Neon AI vs RETRO XL

Comprehensive side-by-side comparison of pricing, performance benchmarks, and capabilities

At a Glance

Best Overall Performance

RETRO XL

Higher overall benchmarks

Best for Coding

RETRO XL

88% coding score

Best for Reasoning

RETRO XL

88.5% reasoning score

Best MMLU Score

RETRO XL

89% general knowledge

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Detailed Comparison

Feature Neon AI RETRO XL Winner
Provider Samsung AI Labs DeepMind
Context Window 128k 128k
MMLU Score

General knowledge & reasoning

86% 89% RETRO XL
Coding Score

Code generation & debugging

85% 88% RETRO XL
Reasoning Score

Logic & problem-solving

85.5% 88.5% RETRO XL
Release Date 2026 2025
Vision Support ✓ Yes
Function Calling ✓ Yes ✓ Yes

Performance Comparison

MMLU (General Knowledge)

Difference: 3.0%
Neon AI 86%
RETRO XL 89%

Coding Performance

Difference: 3.0%
Neon AI 85%
RETRO XL 88%

Reasoning & Logic

Difference: 3.0%
Neon AI 85.5%
RETRO XL 88.5%

Expert Analysis

Performance Analysis

RETRO XL outperforms across 3 of 3 benchmarks, with particularly strong coding abilities (88%).

Final Verdict

Our comprehensive recommendation based on all factors

Both models show comparable coding performance, with less than 5 points separating them on benchmark tests. Organizations with demanding workloads will benefit from RETRO XL's capabilities for routine and specialized tasks.

Our Recommendation

Choose RETRO XL for applications where response quality directly impacts business outcomes, or evaluate both models based on your specific use case requirements.

Best For These Use Cases

Neon AI Excels At:

  • Personal AI assistants
  • Device-integrated agents
  • Mobile multimodal workflows
  • Edge AI products
  • Interactive companions

RETRO XL Excels At:

  • Academic research AI
  • Document retrieval augmentation
  • Scientific content generation
  • Knowledge discovery
  • Research assistants

Strengths & Weaknesses

Neon AI

Strengths

  • Designed for personalized AI agents
  • Multimodal UX focus
  • Real-time context understanding
  • Integration with device stacks

Considerations

  • Early-stage ecosystem
  • Documentation evolving
  • Limited global deployment initially
  • Enterprise integrations maturing
Full Neon AI Review →

RETRO XL

Strengths

  • RAG optimized
  • High-quality reasoning
  • Strong academic benchmarks
  • Open research integration

Considerations

  • Closed deployment options
  • Complex self-hosting
  • Limited enterprise tooling
  • High compute
Full RETRO XL Review →

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better: Neon AI or RETRO XL?

RETRO XL offers superior overall performance with higher benchmark scores across MMLU, coding, and reasoning tests. The best choice depends on your specific use case requirements and performance priorities.

What are the key differences?

RETRO XL leads in overall performance with higher benchmark scores, while Neon AI may offer advantages in specific areas like context window size or specialized capabilities. Both models have their strengths depending on your particular needs.

Which is better for coding?

RETRO XL leads in coding performance with a score of 88%, making it 3.0 percentage points better than Neon AI. This makes RETRO XL the superior choice for software development, code generation, and debugging tasks.

Can I use both models together?

Yes! Many organizations use multiple models strategically: one model for routine tasks where efficiency matters, and another for complex, mission-critical applications requiring maximum accuracy. This hybrid approach optimizes both performance and resource utilization across different use cases.

How often are these benchmarks updated?

We update all benchmark scores and pricing data daily to reflect the latest model versions and API pricing changes. Benchmark scores are sourced from official documentation, independent testing platforms like Artificial Analysis, and peer-reviewed academic evaluations. Last updated: 2/2/2026.

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