The A2L is essentially a bigger A1. They share the same open-frame bed-slinger design, the same 300°C direct-drive nozzle, the same 500 mm/s top speed, and the same AMS lite multi-color system. Neither has an enclosure or a heated chamber, so both are PLA, PETG and TPU machines, not ABS or engineering-material printers.
What actually changes is size. The A2L's 330 × 320 × 325 mm bed is roughly 105% larger by volume than the A1's 256 mm cube. If bed size has been your bottleneck, the A2L is the cheapest way to fix it in the Bambu ecosystem. Its bed tops out at 80°C against the A1's 100°C, which matters little for the PLA and PETG both machines are built for.
The A2L accepts an optional $69 Cutting Upgrade Kit that mounts a drag-knife module (plus a pen module) on the toolhead. It works like a Cricut: cut vinyl, stickers, cardstock and paper, or draw with the pen, all on the same machine. The A1 cannot take it; within Bambu's lineup only the H2 series (from $1,199) shares the kit. For makers, classrooms and small craft businesses, a large-format 3D printer that doubles as a cutting plotter is a genuine two-in-one.
The A2L also takes up to four box-style AMS units plus one AMS lite at the same time, for up to 19 colors; the A1 takes either one AMS lite or up to four box-style AMS units via the A Series AMS Hub, not both together. Both are single-nozzle machines, so multi-color still uses purge-and-swap, expect more waste on color-heavy models.
If you print large, easily. The extra 105% of build volume justifies the $170 difference for anyone who regularly hits the A1's 256 mm limit, and the optional cutting plotter is a capability the A1 simply doesn't have. If you know you'll only ever print smaller parts and don't want the plotter, the A1 stays the cheaper, perfectly capable pick. Both handle the same PLA/PETG/TPU materials with the same quality.