OpenAI has unveiled its latest suite of AI models— GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 Mini, and GPT-4.1 Nano—marking a significant leap in artificial intelligence capabilities. These models introduce enhancements in coding proficiency, instruction adherence, and long-context comprehension, all while offering improved efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
Key Enhancements in GPT-4.1
1. Expanded Context Window
GPT-4.1 models now support up to 1 million tokens in context, a substantial increase from GPT-4o’s 128,000-token limit. This expansion allows the models to process and understand extensive inputs, such as lengthy documents or complex codebases, more effectively.
2. Superior Coding Capabilities
On the SWE-bench Verified benchmark, GPT-4.1 achieved a score of 54.6%, outperforming GPT-4o by 21.4% and GPT-4.5 by 26.6%. This advancement positions GPT-4.1 as a leading model for coding tasks.
3. Enhanced Instruction Following
GPT-4.1 demonstrated a 10.5% improvement over GPT-4o on Scale’s MultiChallenge benchmark, reflecting its improved ability to understand and follow complex instructions accurately.
4. Improved Long-Context Comprehension
In the Video-MME benchmark, GPT-4.1 set a new state-of-the-art result by scoring 72.0% in the long, no subtitles category, surpassing GPT-4o by 6.7%. This indicates a significant enhancement in processing and understanding long-form content.
GPT-4.1 Capabilities – At a Glance
📚 1 Million Token Context Window
Handles massive inputs like long documents, books, or codebases.
💻 Superior Coding Skills
Achieved 54.6% on SWE-bench Verified – leading performance for programming tasks.
🎯 Improved Instruction Following
10.5% better than GPT-4o on MultiChallenge benchmark.
🧠 Advanced Long-Context Understanding
72% score in long-form content comprehension (Video-MME benchmark).
⚡ More Efficient & Cost-Effective
GPT-4.1 Mini: 83% cheaper and 2x faster than GPT-4o.
GPT-4.1 Nano: Ultra-low latency and ideal for lightweight tasks.
📈 Better Performance Across Benchmarks
Sets new state-of-the-art results in multiple evaluation categories.
🔁 Phasing Out Older Models
GPT-4 and GPT-4.5 to be retired in 2025 in favor of 4.1.
Introducing GPT-4.1 Mini and Nano
OpenAI has also released two streamlined versions of GPT-4.1:
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GPT-4.1 Mini: This model offers performance comparable to GPT-4o while reducing latency by nearly half and cutting costs by 83%, making it a cost-effective choice for developers.
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GPT-4.1 Nano: As the fastest and most affordable model in the lineup, GPT-4.1 Nano is ideal for tasks requiring low latency, such as classification or autocompletion. It boasts impressive scores of 80.1% on MMLU and 50.3% on GPQA benchmarks.
Transitioning from GPT-4 and GPT-4.5
With the introduction of GPT-4.1, OpenAI plans to phase out older models:
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GPT-4: Set to be retired from ChatGPT by April 30, 2025, with GPT-4o taking its place.
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GPT-4.5: The API preview will be discontinued by July 14, 2025, as GPT-4.1 offers improved or similar performance at a lower cost.
Final Thoughts
With GPT-4.1, OpenAI has once again pushed the boundaries of what’s possible in artificial intelligence. From massive context windows and improved coding skills to better instruction handling and efficiency, this model marks a major leap forward. The introduction of GPT-4.1 Mini and Nano also opens up AI access to a broader audience—offering powerful capabilities at a fraction of the cost and latency.
Whether you’re a developer, business owner, or tech enthusiast, GPT-4.1 provides the tools to build smarter applications and enhance productivity like never before. As older models are gradually phased out, it’s clear that the future of AI is faster, more capable, and more accessible—and it starts with GPT-4.1.
