Tina Huang. A clean tour of the current model landscape grouped by tier — flagships, lite models, mid-tier, specialized — with concrete picks for what each tier is actually good for. This is the "know your options before you route" half of the article, and Huang frames cost-vs-capability the same way the article does without leaning on benchmark hype.
Model names, pricing and capabilities change quickly. Use this for the decision pattern, then verify current model behavior before adopting it.
Compare flagship, lite, mid-tier and specialized models so routing decisions are based on task fit, cost and latency instead of brand preference.
None beyond the article — it's the know-your-options half before any routing work.
Last reviewed: May 18, 2026
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