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GPT Image 2.5 Sunburstvs.Hy Image 3.5 Preview

Which one is better?

In our own test, GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst leads. Hy Image 3.5 Preview has no arena rating yet. Hy Image 3.5 Preview has no API price.

Test images

Same task, the first image of each. The task with the biggest difference is preselected.

GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst: Product photography, first image from the fixed test run
GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst87 out of 100
Hy Image 3.5 Preview: Product photography, first image from the fixed test run
Hy Image 3.5 Preview15 out of 100

Result for “Product photography”:GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst ahead

Prompt given to both modelsCreate a square premium product photograph of a brushed titanium wristwatch standing upright on dark green marble. The watch has a cream dial, thin black hands set to 10:10, twelve distinct hour markers, a realistic crown, and a dark brown leather strap. Soft window light from the left, controlled reflections, shallow depth of field, no text, no logo, no extra objects.

What the rating looks at: Materials, reflections, and fine details.

“Ahead”: better in all three rating rounds. “Slightly ahead”: a higher value, but not in every round.

Test protocol of the images

Each test attempt uses the same archived prompt and one request. The first output of that attempt counts. Repeats after technical test failures are disclosed for the affected images. Files are normalized to 1,024 × 1,024 pixels without cropping. Provider resolution, randomness, quality tier and prompt processing can still differ. The images are a practical visual test, not a reconstruction of the arena configuration.

Character and detail

GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst: openai, 1024x1024, quality high, n=1, generated Sep 28, 2026, 8:51 PM. Source

Hy Image 3.5 Preview: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, resolution 1K, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.024000, generated Nov 2, 2026, 3:01 PM. Source

Protocol gradually-image-comparison-v1. Prompt SHA 256: 985a75b38642a9f0e5e0c0e0c67f1b7f67780d42bd2168fa24e9a7a7a94b0da6

GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst image SHA 256: 2bcd5e2358dbf9e2f11336ebf6c4a4a15e0a9a10261dd74378d40985ac68ec6d

Hy Image 3.5 Preview image SHA 256: 03261ac75753d1e9cab07ba1311aa4697e6b2c93af575780d40fd2b1d718cb70

Infographic

GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst: openai, 1024x1024, quality high, n=1, generated Sep 28, 2026, 8:52 PM. Source

Hy Image 3.5 Preview: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, resolution 1K, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.024000, generated Nov 2, 2026, 3:02 PM. Source

Protocol gradually-image-comparison-v1. Prompt SHA 256: ed65cb4e6a51e2336f8b149ad4cbb16e020f07d527ad94362e719d2dcf91d94f

GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst image SHA 256: 7dab94e5588be73aefe08f23f9d56ced4e2ddb2b29f754db41b057025cf34847

Hy Image 3.5 Preview image SHA 256: 953e4cae6dbff16ccb03179c9681395c41cd69c129c2656c0f134cf5058e1210

Product photography

GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst: openai, 1024x1024, quality high, n=1, generated Sep 28, 2026, 8:51 PM. Source

Hy Image 3.5 Preview: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, resolution 1K, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.024000, generated Nov 2, 2026, 3:01 PM. Source

Protocol gradually-image-comparison-v1. Prompt SHA 256: c67fd71e91304458a2feef5c91efa8677260fab0c0099a29a2c52cb579f5b2f3

GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst image SHA 256: c648276704e06f7925f2325e8ffff0d9d0a9bd6c5bb4866785abac92ce97ff9a

Hy Image 3.5 Preview image SHA 256: 8d1dba97e0e067970403a0632fd53ad20a566a96b2564f712c42855299bec14e

Typography and layout

GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst: openai, 1024x1024, quality high, n=1, generated Sep 28, 2026, 8:50 PM. Source

Hy Image 3.5 Preview: openrouter, aspect ratio 1:1, resolution 1K, n=1, seed=provider random, actual cost $0.024000, generated Nov 2, 2026, 3:01 PM. Source

Protocol gradually-image-comparison-v1. Prompt SHA 256: 2e012c3d14ee5dd02203a94f394ca80a5038cdebd6032b25a8b8a221f2255419

GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst image SHA 256: fd6a3767ba8253869cb94d5346f025541dac924c2190df2c37b366b182986cf8

Hy Image 3.5 Preview image SHA 256: e4eed56fff7004829fd7249f72597f0201bc4e0be033ccfad8987d8458585135

The numbers at a glance

Arena ratingfrom votes by users · higher is better
1,427

GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst

Rank 1 of 21

n/a

Hy Image 3.5 Preview

not in the arena

GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100 · higher is better
75

GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst

Rank 8 of 108

45

Hy Image 3.5 Preview

Rank 66 of 108

Price per imagedollars through the API · lower is better
$0.21

GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst

expensive

n/a

Hy Image 3.5 Preview

no API price

Ranks among the 21 image models with an arena rating and the 108 with a GraduallyBench run; prices compared with 28 models with an API price.

GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst

Subscription
No OpenAI subscription includes this model. Through other providers from ≈ €6.36 a month (ElevenLabs Starter, with limited credits). 62 plans in Germany.
Via API
$0.21 per image, 100 images $21.07.

Hy Image 3.5 Preview

Subscription
n/a No plan in Germany names exactly this model.
Via API
No API price known. Access: API.
Weights
unknown.

Subscriptions only count plans that name exactly this model. Subscription prices include VAT, API prices are in dollars.

Arena rating (LMArena) from Nov 6, 2026 · GraduallyBench from Nov 3, 2026 · API prices from Nov 6, 2026 · Subscription database from Sep 29, 2026 (38 days old)

All data side by side

The better value is bold. For ratings only when the gap is clear.

KennzahlGPT Image 2.5 SunburstHy Image 3.5 Preview
Ratings
Arena ratingfrom votes by users, higher is better1,427n/a
Arena rankRank 1 of 21n/a
Arena votesmore votes, a safer rating54,913n/a
GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 1007545
GraduallyBench by task
Typography and layoutLegible text, hierarchy, and composition5445
Product photographyMaterials, reflections, and fine details8715
Character and detailAnatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency6450
InfographicNumbers, labels, and visual organization9771
API price
Per imagelower is better$0.21n/a
100 images$21.07n/a
Profile
ReleasedSep 8, 2026Sep 22, 2026
Weightsopen means: runs locallyproprietaryunknown
Lifecycleno noticePublic preview; T2I, I2I, and multi-turn editing
AccessAPIAPI
Parametersnot publishednot published
Largest output3,840 × 2,160 pixelsnot consistently published
Plans in Germanynaming exactly this model62n/a

API prices for one image at 1,024 × 1,024 pixels according to Artificial Analysis.

Sources: GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst model source (verified Sep 24, 2026) · Hy Image 3.5 Preview model source, status source (verified Nov 1, 2026)

Arena ratings by category

From blind votes on LMArena. “Ahead” means the lead is clear.

No shared arena score in the stored snapshot

The stored benchmark database contains no measurement for GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst and Hy Image 3.5 Preview from the same arena and category. Older model versions are not used as substitutes.

More comparisons

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