replace parts that wear out over time easily, Apple didn’t secure the battery with glue, and the ports can be replaced too!

It certainly will, and I have already heard that it was the best launch for Apple in a while!

But they are locking down on their ecosystem. After blocking third-party hardware (like Panda Touch displays) and third-party software (like OrcaSlicer if you don’t have the LAN only “Developer Mode” hidden deep in the settings), what is stopping them from going further? What if they go do an HP and make it so that non-Bambu filaments don’t work oj Bambu printers with just a firmware update?? They already have the RFID tags in place so it’s quite literally just a software switch they could do. Or what if they blocked third-party replacement parts, like how Apple did once they became a market leader?

I am speaking as a person who owns a Bambu A1 myself. It prints okay, but I do not like the locking down of the ecosystem and have currently set my printer to LAN only mode on the v4.0.0.0 firmware to continue using OrcaSlicer. I personally wouldn’t recommend a Bambu anymore (see Sovol’s SV line, Prusa’s high-quality offerings, Qidi Q1 Pro, Creality’s lineup that even has their own version of AMS, and now even Elegoo with their Centauri Carbon), but if it’s what you got, I would recommend setting it to LAN only mode to be able to continue using third-party slicers (like OrcaSlicer) and to stop additional Bambu firmware updates from possibly blocking even more functionality for profits.

Besides FreeCAD and Blender, there’s also OpenSCAD (never used it myself, but it sounds pretty cool. Programming 3D models, I want to try it soon. Everyone says it has a high learning curve though)

Ideally you would want to get the hang of either Blender or FreeCAD, depending on what kind of models you’re trying to make.

Prusa is the obvious recommendation and have really god quality printers. Another option would be Qidi, they have some great value options (I heard the Q1 Pro is decent?) or recently Elegoo with their Centauri Carbon.

However, I would advise that you don’t get a Bambu Lab printer, as someone who owns the Bambu A1. They print fine, but Bambu is locking down on their ecosystem by blocking third party software and hardware (e.g. PandaTouch display), and it won’t be long until they go full Apple/HP-like (they already have RFID tags on their filament, what’s stopping them from dropping an update that blocks non-Bambu filament like HP did with ink?)

For filaments, PLA is the simple choice that works for most things as long as they aren’t in the sun for too long (e.g. decorative models, phone stand) but aren’t the best for outdoor stuff (think garden signs and such). Some people also like PETG, which is another good general purpose filament.

ABS/ASA are tough and strong, good for mechanical parts and things that require strength, but remember to have good ventilation since they can produce nasty fumes that are not very nice to breathe in. You’ve also got TPU, which is flexible (so phone cases and stuff), but you need to make sure it stays dry.

I have personally only used PLA since I don’t print too many things that need the strength of ABS/ASA or the flexibility of TPU.

Plus, once you put a case on, it becomes thick again!

ok that’s really cool

it’s bambu connect, right? that’s what the thing is called?

One thing is for sure, their “security” that is Bambu Connect was compromised almost immediately after it was released (not very secure, is it?)

Bambus do print great, but Sovol, Qidi, Prusa, etc. also seem to print great while not doing any of the Apple/HP-esque anti-consumer practices.

As an owner of a Bambu A1, I would not recommend any of Bambu’s printers. They print great, but they have been locking down their ecosystem for no good reason (at least, no good for us consumers). They are blocking both third-party software and hardware (stuff like the Panda Touch display) for “security reasons”, and you have to enable a special Developer Mode to continue using third-party slicers.

I have my printer stuck on v4.0.0.0 with LAN only mode, using Tailscale to remotely access, as I prefer using OrcaSlicer. They are really pushing to be the Apple of 3D printers by locking down their printers and restricting you to their software ecosystem. They already have tags to identify first-party filament, what’s stopping them from blocking non-Bambu filament like HP and 2D printer ink?

I would recommend any other brand over Bambu, I know the Ender V3 is a popular option. Sovol and Qidi both have good value options too. Prusa if you have more budget, lots of people love their printers. Haven’t used any of the other brands though, so I have no idea about how well they perform.

But without lifting up your finger and, presumably, stretching it up to the dynamic island popup

Hear me out: what if instead of making a weird flashlight thing, why not just swipe left and right to adjust the width? Then you have the best of both worlds!

Interestingly enough, my phone (which is currently running iOS 26) doesn’t have the new flashlight UI, it’s still a regular slider. Very one-finger-slide-uppable. The new “feature” with iOS 18 onwards is only present on iPhone 14 Pro and later (the bubbly black blob that is the dynamic island is necessary)

There are orange buttons! Also if it has a blue-greenish tint that works a little better. Fine by me then.

Very cool. Only thing that bothers me is the mismatched colours. White and metallic orange don’t really work in my opinion. Either silver phone + white case or even orange phone + the tan case would look nicer I think.

If you like white + metallic orange then fine by me! It’s not my phone nor my case, so my judgement does not matter.

edit: The case appears to be a pale aquamarine (greenish blue mix), and there are also orange buttons. That makes a bit more sense than a bright white case, I guess the lighting makes it look more white. It passes my judgement then :D (again, my judgement does not really matter, not my case)

Also, for the record, I like the “Cosmic Orange” phone. It’s bold, colourful, and certainly not boring. The iPhone 17 colours are also fantastic. “Sky Blue”, on the other hand…

I personally have a Bambu A1, but in hindsight I would not recommend Bambu’s printers, since they are going the Apple route of locking down their ecosystems, blocking things like third-party slicers and accessories. Not very nice of them. My A1 will be perpetually stuck on firmware v4.0.0.0 for this reason as I prefer using OrcaSlicer over Bambu Studio. There is no reason why they should block OrcaSlicer, it’s a fork of Bambu Studio (which itself is a fork of PrusaSlicer, rules for thee not for me?)

The Creality Ender 3 seems to be the most recommended budget beginner printer. I have never owned one myself, but I have used one before in school, and the print quality is great. No idea how difficult it is to maintain though.

If you can stretch your budget a bit, you might also want to look at printers from other brands (Sovol, Qidi, possibly used Prusas, and the new Elegoo Centauri Carbon + non-carbon).

You see here, blocking third party accessories people bought with their own money and blocking third-party software that many people use (not everyone, but certainly many) is not very nice. I’m not saying Bambu should stop making their printers user-friendly, or that Bambu should stop making printers altogether. What I’m saying is that you don’t need to actively block third party software and accessories to make a 3D printer easy to use. Offering good first-party software is great, but that doesn’t mean you need to block all the third-party options altogether. The two can coexist. The first-party option for those who don’t want to tinker, and third-party options remain available for those who prefer it. Don’t think OrcaSlicer, the Panda Touch display, or OctoPrint is going to break the printer, esp. for OrcaSlicer being a fork of Bambu Studio.

I really hope they don’t restrict filament, but at the rate they’re going, they might just do that. HP did it with 2D printers and ink, and Bambu’s already halfway there with the RFID tags, so it’s a matter of a firmware update to stop the printers from working with third-party filaments.

Nice, the Prusa Core One is a very good printer. Happy printing :D

I have a Bambu A1 too, and it prints great. However, in hindsight, I would not recommend Bambu’s printers. I don’t like that they’re locking down on their software ecosystem. It’s not just third-party slicers, but they also broke third-party accessories like the Panda Touch display which isn’t very nice at all. I use OrcaSlicer, so I have to set my printer in LAN only mode with the firmware still on v4.0.0.0. If you have the newer firmware, you have to toggle the “developer mode” which for some reason is different to the LAN only mode. I use Tailscale to access my LAN only A1 remotely. LAN only mode also means I can’t use their mobile app, which I think is a silly restriction for the sake of it.

Third-party slicers and accessories are only the beginning. I’m almost certain that in the future they will make it required that you use Bambu’s own filament, they already have the RFID tags in there so all it takes is a firmware update. Who knows, maybe they’ll implement more restrictions similar to Apple like pairing parts to the printer and blocking things like third-party nozzles. I really hope they don’t do that, but it looks increasingly more likely…hopefully Bambu doesn’t become the HP/Apple of 3D printers.

For now, I would stay away from Bambu and go with other options (see Elegoo’s Centauri Carbon/non-Carbon, the Creality K2 Plus, Qidi’s Q2 and 4 Plus, Sovol’s SV06 ACE, and of course Prusa…)