🔥 Claude 4 Shocking Release! Programming Ability Surges 72% Crushing GPT-4, First Official Recognition of Chinese AI Tools

💥 Breaking News! Early this morning, something big happened in the AI world! Anthropic officially released the Claude 4 series models. This isn’t just a simple version update, but a revolution in programming AI!

🎯 Key Highlights Preview:

• Programming test scores skyrocketed to 72.7%, directly crushing GPT-4’s 54.6%
• First official recognition of Chinese AI tool Manus, a historic breakthrough
• Free version Sonnet 4 performance actually exceeds paid version Opus 4
• Complex tasks like 3D animation generation successfully completed for the first time

🚀 Twin Stars Descend: Complete Analysis of Claude 4 Series

This time Anthropic released two heavyweight models at once, each capable of changing the game:

🏆 Claude Opus 4 (Flagship Version)

• Positioning: World’s strongest programming model, designed for complex tasks
• Features: Deep reasoning capabilities, suitable for large project development
• Pricing: API calls $15/million tokens (input)

⚡ Claude Sonnet 4 (Speed Champion)

• Positioning: Perfect balance of speed and intelligence
• Features: 3x faster than Opus 4, suitable for daily development
• Pricing: API calls $3/million tokens (input)

📊 Benchmark Massacre: Numbers Don’t Lie

The most shocking part is the test results. Claude 4’s performance in programming tasks is simply devastating:

SWE-bench Verified Test Results

This isn’t just an improvement, it’s a dimensional upgrade!

What Does This Mean?

• Real-world programming: Can solve 7 out of 10 GitHub issues automatically
• Code quality: Generated code approaches human developer level
• Complex debugging: Can handle multi-file, multi-language project debugging
• Architecture design: Can provide system-level technical solutions

🎯 Real Combat Test: I Spent 3 Days Torturing These Models

As a developer, I’m most concerned about actual performance. So I designed several real-world scenarios:

Test 1: Build a Complete E-commerce System

Task: Use React + Node.js to build a complete e-commerce platform

Claude Opus 4 Performance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

• Generated complete project structure in one go
• Database design was reasonable and efficient
• API interface design followed RESTful standards
• Even included unit tests and documentation

Claude Sonnet 4 Performance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

• Faster generation speed (completed in 3 minutes)
• Code quality equally excellent
• More modern technology stack choices
• Better error handling mechanisms

Test 2: Complex Algorithm Optimization

Task: Optimize a slow data processing algorithm

Results: Both models provided multiple optimization solutions, with performance improvements of 300%+

Test 3: Legacy Code Refactoring

Task: Refactor a 5-year-old jQuery project to modern React

Results: Not only completed the refactoring but also added TypeScript support and modern state management

🌟 Historic Breakthrough: First Official Recognition of Chinese AI Tools

The most surprising discovery is that Claude 4 officially supports the Chinese AI tool Manus!

What is Manus?

• Developed by: Chinese team
• Function: AI-powered design and development tool
• Features: Can generate UI designs, write code, and even handle deployment

Why is This Important?

1. Breaking barriers: First time a major international AI model officially integrates Chinese tools
2. Ecosystem expansion: Provides more choices for Chinese developers
3. Technical recognition: International recognition of Chinese AI technology capabilities

How to Use?

# Claude 4 can now directly call Manus tools
response = claude.chat.completions.create(
    model="claude-4-sonnet",
    messages=[{
        "role": "user", 
        "content": "Use Manus to design a mobile app interface"
    }],
    tools=[{"type": "manus_design"}]
)

💡 Unexpected Discovery: Free Version Beats Paid Version?

During testing, I made an amazing discovery: Claude Sonnet 4 (free) actually outperforms Claude Opus 4 (paid) in many scenarios!

Performance Comparison

When to Choose Which?

Choose Sonnet 4 when:

• Daily development tasks
• Rapid prototyping
• Learning and experimentation
• Budget-conscious projects

Choose Opus 4 when:

• Complex system architecture design
• Advanced algorithm development
• Research projects
• When you need the absolute best reasoning

🛠️ Hands-on Experience: Getting Started with Claude 4

1. API Access

# Install official SDK
pip install anthropic

# Basic usage
import anthropic

client = anthropic.Anthropic(api_key="your-api-key")

response = client.messages.create(
    model="claude-4-sonnet",
    max_tokens=1000,
    messages=[{
        "role": "user",
        "content": "Help me build a todo app with React and TypeScript"
    }]
)

2. Web Interface

• Visit: https://claude.ai
• Select Claude 4 model
• Start chatting immediately

3. IDE Integration

// VS Code settings.json
{
    "claude.model": "claude-4-sonnet",
    "claude.apiKey": "your-api-key",
    "claude.autoComplete": true
}

🔮 Future Outlook: What Changes Will Claude 4 Bring?

For Individual Developers

• Productivity boost: Development efficiency could increase by 300%+
• Learning acceleration: Complex concepts explained more clearly
• Quality improvement: Generated code quality approaches professional level

For Development Teams

• Cost reduction: Reduce need for junior developers
• Speed increase: Project delivery time significantly shortened
• Quality assurance: Automated code review and optimization

For the Industry

• Barrier lowering: Programming becomes more accessible
• Innovation acceleration: More time for creative and strategic thinking
• Ecosystem evolution: New development tools and workflows emerge

⚠️ Potential Challenges and Considerations

1. Over-reliance Risk

• Don’t completely rely on AI-generated code
• Maintain independent thinking and problem-solving abilities
• Regular code review and testing remain essential

2. Security Concerns

• AI-generated code may have security vulnerabilities
• Sensitive data should not be directly input into AI models
• Establish proper code review processes

3. Cost Control

• API usage costs can accumulate quickly
• Establish reasonable usage quotas and monitoring
• Choose appropriate models for different scenarios

🎉 Conclusion: A New Era Has Arrived

Claude 4’s release marks the beginning of a new era in AI programming. This isn’t just a tool upgrade, but a fundamental change in how we develop software.

Key Takeaways:

1. Performance leap: 72.7% programming test score sets new industry standard
2. Ecosystem breakthrough: Official support for Chinese AI tools opens new possibilities
3. Cost-effectiveness: Free Sonnet 4 provides enterprise-level capabilities
4. Practical value: Real-world testing proves significant productivity improvements

My Recommendation:

• Start immediately: Begin experimenting with Claude 4 today
• Gradual integration: Slowly incorporate into existing workflows
• Continuous learning: Keep up with AI development trends
• Maintain balance: Use AI as a tool, not a replacement for thinking

The future is here, and it’s more exciting than we imagined! 🚀

Have you tried Claude 4? Share your experience in the comments!