3D printers are amazing because they can turn your digital files into physical objects. There are various options out there when it comes to this additive manufacturing such as Phrozen Sonic Mini Vs Anycubic Photon S. These popular low-cost models are very much similar to each other when it comes to performance but, there might be some differences as well and, do check below before making a purchase because it is best to know at least a little bit of your option.
In this article, we are going to give you information about:
- Are You Currently Looking for a 3D Printer
- What are Phrozen Sonic Mini and Anycubic Photon S
- What Phrozen Sonic Mini and Anycubic Photon S Look Like
- How are the Specification of Phrozen Sonic Mini and Anycubic Photon S
- What Phrozen Sonic Mini and Anycubic Photon S can offer
- Phrozen Sonic Mini Vs Anycubic Photon S
3D Printers
Computers are very useful because they are convenient and smart to process various information at once. One of its useful functions is we can create digital files using the built in tool or external hardware connected and in certain software to make either document or design of something. Most of us are familiar with document creator or image and video editing software in which the result can be enjoyed directly or sent into another device or medium for viewing or playback and storing.
While computers are where the digital file is made and modified, they can turn’t these files into a physical object that can be touched or alter its shape and quality which is why a printer is invented to take your design into something we can actually observe directly. Paper and similar printing is the most common that almost every user has their own just for convenience; mostly student and home office owner. While paper can take 2D files, we will need a more complex and expensive tool to transform your 3D design.
| Phrozen Sonic Mini | Anycubic Photon S | |
|---|---|---|
  |   |
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| Product Dimensions | 16.1 x 16 x 17.8 inches | 17.8 x 15.9 x 16.1 inches |
| Shipping Weight | 11.7 pounds | 19.4 pounds |
| Best offer | Check price | Check price |
Because they are more expensive and not everyone will benefit from having one, only hobbyists or those who will turn their prototype into a physical unit before mass producing them are interested to have one. Besides price, which we are sure everyone has their own budget range to consider, the most important factor to decide before any new user buys a 3D printer is their technology. Usually, the general public is more familiar with FDM style as it is what most hobbyists are using as well.
The method of this printer used in order to produce an object is very similar in a way of a fine pen drawing a design on top of paper. It needs filament which is solid at first but it will be heated by the printer then ejected through a fine needle to build each layer of your design. In comparison to the rest typical types, FDM is the fastest in terms of finishing a design as they work rapidly but, they are not the best if your design needs detailed results.
For those who are aiming to get into details more such as when printing action figures or toys like spaceships with tons of crooks and small details, SLA and MSLA are two most common types to choose. They are very similar to each other and instead of using solid filament, we are going to need photosensitive liquid resin here. The difference between the two is there is an LCD screen in MSLA which exposes all areas that should be hardened with UV light simultaneously while masking the areas that should not be hardened.
About Phrozen Sonic Mini and Anycubic Photon S
All of these common technologies are easily available on various brands and various models of 3D printers out there. The amount however, is still not as massive as the common paper printer but, it still can be a very time consuming task to choose and consider them one by one. If you are here then it means a resin 3D printer is what you look for and for resin, there are also plenty of good options to choose starting at around $200 to those in thousands.
If you want to start low first, it is good to select from models below $500 because chances are they are already working really well both in convenience and reliability while built volume is probably a little bit more limited. When talking about good, affordable resin 3D printers, Phrozen and Anycubic are two pretty well-known names in the market, especially the latter. These companies are two great start if what you look for are affordable, reliable, but also long lasting printers.
Just like any brands, they carry several models in their catalogue and for home use or smaller applications, Phrozen Sonic Mini and Anycubic Photon S are two ideal models to consider. These printers are great to sit on your table top and fairly compact for a regular workshop room as the built volume is limited as well but, in our opinion most hobbyists can create lots of items from these two whether it is a model of your product or parts for what you are currently building.
In comparison, Phrozen is a fairly new competitor in this price range because we have been seeing Anycubic, Elegoo, or Epax which one of its favorite model you can check in our Epax X1 Vs Anycubic Photon being talked as best choice for affordable resin printers. It seems that you can hope to see much from the Sonic Mini as well because quite a lot of people have been enjoying its performance yet, we also think it is more comparable to original Photon than Photon S.
Phrozen Sonic Mini and Anycubic Photon S Design
For some people, build quality is probably not in their factors to consider when buying a new product but this is one of the first things we notice in Phrozen Sonic Mini and Anycubic Photon S. For the original Photon owner, the machine’s housing is full metal despite the low cost but this S model is changed into plastic so we may need to be more careful when transporting or handling them. This is the same as Sonic Mini but this model has a completely different housing which is more of a cover or lid.
For the rest of their components, you can find almost everything to start with them but, note that of you pick Sonic Mini, there is no resin in this box thus, we have to purchase it along while Anycubic do gave you a bottle of ready to use resin with the Photon S. For the vat, formerly Phrozen gave a translucent compartment but now they are using a metal vat which is seen as better by many but some may want the older transparent back, so it is all about preference.
Phrozen Sonic Mini and Anycubic Photon S Specification
When buying a printer, make sure to consider their printing volume first especially if you plan to create something larger but for Phrozen Sonic Mini and Anycubic Photon S the build capacity should be enough for common application which mostly revolve around decorative products. The objects we can build are measured at 4.4-inch in length, 2.6-inch in width, and 5.1-inch in height compared to 4.5-inch in length, 2.5-inch in width, and 6.4-inch in height. They also use the same 405nm photosensitive resin fluid.
They are also LCD based SLA printers which means there is an LCD below the vat which continuously exposes each layer but the XY resolution is different since the former is only a 1920×1080 compared to Photon S 2K or 2560×1440. When Photon S was first released, Chitubox can’t be used with it as they used non-public format but, now we can already use this massively loved slicer with the machine.
Phrozen Sonic Mini and Anycubic Photon S Performance
On technological difference, besides resolution, what set Phrozen Sonic Mini and Anycubic Photon S apart the most is probably the Z-axis dual linear rail design which is also an upgrade from the former Photon. This is what we usually look for in a more expensive model since this system ensures more reliable printing both resulting in a smooth surface as well as more detailed reconstruction. However, whether we can see it prominently in printing is another story because both of them are just very good.
We were prepared to see some bad results with Sonic Mini mostly because of its lower resolution but after some tweaks including leveling the bed, everything comes out good. Side by side we are not very sure we can tell the difference because they are amazing and have the same amount of detail or at least that is what our eyes can see. What’s even more impressive is Sonic Mini does perform really fast and even faster than many in its price range and certainly faster than Photon S.
The issue or more of an annoying thing we see in Sonic Mini is somehow the built plate is flat which many others are already using an angled surface so after done printing, we will need to hold this plate for a few seconds to several minutes to drain the resin before moving it to another place.
Phrozen Sonic Mini Vs Anycubic Photon S
Both of these printers are amazing in terms of performance and you will also get plenty of details from them. They are definitely not the best but for the price, are very satisfying especially Sonic Mini as not only it can print really well, the around 30% faster operation is what makes people love this model. The single rail system and lower resolution may sound like a problem but test print runs good as long as we have set the machine correctly.
Conclusion
All in all you can go well with any of them as we don’t see any bad option but, personally if you are planning to save some cost we highly recommend going with Sonic Mini as it is impressive for the price, even without upgrading.