Kind of on the fence between the two. I’m coming from a Neptune 3 Pro running Klipper and using Orcaslicer so either option would be a definite upgrade.
I was pretty dead-set on getting the P1S since I’ve heard how good the Bambu printers are for so long now, but now reading into the issues with privacy a bit more I’m somewhat skeptical. I’m pretty handy with networking so I’m sure I could set up some firewall rules to exempt it from phoning home while allowing me to use their slicer, but it’s still a concern of mine.
I’ve seen a lot of people here recommend the Qidi Q2, which uses Klipper and has all the same features as the P1S otherwise, so I’m looking into that a bit too. The P1S with AMS is for sale at Microcenter near me for $550, but the Qidi Q2 is at $650 (albeit with a filament drier) plus whatever the shipping would be. Should I pick up the P1S this weekend like I was intending or hold out for a sale on the Q2?
Though privacy is a concern, Bambu’s LAN mode seems to adequately address it (for now). The real concern with Bambu is the lack of freedom to go outside the Bambu ecosystem. You’re locked into a walled garden and subject to the whims of the company. They’re reasonably benevolent now, but lawsuits or product bans in NY or CA could see them singing a different tune in a not-hard-to-imagine dystopian future.
By contrast, QIDI is happy to let you own the printer that you bought. You can firewall it and it still works (without special LAN-mode shenanigans). You can use any slicer and it still works (without having to sneakernet files on flash media). You can load alternate firmware (even firmware you built yourself) and it still works (assuming you do it right). If those things are important to you, then they tend to make the QIDI a better overall value.