Claude 4 achieved record scores on the SWE-bench and Terminal-bench, proving its coding superiority.
Claude Sonnet 4 now supports a one-million-token context for massive coding projects.
The Claude Opus 4 Model enables long, autonomous coding with benchmark-breaking reliability.
Claude 4 was introduced in May 2025 by Anthropic and immediately set new records in coding benchmarks. The Claude Opus 4 model achieved a score of 72.5 percent on the SWE-bench test and 43.2 percent on the Terminal-bench test. These scores placed Claude above every other model available at the time. Benchmarks are important because they show how well a model performs on real programming challenges rather than just theoretical exercises.
In addition to benchmark results, Claude Opus 4 proved itself in practice by completing a seven-hour autonomous refactor of an open-source codebase. The model not only sustained performance for a long duration but also delivered error-free results. This was a milestone that no other AI coding model had achieved before.
Developers working with the AI series have reported that its models are capable of condensing weeks of development into just days. One engineer with experience at Google and eBay confirmed that Claude Code, which runs on Claude 4, turned a three-week project into a two-day job. However, the same engineer warned that sometimes session context can break down, requiring resets and careful backups since Claude occasionally deletes or rewrites files too aggressively.
Claude 4’s strength comes not only from benchmarks but also from its ability to stay focused during long and complex coding projects. The model has two modes of reasoning. One is a fast response mode designed for quick answers, while the other is an extended thinking mode designed for deep reasoning. This combination allows Claude to move between quick decisions and detailed planning depending on the task.
In August 2025, Claude Sonnet 4 was upgraded with a context window that can handle one million tokens. This is the largest context window available in any coding model to date. To understand what this means, one million tokens is roughly the size of 2,500 pages of text or an entire codebase of 75,000 to 110,000 lines of code.
This upgrade allows the AI to take in massive amounts of information all at once without needing to break the task into smaller parts. For developers, this means the ability to upload an entire software system and ask Claude to analyze, refactor, or improve it in one go.
Also Read: GPT-4o, Gemini 2.5 Pro, or Claude 4: Who Wins the Coding Clash 2025?
Claude 4 has been built to act not only as a code generator but also as an intelligent agent. The model is able to plan tasks, use external tools such as search engines, and then execute coding steps. This makes the AI model more than a static assistant; it behaves more like a collaborative teammate in the development process.
The model also supports very large outputs. Claude Sonnet 4 can produce up to 64,000 tokens of code or documentation in a single response. This allows it to create detailed software modules, generate complete refactors, and handle large planning documents without breaking output into fragments. Thanks to this, the AI model is especially effective for long coding tasks that require both reasoning and production at scale.
Claude 4 is not a single model but rather a family of AI models. Claude Opus 4 is the most powerful version, designed for advanced coding and large enterprise use. It is capable of complex reasoning, long-term focus, and autonomous coding. Claude Sonnet 4 is lighter, faster, and designed for everyday use. It provides strong coding help but is free for lighter users, which has made it popular among hobby developers, students, and startups.
Independent reviews have shown that Claude stands out compared to other top models. For example, when asked to create a complete Tetris game, Claude produced cleaner visuals and stronger code than both ChatGPT and Google Gemini. This confirmed its reputation as the most reliable coding assistant in 2025.
Anthropic has continued to improve the Anthropic’s AI model series. In August 2025, the company released Claude Opus 4.1, an upgrade that improved real-world coding, reasoning, creative writing, and agentic research. The update was rolled out across all major platforms where the AI is available, including GitHub Copilot, Amazon Bedrock, and Google Cloud’s Vertex AI.
This continuous improvement means that Antrhopic’s AI remains at the cutting edge of coding AI rather than falling behind after its initial success. The model is being updated not only for raw performance but also for developer-focused features that improve usability.
A new set of features called Learning Modes was also introduced in 2025. These include “Explanatory” and “Learning” settings that developers can activate. In explanatory mode, Claude provides step-by-step reasoning about the code it generates, helping developers understand the logic behind solutions. In learning mode, Claude acts like a tutor, offering reflective diagnostics and interactive guidance. These additions move the model beyond automation and into skill development, helping programmers grow alongside the tool.
While Claude 4 is widely seen as the best model for coding, independent studies have pointed out areas that need improvement. One evaluation introduced a new benchmark called TRACY, which measures how efficient AI-generated code is when executed. Claude 4, in its “think” mode, ranked highest in correctness but only eighth in runtime and memory efficiency. This means that while Claude often writes the right code, the performance of that code is not always optimal.
Another study looked at more than 4,400 Java assignments using SonarQube for static analysis. The results showed that Claude Sonnet 4, like other large language models, sometimes introduced bugs, vulnerabilities, and “code smells.” This revealed that passing functional tests does not always mean the code is secure or efficient. As a result, human review and static analysis tools remain important when working with AI-generated code.
Also Read: Anthropic’s Claude Opus 4 Outperforms GPT-4.1 but Raises Ethical Alarms
Claude 4 has proven itself in both testing and real-world use. Its benchmark scores on SWE-bench and Terminal-bench are the highest recorded so far, its ability to autonomously complete a seven-hour refactor is unmatched, and its expanded one-million-token context allows it to work with massive codebases. The model’s hybrid reasoning, tool use, and agent capabilities make it versatile across multiple workflows. With both Opus and Sonnet versions, it serves both enterprise-level needs and everyday developers.
Updates such as Opus 4.1 and the introduction of learning modes show that Claude is continuously improving. At the same time, developers must remain cautious, as code generated by Artificial Intelligence can sometimes contain security flaws or inefficiencies. With proper oversight and complementary tools, however, Claude 4 stands as the most advanced and capable coding model of 2025, redefining what is possible in AI-assisted software development.