A new top tier
GPT-6 Astra — OpenAI's current flagship — is now in the model list in XinYu chat.
Where it shines is work that needs step-by-step reasoning: turning a dense brief into a shootable shot list, finding a workable option inside a pile of constraints, restructuring long-form content. It holds up noticeably better than the other tiers on that kind of task.
Its deep thinking stays on while it uses canvas tools — letting it read your canvas and reason at the same time is where it's at its best.
Two things to know first
It's slow. Measured at roughly 3x the time of GPT-5.6. For everyday questions or tweaking a prompt, a faster tier is a much better experience.
It's the priciest tier. The exact rate is shown in the model picker — glance at it before you switch.
In short: give it the hard problems that are worth waiting for, and use something else for the rest.
How to switch
Open XinYu chat, click the model picker, and choose GPT-6 Astra. You can switch back any time.