nthropic models continue to grow in popularity among AI enthusiasts. Now, the latest upgrade from Anthropic gives existing users a better deal and gives regular folks new reasons to try AI.

On Tuesday, Anthropic rolled some of its latest capabilities into its less expensive mid-tier model, Claude Sonnet. With the launch of Sonnet 4.6, Anthropic has brought many of the latest AI superpowers from its flagship model, Opus 4.6, into its mid-tier option.

But the real story is two-fold:

• First, a lot of the latest strengths from Opus 4.6 (coding, working with agents, better accuracy, and searching big data sets) are now available at 40% discount to the price for Opus tokens. However, Opus is still better at deep reasoning and solving the most difficult and ambiguous problems.
• Second, Anthropic is now pushing Sonnet 4.6 as the technology that can do more than help developers debug their websites, offering everyone agents to help power through their to-do lists. For example, the Sonnet 4.6 launch video shows the Claude agent using the technology to renew a car registration, file an expense report, update a presentation, and reschedule a delivery date.

Companies like Box that have been testing Sonnet 4.6 have reported strong real-world benefits:

If you're confused by all of the different names of the Anthropic AI models, then here's a quick refresher. There are always three tiers, and the names themselves are a dead giveaway for the differences, since they are based on literary metaphors.

• Opus: The most powerful and expensive model is for multi-step reasoning, advanced coding, and long-horizon agentic work with complex problems
• Sonnet: The mid-tier model is the most versatile and the default option, as it's designed to balance speed, power, and costs; it can handle the most diverse set of tasks
• Haiku: This lightweight model is aimed purely at speed and economy and is best for basic question-and-answer queries, summarization, classifying content and lightweight chats

Our Deeper View

It's encouraging to see Anthropic create an easier interface within its Claude app to allow non-techies to take advantage of the power of AI agents. That's where Claude Cowork comes in, and Sonnet 4.6 feels primed to help regular people do even more with this tool. On the other end of the spectrum are the hardcore AI enthusiasts, represented by the early adopters of OpenClaw. These folks are burning through tokens (and dollars) to keep their personal AI agents doing work for them, often powered by Opus 4.6. They're likely to be thrilled to use Sonnet 4.6 for many of those tasks and save a bunch of money.