Qwen-Image-2.1vs.SenseNova U1.5 Lite

Which one is better?

In our own test both are on par. SenseNova U1.5 Lite has no arena rating yet. Neither has an API price.

Test images

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

Qwen-Image-2.1: Typography and layout, first image from the fixed test run — Qwen-Image-2.154 out of 100

SenseNova U1.5 Lite: Typography and layout, first image from the fixed test run — SenseNova U1.5 Lite93 out of 100

Result for “Typography and layout”:SenseNova U1.5 Lite ahead

Prompt given to both modelsCreate a square editorial poster for an imaginary night train called MONDFALTER. Show the exact German headline MONDFALTER and the exact subline BERLIN NACH LISSABON. Use a restrained midnight-blue and warm-cream palette, one stylized moth, strong Swiss-grid typography, generous negative space, and no additional words or logos.

What the rating looks at: Legible text, hierarchy, and composition.

“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

Qwen-Image-2.1: manual, 1:1, requested and received 1024x1024, one request, first output, Qwen/Qwen-Image-2.1 base, 40 steps, true CFG 1.0, prompt enhancement disabled, no negative prompt, no reference images, seed=1591420783, official Space commit 5694809f4c56a4e8c40787b5392cecac36493c5d, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:49 AM. Source

SenseNova U1.5 Lite: manual, local stable-diffusion.cpp@3be23788fc0c9f35a2c24b1211caae11d4a54dbc, ggml@d49c49e1dd361ba3c0a77c90b5b1404b83969aa8; sensenova/SenseNova-U1.5-8B-MoT@9feeeab8a2792514d109cd34589342a2cc1d4ab2; native 2048x2048, 1:1; one request, first output; steps=50, guidance=4.0, seed=8087247682796819534; Apple M5 Max Metal MTL0 requested through the native backend option; automatic placement remains enabled, and actual placement is recorded in the CLI log; Original BF16 checkpoint. The exact two SenseNova vision convolution weights use a targeted lossless BF16-to-F32 rule; other eligible weights use the native unquantized f16 option. This BF16-to-F16 conversion rounds values, as quantified by the linked complete-checkpoint GGML preflight; excluded weights remain BF16 if used. Operation precision follows the backend.; Euler, flow shift 3; CPU Philox RNG (CLI cuda RNG option, no CUDA hardware); original BF16 weights without requested quantization; observational latent and pre-clipping finite checks; native prompt template without rewriting; empty unconditional prompt, source 2048x2048, stored 1024x1024 (Lanczos3 downscale), generated Nov 2, 2026, 10:17 PM. Source

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

Qwen-Image-2.1 image SHA 256: b29bb7e207ad464957ee060bbf0655104bcbece703360254e48daa3ec35a62d7

SenseNova U1.5 Lite image SHA 256: c092b333f479c5b28ad33958d0e45f0fb0989970af02690079cf1398742c55b8

Infographic

Qwen-Image-2.1: manual, 1:1, requested and received 1024x1024, one request, first output, Qwen/Qwen-Image-2.1 base, 40 steps, true CFG 1.0, prompt enhancement disabled, no negative prompt, no reference images, seed=1283422012, official Space commit 5694809f4c56a4e8c40787b5392cecac36493c5d, prior anonymous attempt refused before inference (ZeroGPU quota), completed through authenticated browser, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:49 AM. Source

SenseNova U1.5 Lite: manual, local stable-diffusion.cpp@3be23788fc0c9f35a2c24b1211caae11d4a54dbc, ggml@d49c49e1dd361ba3c0a77c90b5b1404b83969aa8; sensenova/SenseNova-U1.5-8B-MoT@9feeeab8a2792514d109cd34589342a2cc1d4ab2; native 2048x2048, 1:1; one request, first output; steps=50, guidance=4.0, seed=2640628636372692680; Apple M5 Max Metal MTL0 requested through the native backend option; automatic placement remains enabled, and actual placement is recorded in the CLI log; Original BF16 checkpoint. The exact two SenseNova vision convolution weights use a targeted lossless BF16-to-F32 rule; other eligible weights use the native unquantized f16 option. This BF16-to-F16 conversion rounds values, as quantified by the linked complete-checkpoint GGML preflight; excluded weights remain BF16 if used. Operation precision follows the backend.; Euler, flow shift 3; CPU Philox RNG (CLI cuda RNG option, no CUDA hardware); original BF16 weights without requested quantization; observational latent and pre-clipping finite checks; native prompt template without rewriting; empty unconditional prompt, source 2048x2048, stored 1024x1024 (Lanczos3 downscale), generated Nov 2, 2026, 10:25 PM. Source

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

Qwen-Image-2.1 image SHA 256: 316e38ed63ff401f86a7ceee9cc65c74413e0e9c7c899a6e6bf453acc2940dac

SenseNova U1.5 Lite image SHA 256: dcf8206386da05d11c35a6950309e61f08a504d440366226eac316328718f5ae

Product photography

Qwen-Image-2.1: manual, 1:1, requested and received 1024x1024, one request, first output, Qwen/Qwen-Image-2.1 base, 40 steps, true CFG 1.0, prompt enhancement disabled, no negative prompt, no reference images, seed=196359631, official Space commit 5694809f4c56a4e8c40787b5392cecac36493c5d, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:49 AM. Source

SenseNova U1.5 Lite: manual, local stable-diffusion.cpp@3be23788fc0c9f35a2c24b1211caae11d4a54dbc, ggml@d49c49e1dd361ba3c0a77c90b5b1404b83969aa8; sensenova/SenseNova-U1.5-8B-MoT@9feeeab8a2792514d109cd34589342a2cc1d4ab2; native 2048x2048, 1:1; one request, first output; steps=50, guidance=4.0, seed=1950293105094404455; Apple M5 Max Metal MTL0 requested through the native backend option; automatic placement remains enabled, and actual placement is recorded in the CLI log; Original BF16 checkpoint. The exact two SenseNova vision convolution weights use a targeted lossless BF16-to-F32 rule; other eligible weights use the native unquantized f16 option. This BF16-to-F16 conversion rounds values, as quantified by the linked complete-checkpoint GGML preflight; excluded weights remain BF16 if used. Operation precision follows the backend.; Euler, flow shift 3; CPU Philox RNG (CLI cuda RNG option, no CUDA hardware); original BF16 weights without requested quantization; observational latent and pre-clipping finite checks; native prompt template without rewriting; empty unconditional prompt, source 2048x2048, stored 1024x1024 (Lanczos3 downscale), generated Nov 2, 2026, 10:11 PM. Source

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

Qwen-Image-2.1 image SHA 256: 041f559d4261865b327fcae4f8bb0bd3b176c55a3b1255a042ab3e0fc4f9bc4b

SenseNova U1.5 Lite image SHA 256: d425ed5236325ee28633f83cb00f3fd39181f7dd6df0e5408d8b1c07c6796107

Typography and layout

Qwen-Image-2.1: manual, 1:1, requested and received 1024x1024, one request, first output, Qwen/Qwen-Image-2.1 base, 40 steps, true CFG 1.0, prompt enhancement disabled, no negative prompt, no reference images, seed=158818011, official Space commit 5694809f4c56a4e8c40787b5392cecac36493c5d, generated Nov 1, 2026, 8:49 AM. Source

SenseNova U1.5 Lite: manual, local stable-diffusion.cpp@3be23788fc0c9f35a2c24b1211caae11d4a54dbc, ggml@d49c49e1dd361ba3c0a77c90b5b1404b83969aa8; sensenova/SenseNova-U1.5-8B-MoT@9feeeab8a2792514d109cd34589342a2cc1d4ab2; native 2048x2048, 1:1; one request, first output; steps=50, guidance=4.0, seed=8328647217678382438; Apple M5 Max Metal MTL0 requested through the native backend option; automatic placement remains enabled, and actual placement is recorded in the CLI log; Original BF16 checkpoint. The exact two SenseNova vision convolution weights use a targeted lossless BF16-to-F32 rule; other eligible weights use the native unquantized f16 option. This BF16-to-F16 conversion rounds values, as quantified by the linked complete-checkpoint GGML preflight; excluded weights remain BF16 if used. Operation precision follows the backend.; Euler, flow shift 3; CPU Philox RNG (CLI cuda RNG option, no CUDA hardware); original BF16 weights without requested quantization; observational latent and pre-clipping finite checks; native prompt template without rewriting; empty unconditional prompt; three local execution attempts: original Metal BF16 attempt aborted on a missing matrix kernel before output; same-seed CPU retry deliberately interrupted before its first sampling step without image or latent; first image retained after the reviewed loader compatibility correction and disclosed F16 runtime conversion with unchanged prompt and seed, source 2048x2048, stored 1024x1024 (Lanczos3 downscale), generated Nov 2, 2026, 10:04 PM. Source

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

Qwen-Image-2.1 image SHA 256: 4670269190f492154c05e3f18c4eb9e3938910ca1aca32503b6a1ceb16d39b38

SenseNova U1.5 Lite image SHA 256: df5c50fc54f03b972796f424999bd5991ff758a6b7abc00c212864aca3b124bc

The numbers at a glance

Arena ratingfrom votes by users · higher is better

1,227

Qwen-Image-2.1

Rank 14 of 21

n/a

SenseNova U1.5 Lite

not in the arena

GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100 · higher is better

Qwen-Image-2.1

Rank 40 of 108

SenseNova U1.5 Lite

Rank 14 of 108

Price per imagedollars through the API · lower is better

n/a

Qwen-Image-2.1

no API price

n/a

SenseNova U1.5 Lite

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.

Qwen-Image-2.1

Subscription: No Alibaba subscription includes this model. Through other providers from ≈ €9.54 a month (Krea Basic, with limited credits). 5 plans in Germany.
Via API: No API price known. Access: local, Web app.
License: Open weights, Qwen Research License: non-commercial use only; commercial use requires a separate license.

SenseNova U1.5 Lite

Subscription: n/a No plan in Germany names exactly this model.
Via API: No API price known. Access: API, Web app, local.
License: Open weights.

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 · 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.

Kennzahl	Qwen-Image-2.1	SenseNova U1.5 Lite
Ratings
Arena ratingfrom votes by users, higher is better	1,227	n/a
Arena rank	Rank 14 of 21	n/a
Arena votesmore votes, a safer rating	19,378	n/a
GraduallyBenchour own rating, 0 to 100	65	73
GraduallyBench by task
Typography and layoutLegible text, hierarchy, and composition	54	93
Product photographyMaterials, reflections, and fine details	90	84
Character and detailAnatomy, clothing, and spatial consistency	34	35
InfographicNumbers, labels, and visual organization	83	80
API price
Per imagelower is better	n/a	n/a
100 images	n/a	n/a
Profile
Released	Sep 20, 2026	n/a
Weightsopen means: runs locally	openQwen Research License: non-commercial use only; commercial use requires a separate license	open
Access	local, Web app	API, Web app, local
Parameters	not published	not published
Largest output	2K	4K
Plans in Germanynaming exactly this model	5	n/a

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

Sources: Qwen-Image-2.1 model source, status source (verified Sep 22, 2026) · SenseNova U1.5 Lite model source (verified Nov 2, 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 Qwen-Image-2.1 and SenseNova U1.5 Lite from the same arena and category. Older model versions are not used as substitutes.

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