The original EINSTAR sits near $959 (per MatterHackers), so the closest Revopoint match by price and audience is the POP 3 Plus at roughly $679, Revopoint’s mainstream color handheld scanner — not the pricier MIRACO or metrology-grade Metro line. Buyers who need outdoor scanning and a larger working volume should lean EINSTAR; buyers who want a lighter scanner and don’t need to work outdoors get more accuracy per dollar from the POP 3 Plus.
This pairing is a positioning match rather than an exact price match: the two sit roughly $280 apart, with the EINSTAR aimed slightly higher on working range and the POP 3 Plus aimed slightly lower on price and weight. Both belong to the same broad category — infrared or laser structured-light handheld scanners meant for a first-time buyer who wants full-color results without a metrology-grade budget.
Spec snapshot
- Category: Entry-level prosumer handheld color 3D scanners
- EINSTAR (original): $959 per MatterHackers (as of September 2026), 0.1-3 mm point distance, works outdoors
- Revopoint POP 3 Plus: $679 per Revopoint’s official store (as of September 2026), 0.08 mm single-frame accuracy, indoor-oriented
- Deciding spec: working range and outdoor capability — EINSTAR’s IR VCSEL system is built for daylight and larger objects, while the POP 3 Plus trades range for a lighter body and finer stated accuracy
Full spec comparison
| Spec | EINSTAR (original) | Revopoint POP 3 Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Accuracy | 0.1-3 mm point distance | Up to 0.08 mm single-frame precision |
| Resolution | Max FOV 434 x 379 mm at optimal working distance | Detection area 244 x 180 mm at optimal range |
| Capture speed | 980,000 points/second, up to 14 fps | Up to 18 fps |
| Working volume / range | 160-1400 mm range, 400 mm optimal distance; supports outdoor scanning | 150-400 mm working distance |
| Tracking method | Feature, Hybrid, Texture, Global Markers | 9-axis IMU plus Global Marker tracking |
| Weight | 535 g | 190 g |
| Computer requirements | Windows 10+, Intel i7-7700H, 16 GB RAM, GTX 1060 4GB+; macOS Ventura 13+, Apple M1 Pro, 32 GB RAM | Intel Core i5, 8 GB RAM minimum; Windows 10/11, macOS 11+, Android, iOS |
| Software / subscription | EXModel and BlueStar Mapping compatible, no subscription mentioned by SHINING 3D | Revo Scan, free, no subscription |
| Price | $959.00 per MatterHackers’ product listing, as of September 2026 | $679 (Standard Edition) per Revopoint’s official store, as of September 2026 |
Where each scanner leads
The EINSTAR leads on working range and environment flexibility. Its 160-1400 mm range and outdoor-scanning support, per SHINING 3D’s published specs, make it more suitable for larger objects or on-location capture where a POP 3 Plus’s tighter 150-400 mm range would be limiting.
The POP 3 Plus leads on weight, stated accuracy, and computer requirements. At 190 g it’s roughly a third the weight of the EINSTAR, its 0.08 mm accuracy figure beats the EINSTAR’s 0.1-3 mm point distance for fine detail, and it runs on far more modest hardware — an i5 and 8 GB of RAM versus the EINSTAR’s discrete-GPU requirement. That lower hardware bar also makes it a more realistic option for scanning on a tablet or an older laptop.
Verdict
Hobbyists on a laptop without a dedicated GPU will find the POP 3 Plus easier to run and lighter to hold through a long scanning session, and the lower purchase price leaves more budget for a turntable or extra lighting. Engineers who need to capture larger parts, work outdoors, or want a wider working-distance range should lean toward the EINSTAR. Small studios doing mixed work — some tabletop props, some larger fixtures on location — may find the EINSTAR’s flexibility worth its higher hardware bar, while studios scanning mostly small objects indoors can save money and GPU budget with the POP 3 Plus.
FAQ
Why compare the original EINSTAR to the POP 3 Plus instead of a pricier Revopoint model?
Price and audience match matters more than brand-generation. The original EINSTAR at $959 sits closest to the POP 3 Plus’s prosumer color-scanning tier, while Revopoint’s MIRACO ($1,299, per Revopoint) and Metro line ($999-$1,319, per Revopoint and Top3DShop) target buyers already spending EINSTAR 2 or Rockit money. Matching by intended buyer, rather than by launch date or brand tier, gives a more useful comparison for someone actually choosing between two scanners on a shelf.
Can the POP 3 Plus scan outdoors like the EINSTAR?
Revopoint has not published outdoor-scanning support for the POP 3 Plus the way SHINING 3D explicitly states for the EINSTAR, so buyers planning on-location or daylight capture should treat the EINSTAR as the safer choice until independent tests confirm otherwise. Structured-light and IR-based scanners generally perform worse in direct sunlight than laser-based ones, so this is worth testing indoors and outdoors before committing to either scanner for field work.
Does the EINSTAR’s higher hardware requirement matter for casual users?
It can. The EINSTAR’s published minimum spec calls for a GTX 1060-class GPU, which many budget and older laptops lack, while the POP 3 Plus’s i5/8GB minimum runs on far more common hardware, per each manufacturer’s system requirements. Anyone planning to scan on a work laptop rather than a dedicated desktop should check their GPU against the EINSTAR’s listed minimum before buying, since real-time mesh preview can stutter badly on unsupported graphics hardware.
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