Claude 4 Opus and Sonnet: Dive into Anthropic’s latest generation of artificial intelligence

May 22, 2025, marked a turning point in the field of artificial intelligence, with the launch by Anthropic of its new generation of models, dubbed Claude 4. Comprised of two distinct segments, Claude 4 Opus and Claude 4 Sonnet, this family aims to further improve the user experience of chatbots. While Opus is aimed at professional users and requires subscriptions, Sonnet is available free of charge to everyone. With these recent technological advances, Anthropic strengthens its leadership position in the coding market and addresses the challenges of automation.

Discovering the Claude 4 Opus and Sonnet models

The latest iteration of Anthropic’s models offers significant improvements over their predecessors, Claude 3 and Sonnet 3.7. Claude 4 Opus is presented as the most sophisticated model, highlighting its superior performance, particularly in coding. 2.1 Claude 4 Opus: An Unparalleled Advance

Described by the firm as “the best coding model in the world,” Claude 4 Opus excels at complex tasks that require long-term thinking. It has the ability to work continuously for several hours while integrating memory that allows it to master long-term projects. This model stands out in particular for:

Coding Capabilities:

• It boasts an exceptional success rate of 72.5% on complex benchmarks, placing it well ahead of other models like GPT-4.1. Multitasking Performance:
• Its ability to juggle multiple tasks while maintaining accuracy makes it a valuable ally for professionals. Memorization:
• It can remember instructions across multiple interactions, improving dialogue continuity. 2.2 Claude 4 Sonnet: A Pragmatic Balance

Claude 4 Sonnet, while not as powerful as Opus, has been thoughtfully designed to provide a smooth and intuitive user experience. It strikes a balance between performance and usability, suitable for users seeking effective assistance without investing in a premium plan. Here are its strengths:

Accessibility:

• Sonnet 4 is available for free, paving the way for greater adoption by small businesses and freelancers. Flexibility:
• The model is controllable, allowing users to define the tone and level of detail of its responses. Coding Performance:
• Although it lags slightly behind, it still achieves a success rate of 72.7% on coding tasks, rivaling other industry giants. 2.3 A Comparison with Competitive Models

To highlight the performance of Claude 4, Anthropic has published comparative benchmarks. These results illustrate that while Claude 4 Opus and Sonnet do not dominate all domains, they are particularly competitive in the coding sector.

Model

Beyond the intrinsic improvements of the Opus and Sonnet models, Anthropic has enhanced Claude with a series of innovative features aimed at optimizing the user experience and increasing the effectiveness of interactions.

3.1 Expanded Learning Tools

One of the most notable new features is the integration of external tools in beta mode. Claude models can now move from independent thinking to using tools like web search:

Improved responses:

• Access to real-time information allows for more accurate and enriched responses. Command execution:
• The ability to use multiple tools in parallel allows models to handle more complex requests. Instruction Tracking:
• A cornerstone of this update, the ability to follow specific instructions has been improved, enhancing the relevance of responses. 3.2 API and New Capabilities

The new Anthropic API model is designed for developers, offering increased flexibility to automate certain repetitive tasks. Key features include:

Code Execution:

• Ability to code live, facilitating application development. MCP Connector:
• A tool for automating specific tasks. File Management:
• Allows you to work on embedded files more smoothly. Request History:
• Requests are stored to optimize request processing for up to one hour, reducing wait times. Feature

4.1 How to Activate Claude 4 Opus

To benefit from the advanced features of Claude 4 Opus, users must subscribe to a Pro plan. Here are the steps to activate this model:

Visit the Claude interface.

Locate the model selector in the bottom right corner of the prompt bar.

1. Select the Opus 4 model.
2. 4.2 How to Activate Claude 4 Sonnet
3. For those who prefer the free version, the process is just as simple:

Access the Claude interface.

Use the same template selector.

1. Choose Sonnet 4.
2. Older templates such as Sonnet 3.7, Opus 3, and Haiku 3.5 remain available through the same interface, offering a wider selection for users who wish to explore a variety of options.
3. Claude Code: A New Era for Development

In February 2025, Anthropic also launched Claude Code, an initiative that radically changes the development landscape for professionals. This tool provides contextual code suggestions, automatically corrects detected errors, and offers support to developers in their projects.

5.1 Claude Code Setup and Accessibility

Initially limited to a limited number of users, Claude Code is now accessible to all developers, regardless of experience level. IDE Support:

Integrated into development environments such as VS Code and JetBrains.

Discussion Threads on GitHub:

• Direct interactions with projects on this platform, providing real-time solutions. Contextual Help:
• Intelligent assistance that adapts to the context of use allows developers to focus on what’s truly important. 5.2 Towards Learning Automation
• Claude Code also integrates machine learning features, allowing developers to go beyond simple error correction. This opens the door to new opportunities to automate web development, reduce repetitive tasks, and improve overall efficiency. Features

Description

Automatic Suggestions