Anthropic Launches Claude Sonnet 5.5 on GitHub Copilot with Lower Task Costs

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Anthropic released Claude Sonnet 5.5 on September 28, 2026, positioning it as a faster, more efficient complement to the higher-tier Opus 5.5 model. GitHub simultaneously made it generally available within Copilot, giving developers direct IDE access on launch day. Despite carrying the same per-token list price as its predecessor Sonnet 5, the model is claimed to complete tasks in fewer tokens and steps, reducing actual invoice costs by up to 30%. Anthropic recommends Sonnet 5.5 for well-scoped everyday work such as bug fixes, feature development, and document drafting, while reserving Opus 5.5 for complex, open-ended tasks requiring sustained judgment. The model also supports a native 1-million-token context window and introduces an adjustable effort dial that influences thinking depth, speed, and overall task cost.

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