REASONS TO BUY
Easy setup
8k 10" LCD screen
Effective air filtration system
Extra large resin vat
REASONS TO AVOID
Clunky proprietary slicer system
Longer cleanup
Anycubic Photon M3 Premium Review
The M3 Premium is a great resin printer for anyone looking to produce larger or high volume prints with good quality
Credit: Anycubic
RELATED: Best 3D Printers
Our Verdict
Anycubic has another hit on its hands with the M3 Premium. The print quality is fantastic, pushed higher than most resin predecessors by an upgraded light source and 8k screen that's also 10 inches across. That gives you a lot of space to work with, and its detail is exceptional with a 28.5 micron XY pixel resolution. That's about a third the width of a human hair. If you've got the constitution to work with a resin based printer there are really many better options out there, and at this price point, it should be accessible to a good percentage of the amateur and pro-maker community alike.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product Anycubic Photon M3 Premium | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  Best Overall 3D Printer | Also Great |  Best Bang for the Buck | Best for Tight Budgets | |
| Price | $639 List | $699 List | $699 List | $359 List | $236 List |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | Tech is king in the resin printer world, and the new tech on the M3 Premium makes it worthy of consideration | A great affordable offering from one of the industry's best new brands | The M5 is the first release from Anker's new 3D printer arm, AnkerMake. Its a fun and jazzy tech-forward product with a bright future | A feature-rich, economical option for hobbyists and cost-conscious professionals looking to dip their toes in the world of 3D printing | This printer is one of our favorites for those shopping on tighter budgets and don't mind a little tinkering to get it printing perfectly |
| Rating Categories | Anycubic Photon M3... | Bambu Lab P1P | AnkerMake M5 | Anycubic Vyper | Creality 3D Ender 3... |
| Print Quality (40%) | |||||
| Ease of Use (30%) | |||||
| Print Capabilities (20%) | |||||
| Support (10%) | |||||
| Specs | Anycubic Photon M3... | Bambu Lab P1P | AnkerMake M5 | Anycubic Vyper | Creality 3D Ender 3... |
| Build Volume (XxYxZ) | 219x123x250mm | 256x256x256mm | 235×235×250mm | 245x245x260mm | 200x200x250mm |
| Maximum Extruder Temperature | N/A | 300 ℃ | 260°C | 260°C | 255°C |
| Layer Cooling Fan? | N/A | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Heated Bed | N/A | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Build Plate Material | Aluminum | Magnetic Dual-Sided Textured PEI | PEI Soft Magnetic Steel | Removable magnetic spring steel, scratch resistant | Aluminium build plate with a magnetic course plastic sticker |
| Maximum Bed Temperature | N/A | 100°C | 100°C | 110°C | 110°C |
| Compatible with Third-Party Materials? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Included Nozzle sizes | N/A | .4 mm | .4 mm | .4 mm | .4 mm |
| Print layer resolution | .03 mm | .1 - .4 mm | .1 - .4 mm | .1 mm | .1 - .4 mm |
| Filament Size | 405 nm resin | 1.75mm | 1.75 mm | 1.75 mm | 1.75 mm |
| PLA? | N/A | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ABS? | N/A | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Network Printing | Yes | Yes | Yes | Available with 3rd party products | No |
| Standalone (SD card or USB drive) Printing | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
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Our Analysis and Test Results
Anycubic continues to impress with its product releases and consistent tech upgrades. The 8k XY resolution is industry-leading, seen only in a few other printers currently, and it's making for some of the best quality prints we've ever seen.
Performance Comparison
The Anycubic M3 Premium and it's UV shield.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Print Quality
The M3 Premium produces 3d models with some of the best print quality we've tested. Resin printers are capable of producing finer and more detailed prints than FDM. But, resin is still inherently much messier and more labor intensive. Though, as the tech progresses, higher-end models like the M3 are hard to ignore.
Our starting benchmark test prints are about showing minor imperfections, made clear in geometrically perfect shapes. We're very impressed overall. Flat walls are only warped on the thinnest features, and points and corners are super sharp.
A selection of the M3's prints, showing fantastic resolution and quality.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Our realistic and hyper-detailed miniature models (an Eiffel Tower and an icebreaker ship) blew our minds. Every detail is defined and separated. Even the most minute cross beams and the tower's spire came out well.
Ease of Use
Because this is a resin printer, you're going to spend time filtering sticky resin, which lowers the M3 Premium's score, but it is not at all unexpected for this type of printer.
Navigating the menu on the Photon M3 Premium.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
One good point is that the M3 Premium is easy to level the build plate on. Once everything is cleaned, you use the tried and true method of getting the friction just right with a piece of paper between the build plate and LCD screen and tighten a couple of screws. We're also happy to note that everything is easy to assemble. Attach and level the build plate, screw on the vat, plug in the air filters, and screw on the antenna.
WiFi hardware capability is there. We're sure they'll launch that connectivity feature soon.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Print Capabilities
As mentioned, the 8K resolution LCD screen is the big thing to focus on here. And it's 10", making this a very capable mid-sized printer able to produce quite a few side-by-side prints for better production output. The 219x123x250mm volume of the M3 rivals that of many FDM options now.
Chitubox is the resin slicer we prefer to use, and it works with the M3, but their proprietary slicing software is the Anycubic Photon Workshop. Frankly, it's clunky, and it doesn't do well on some very important features, like hallowing out prints or creating drainage holes. It feels slow and needs some polishing, but nothing is especially egregious.
A screenshot from Anycubic's proprietary slicer software.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Support
Anycubic is middle-of-the-road with its product support. We wish there were more video support specifically. They don't have a US-based phone number that we could find, and the e-mail correspondence took about a week to get back to us. When they did, they were helpful and happily sent us a few replacement parts we requested. Their one year warranty is pretty standard.
Should You Buy the Anycubic M3 Premium?
The M3 and a few other players out there have a top of the line LCD screen. The print outputs will be stellar, and the plate is big enough to do a bunch simultaneously. You really can't ask for more with a resin option. Around this price point there are a few good options, so you can't go wrong as long as the number of dollars doesn't scare you away.
The Anycubic Photon M3 Premium had some of the best print quality of any resin printer.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
What Other 3D Printer Should You Consider?
So the Photon M3 Premium is a direct competitor to Elegoo's new release, the Saturn 2 - both have 8k resolution, identical build volumes, and are comparable in price.
On the FDM side, the Prusa i3 MK3S+ is the best all-around option we've found, but you'll pay for the pleasure of using it. We're more partial to the Anycubic Vyper — a solid printer at a more reasonable price. Our recommendation for a great beginner printer (and one that's particularly friendly for public maker spaces and classrooms) is the FlashForge Adventurer 3 — it won't break the bank and is super easy to use.—
Matt Spencer and Kyle Hameister
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