OpenAI Launches GPT-Realtime-2.1 Models for Faster, Cheaper Voice Agents

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OpenAI has released two new Realtime API models — gpt-realtime-2.1 and gpt-realtime-2.1-mini — designed to simplify the development of low-latency voice agents. Unlike traditional pipelines that chain separate speech-to-text and text-to-speech services, both models handle audio understanding and generation through a single live connection, reducing end-to-end latency. The mini variant is positioned as the cost-efficient option, adding reasoning capabilities to real-time voice at the same price as its predecessor, and supporting tool use so agents can think, call functions, and respond within a single conversational flow. OpenAI reports at least a 25% improvement in p95 latency across Realtime voice models due to better caching. Developers can choose between the two models based on task complexity, volume, and quality requirements, with reasoning effort levels adjustable from minimal to extra-high.

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