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  5. Granite 4.2 8BvsMercury 2.5 Preview
Updated Aug 2026

Granite 4.2 8BvsMercury 2.5 Preview

Mercury 2.5 Preview is cheaper than Granite 4.2 8B at $0.04/M vs $0.1/M input tokens.

Granite 4.2 8B and Mercury 2.5 Preview compared across 54 shared prompts
SpecGranite 4.2 8BMercury 2.5 Preview
Input price$0.1/M tokens$0.04/M tokens
Output price$0.15/M tokens$0.15/M tokens
Context window131K tokens260K tokens
WeightsOpen—
Free API (OpenRouter)NoNo
ReleasedAug 2026Aug 2026
Side by side

Same prompt, both answers

Opening lines from 6 of the 54 prompts both answered. Formatting stripped, words untouched.

Generate a Stand-Up Routine

Write a 3-minute stand-up comedy routine that isn't based on puns.

Granite 4.2 8B880 words
Title: "The Modern Life Audit" (Light, conversational tone. Pause for laughter naturally. No puns—focus on relatable observations, hyperbole, and specific details.) (Start with a relaxed, slightly self-aware vibe.) "Okay, so I did this thing last week—I tried to audit my life. Not like a tax audit.
Read the full answer
Mercury 2.5 Preview483 words
(Hey, thanks for coming out.) I’ve been thinking a lot about my house lately. Specifically, how it’s trying to run my life. I bought a smart speaker. Just a little cylinder. I thought it would be nice. Play music when I ask. But now it talks back. Not in a creepy way, just in a passive-aggressive way.
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Futuristic Prediction

Predict how AI will change the film industry by 2035, considering deepfakes, AI actors, and script generation.

Granite 4.2 8B750 words
By 2035, AI is likely to transform the film industry in several interconnected ways, driven by deepfakes, AI actors, and script generation. Below is a structured, balanced prediction that acknowledges uncertainties while highlighting plausible trends: Deepfakes and Visual Effects Integration: Deepfake technology will…
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Mercury 2.5 Preview84 words
By 2035, cinema will undergo a profound transformation. Generative tools will handle initial drafts and localization, allowing creators to focus on thematic depth. Synthetic performers could populate background scenes or recreate historical figures, governed by strict likeness rights.
Read the full answer

Explain Like I'm a Specific Expert

Explain how a large language model (like GPT or Claude) learns and generates text to each of these three audiences: 1. **An experienced…

Granite 4.2 8B2,367 words
For the experienced software engineer (distributed systems/APIs background; skeptical of "predicting next words" producing intelligence) You’re right to be skeptical—calling it "predicting the next word" sounds trivial, and if it were just a naive lookup or fixed rule, it wouldn’t work reliably across diverse queries.
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Mercury 2.5 Preview608 words
For the Experienced Software Engineer Think of training as a massive distributed job where the model is a stateful service learning to minimize error on a specific objective function. Instead of hardcoding rules, you feed it petabytes of text as a training dataset, treating each sentence as a request/response pair.
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Character Voice Test

Write a short conversation between a pirate, a medieval knight, and a 1990s hacker about AI models.

Granite 4.2 8B473 words
Title: "AI Models: A Cross-Era Chat" Setting: A foggy, floating tavern in a whimsical multiverse. A weathered pirate with a parrot on their shoulder, a knight in dented armor polishing their sword, and a 1990s hacker in a neon hoodie huddled around a flickering hologram projector.
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Mercury 2.5 Preview144 words
Pirate: "Arrgh! This ship sails faster than any wind I know, matey. It cuts the waves without a single sail." Knight: "By my oath, it moves with uncanny speed. But does it possess the strength to stand against a dragon's fire?" Hacker: "It's not about strength, it's about architecture.
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Beginner's Longevity Plan

Outline a simple, actionable 1-month plan for someone starting their journey towards better health and longevity. Focus on 3 key areas…

Granite 4.2 8B532 words
(Simple, actionable, no jargon, no perfectionism—focus on one tiny habit per week per area. Total time commitment ≤30 mins/week total. Written as clear "Do this" steps. No supplements, no special equipment, no counting calories/macros. Prioritizes consistency over intensity.)
Read the full answer
Mercury 2.5 Preview176 words
Here is a straightforward 4-week roadmap designed to build sustainable habits without overwhelming you. Core Pillars Nutrition: Focus on whole foods and hydration. Activity: Prioritize consistent movement over intensity. Restoration: Protect sleep quality and manage energy.
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Michelin Star Recipe Design

Design an innovative recipe for a multi-component dish worthy of a Michelin 3-star restaurant. The recipe should feature an unusual…

Granite 4.2 8B3,131 words
Dish Title: Lumen Tide: Memory of the Surface Conceptual Narrative (concise, kitchen-ready, emotionally precise): *The ocean does not announce its presence with sound but with trace—a fleeting salt-film on skin after a wave recedes, the subtle crunch of dried kelp clinging to rock, the quiet swell beneath a submerged…
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Mercury 2.5 Preview748 words
Dish Title: Lithospheric Tides Conceptual Narrative This dish explores the geological convergence of the deep ocean and the subterranean earth. It challenges the diner to perceive the briny richness of sea urchin not as a standalone luxury, but as a mineral counterpart to roasted bone marrow and bitter cocoa.
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Our Verdict
Mercury 2.5 Preview
Mercury 2.5 Preview
Granite 4.2 8B
Granite 4.2 8BRunner-up

Not enough votes to call it. On the specs, Mercury 2.5 Preview has the edge: bigger model tier, bigger context window.

Too close to call

Reviewing agent-written code?See a Brief PR report

API pricing

Cost per 1M tokens

Granite 4.2 8B
Input
$0.10
Output
$0.15
Mercury 2.5 Preview
Input
$0.04
2.5× cheaper
Output
$0.15
Where to run it

3 hosts, cheapest first

Granite 4.2 8B2 hosts
HostInOutContextUptime
DDeepInfrabf16$0.06 in·$0.25 out·131k·100% upCCoreWeavebf16$0.10 in·$0.15 out·131k·100% up
Mercury 2.5 Preview1 host
HostInOutContextUptime
Inception$0.04 in·$0.15 out·260k·100% up

Per million tokens. Prices and uptime via OpenRouter, checked 16 Sep 2026.

Writing DNA

Style Comparison

Similarity
33%

Granite 4.2 8B uses 48.8x more emoji

Granite 4.2 8B
Mercury 2.5 Preview
49%Vocabulary65%
18wSentence Length14w
0.42Hedging0.44
2.2Bold4.9
1.9Lists3.3
0.49Emoji0.00
0.11Headings0.79
0.18Transitions0.20
Based on 26 + 26 text responses
Research

What we learned reading every model

FAQ

Common questions

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Model pages

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Granite 4.2 8B58 outputs, specs and price
Mercury 2.5 Preview logo
Mercury 2.5 Preview58 outputs, specs and price
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