GPT-5.6 Sol (Xhigh) vs Solar Mini 4
Which is better for the money: GPT-5.6 Sol (Xhigh) by OpenAI or Solar Mini 4 by Upstage? Intelligence, total benchmark cost, and end-to-end time from Artificial Analysis & other sources, snapshot 2026-10-25.
Trade-off
Verdict
Depends on your budget
GPT-5.6 Sol (Xhigh) scores 19.9 points higher (44.0 vs 24.1) but costs 4.1× as much to run the benchmark ($2082 vs $502; flagship vs premium cost classes). They are not alternatives at one budget: pick GPT-5.6 Sol (Xhigh) when you need intelligence above 24.1, and Solar Mini 4 when 24.1 is enough.
| Metric | GPT-5.6 Sol (Xhigh) | Solar Mini 4 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intelligence (higher is better) | 44.0 | 24.1 | −45.2% Solar Mini 4 is 45.2% less intelligent |
| Total AA cost (lower is better) | $2,082.28 | $502.02 | −75.9% Solar Mini 4 is 75.9% cheaper |
| End-to-end time (lower is better) | 37.03s | 23.10s | −37.6% Solar Mini 4 is 37.6% faster |
| Price per 1M tokens (in / out) | $4.00 / $20.0 | $0.10 / $0.40 | |
| Input modalities | Text, Image | Text |
Solar Mini 4 vs GPT-5.6 Sol (Xhigh): 45.2% less intelligence, 75.9% less cost to run the AA benchmark, and 37.6% faster end-to-end.
Today's Pareto frontier
Against the frontier
- GPT-5.6 Sol (Xhigh) is off the frontier: at the same or lower cost, GPT-6.1 Sol (Max) scores 51.80 for $1082.
- Solar Mini 4 is off the frontier: at the same or lower cost, GPT-6.1 Sol (Medium) scores 47.80 for $361.
GPT-5.6 Sol (Xhigh)Solar Mini 4Today's Pareto frontierEvery other model
Matchup
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Accept: text/markdown or ?format=md returns this page as Markdown. JSON: /api/v1/compare/gpt-5-6-sol-xhigh/solar-mini4 · Markdown: /api/v1/compare/gpt-5-6-sol-xhigh/solar-mini4?format=md · llms.txt · agent skill