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Claude's latest model is cheaper and faster than Sonnet 4 - and free

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Anthropic

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ZDNET's key takeaways

Anthropic launched its new Haiku 4.5 model.

The small model is faster and more cost-effective.

Haiku 4.5 is available for all Claude.ai free plans.

While large language models (LLMs) are what we most commonly associate with generative AI products, such as chatbots, small language models (SLMs) have their own perks, including lower costs and higher speeds. Leaning into these advantages, Anthropic is now launching a new small model: Haiku 4.5.

Also: I've tested free vs. paid AI coding tools - here's which one I'd actually use

Despite its smaller size, Haiku 4.5 demonstrated similar levels of coding performance on the SWE-bench verified to Claude Sonnet 4, which, when launched four months ago, Anthropic claimed was the world's best coding model. The company said Haiku 4.5 can even surpass Claude Sonnet 4 in tasks such as computer usage while being one-third the cost and twice the speed.

What this means for all Claude users

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