This is where the naming choices get confusing. "Should" o3 cost more or less than GPT-4.1? Which is more capable? A generation 3 of tech intuitively feels less advanced than a 4.1 of a (similar) tech.
- o4 is reasoning
- 4o is not
They simply do not do a good job of differentiating. Unless you work directly in the field, it is likely not obvious what is the difference between "our most powerful reasoning model" and "our flagship model for complex tasks."
"Does my complex task need reasoning or not?" seems to be how one would choose. (What type of task is complex but does not require any reasoning?) This seems less than ideal!