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Last updated Nov 13, 2026

Reading the First Independent Scores: Visual Intelligence Up, General Intelligence Down

Published Nov 13, 2026 · Last updated Nov 13, 2026

While officials, Artificial Analysis and LMArena still had nothing, Stealth Models (StealthMark) published the first independent measurement of Qwen4-Max-Preview. Its verdict splits in two: visual intelligence above the previous Qwen3.8-Max, general intelligence below it. The combination looks contradictory; unpacked, it is informative.

The rising half: visual intelligence

A visual lead over the previous generation corroborates what hands-on testers saw: SVG art, 3D scenes and UI generation drew consistent praise (see our techgogogo six-task write-up). If this generation's training budget tilted toward vision and generation, a higher visual score is the expected outcome.

The falling half: general intelligence and two games

The general-intelligence dip was driven mainly by two game projects — which is exactly where other testers were most positive (one-shot playable space shooters and claw machines). Same task family, opposite conclusions under different rubrics: a perfect illustration of early-measurement noise. Rubric design, sample count and prompt choice can each flip the ranking.

How to use these numbers

Be clear about what this is: editorial estimates on a small sample, not a standardised benchmark. It is good for forming hypotheses ("this generation may lean visual") and useless for verdicts or rankings. The real general-intelligence picture waits for formal listings from Artificial Analysis or LMArena, or for more reproducible public tests.

Our take: treat this as a first, blurry X-ray — outline visible, diagnosis pending. "Strong visually, unproven generally" is the hypothesis most worth testing over the next two weeks; until formal scores land, we endorse no ranking built on these numbers.

Reference source: this article is an original rewrite produced by this site; facts and figures were checked against Stealth Models (StealthMark)(2026-11-11)

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