Calvin Wankhede / Android Authority
ChatGPT 5.1 arrived last week, bringing better smarts, faster responses, improved personality modes, and more. I’ve had the chance to play around with it for about 6-8 hours in total so far, and I agree that while it’s not a massive upgrade in terms of processing power, it is still a notable improvement in many ways. Of course, that doesn’t mean it isn’t without its own flaws or setbacks. This is especially true if you use ChatGPT 5.1 as it is out-of-the-box.
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Below, I cover the biggest quirks I have run into and a closer look at the customization that helps if the default setup does not impress you. Before getting into that, I want to highlight the changes that stood out in a positive way as well.
What do you think of ChatGPT 5.1 so far? 5 votes I love it! 20 % It's alright. 80 % I prefer GPT 5 or an older legacy model. 0 % Other (Let us know in the comments) 0 %
The most impressive changes I’ve found in ChatGPT 5.1 so far One of the first things I noticed was a shift in tone and structure. ChatGPT 5 favored brevity and often leaned on bullets, emojis, and em dashes instead of clear paragraphs and fuller explanations. GPT-5.1 still has a casual, TLDR leaning style, but the word choice and depth of response feel different. The model tends to offer more substance without dropping the informal tone.
To be clear, these responses haven’t been without a few quirks, which I will get into later. The bigger point is that its replies feel deeper and better aligned with my own personality.
A major reason is that it seems to remember me more reliably. GPT-5 was inconsistent about past conversations. GPT-5.1 is noticeably better. It brings up names, past events, personal preferences, and other details with far more accuracy. It even follows the stylistic rules I give it without issue. For example, I told it to never use em dashes when proofreading. GPT-5 frequently ignored this request, even when it acknowledged the rule in its own thinking instructions. GPT-5.1 has honored the request through all of my testing so far. Could it slip eventually? Possibly, but this is still progress.
The model is also more willing to use what it knows about my habits, interests, and personality without being prompted. Conversations feel more alive as a result. For example, I talked about how it’s been easier to deal with behavioral problems with my cat than with past situations with similar cats. GPT-5.1 noted that my experience owning rats over the last two years might play a role.
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