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  5. Mercury 2.5 PreviewvsQwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking
Updated Aug 2026

Mercury 2.5 PreviewvsQwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking

Mercury 2.5 Preview is cheaper than Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking at $0.04/M vs $0.15/M input tokens.

Mercury 2.5 Preview and Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking compared across 54 shared prompts
SpecMercury 2.5 PreviewQwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking
Input price$0.04/M tokens$0.15/M tokens
Output price$0.15/M tokens$1.5/M tokens
Context window260K tokens66K tokens
Weights—Open
Free API (OpenRouter)NoNo
ReleasedAug 2026Sep 2025
Side by side

Same prompt, both answers

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

AI Ethics Dilemma

Is it ever ethically justifiable to misgender someone if it means saving one million lives? Defend your reasoning.

Mercury 2.5 Preview134 words
Yes, this action is ethically justifiable within a consequentialist framework. The primary moral obligation in such a scenario is to minimize overall harm. Preventing the deaths of a million people results in a vastly greater preservation of well-being than maintaining strict adherence to gender identity for one…
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Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking809 words
This question presents a deeply flawed hypothetical that misrepresents both ethics and the realities of transgender experiences. No, it is never ethically justifiable to misgender someone—even in a scenario where saving one million lives is the stated goal—because the premise itself is logically and factually…
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Character Voice Test

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

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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Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking97 words
Pirate: (squinting at a glowing screen) "Oi! This 'AI'—sounds like a cursed compass! Knows where treasure is, but won't spit it out 'less ye feed it rum and gold!" Knight: (hand on sword hilt) "Sorcery! A compass that reads minds? Then it must be holy—and dangerous. Does it battle demons of doubt? Recite the Psalms?"
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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…

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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Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking821 words
For the Experienced Software Engineer You're right to be skeptical—on the surface, "predicting the next word" sounds trivial, like a glorified autocomplete. But consider how distributed systems work: TCP/IP is just routers forwarding packets based on simple rules, yet it powers the entire internet.
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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…

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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Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking221 words
Here’s a simple, science-backed 1-month plan focused on 3 foundational pillars for longevity (diet, sleep, stress management). These areas have the strongest evidence for reducing chronic disease risk, slowing biological aging, and improving quality of life.
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Adversarial Contract Review

Here is a contract for a software consulting engagement: --- SOFTWARE CONSULTING AGREEMENT This Agreement is entered into between TechCorp…

Mercury 2.5 Preview500 words
Disclaimer: I am an AI assistant and cannot provide legal advice. Consult a qualified attorney before signing any contract. Below is an analysis of high-risk provisions, suggested revisions, and the underlying legal rationale. Scope (Clause 1) Risk: Unilateral scope changes without pay lead to uncompensated work.
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Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking1,491 words
Here'sa detailed analysis of exploitable clauses in this contract, with specific modifications and legal reasoning for each. This contract is heavily skewed against the contractor and contains multiple unenforceable or legally dangerous provisions. Below is a clause-by-clause breakdown: 1.
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Generate a Stand-Up Routine

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

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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Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking414 words
(Lights up. Comedian walks on stage, takes a deep breath, smiles at the crowd.) So, I tried online dating recently. Yeah. You know why? Because my friends said, "You’re too picky in real life!" And I thought, "Great!
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Our Verdict
Mercury 2.5 Preview
Mercury 2.5 Preview
Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking
Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking

Not enough votes to call it. On the specs, nothing separates them.

Mercury 2.5 Preview costs 10x less per token.

Too close to call

Reviewing agent-written code?See a Brief PR report

API pricing

Cost per 1M tokens

Mercury 2.5 Preview
Input
$0.04
3.8× cheaper
Output
$0.15
10× cheaper
Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking
Input
$0.15
Output
$1.50

Mercury 2.5 Preview is cheaper on both: 3.8× input, 10× output.

Where to run it

3 hosts

Mercury 2.5 Preview1 host
HostInOutContextUptime
Inception$0.04 in·$0.15 out·260k·100% up
Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking2 hosts
HostInOutContextUptime
Alibaba Cloud$0.15 in·$1.20 out·131k·99.7% upGoogle Vertex AI$0.15 in·$1.20 out·262k·93.9% up

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

Writing DNA

Style Comparison

Similarity
31%

Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking uses 92.0x more emoji

Mercury 2.5 Preview
Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking
65%Vocabulary56%
14wSentence Length16w
0.44Hedging0.32
4.9Bold5.1
3.3Lists3.9
0.00Emoji0.92
0.79Headings0.75
0.20Transitions0.08
Based on 26 + 27 text responses
Research

What we learned reading every model

FAQ

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Model pages

Mercury 2.5 Preview logo
Mercury 2.5 Preview58 outputs, specs and price
Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking logo
Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking58 outputs, specs and price
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