Amazon Nova Micro vs SD 3.5 Medium
Compare Amazon Nova Micro and SD 3.5 Medium: pricing, performance, context window, latency, and best use cases. Side-by-side comparison on XALEN.
Updated 2026-05-21 · By Abhishek Raj · Our methodology
| Feature | Amazon Nova Micro | SD 3.5 Medium |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Compact | Image |
| Parameters | ~8B | 2.5B |
| Context Window | 128K | N/A |
| Input Price | $0.001/1M tokens | $0.003/image/1M tokens |
| Output Price | $0.004/1M tokens | N/A/1M tokens |
| Latency | ~50ms | ~2s |
Choose Amazon Nova Micro when:
- ✓ Classification
- ✓ Intent detection
- ✓ Preprocessing
Cheapest inference, Ultra-fast, Text-only
Choose SD 3.5 Medium when:
- ✓ General imagery
- ✓ Batch generation
- ✓ Prototyping
Good quality, Fast, Open weights
Verdict: Amazon Nova Micro vs SD 3.5 Medium
For cost efficiency, Amazon Nova Micro wins at $0.001/1M input tokens. For speed, SD 3.5 Medium is faster at ~2s. Amazon Nova Micro excels at Classification while SD 3.5 Medium is better for General imagery. Both are available on XALEN through a single API — try them in the Playground to see which fits your workload.
Detailed Analysis
Pricing Comparison
Amazon Nova Micro costs $0.001/1M input tokens and $0.004/1M output tokens. SD 3.5 Medium costs $0.003/image input and N/A output. Amazon Nova Micro is 3.0x cheaper on input tokens. XALEN offers batch processing at 50% discount on both models.
Performance & Context
Amazon Nova Micro has a 128K context window with ~50ms latency. SD 3.5 Medium offers N/A context at ~2s. Amazon Nova Micro has the larger context window.
Best For
Amazon Nova Micro (Compact) is optimized for: Classification, Intent detection, Preprocessing. SD 3.5 Medium (Image) works best for: General imagery, Batch generation, Prototyping.
Try Both on XALEN
Both models are available through XALEN's OpenAI-compatible API. Switch between them by changing the model parameter:
from xalen import XALEN
client = XALEN(api_key="xln_test_YOUR_KEY")
# Use Amazon Nova Micro
response_a = client.chat.completions.create(
model="amazon-nova-micro",
messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your question here"}]
)
# Use SD 3.5 Medium
response_b = client.chat.completions.create(
model="stable-diffusion-3-5-medium",
messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your question here"}]
)Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better, Amazon Nova Micro or SD 3.5 Medium?
Amazon Nova Micro (Compact, ~8B) offers Cheapest inference. SD 3.5 Medium (Image, 2.5B) offers Good quality. Choose Amazon Nova Micro for Classification or SD 3.5 Medium for General imagery.
How much does Amazon Nova Micro cost vs SD 3.5 Medium?
Amazon Nova Micro: $0.001/1M input, $0.004/1M output. SD 3.5 Medium: $0.003/image/1M input, N/A/1M output. Both available on XALEN with batch processing at 50% discount.
Can I use both models on XALEN?
Yes. XALEN provides 200+ models through a single OpenAI-compatible API. Switch between Amazon Nova Micro and SD 3.5 Medium by changing the model parameter. No code changes needed.
Related Comparisons
Last updated: 2026-05-21. Pricing and specifications may change. Check pricing page for latest rates.