Amazon Nova 2 Pro vs MAI-Thinking-1

Amazon · US  |  Microsoft · US · Updated June 2026

Quick verdict

Pick Amazon Nova 2 Pro for amazon's next-generation nova flagship - a 1m-token context window with selectable reasoning effort or deep aws bedrock integration for teams already building on aws. Pick MAI-Thinking-1 for very strong math reasoning (aime 2025 97%, aime 2026 94.5%) or microsoft's first in-house flagship reasoner, trained without openai distillation. On a tight budget at scale, MAI-Thinking-1 is the value pick.

Amazon Nova 2 Pro (Amazon) and MAI-Thinking-1 (Microsoft) are two of the models people most often weigh against each other in 2026. Amazon Nova 2 Pro is amazon's next-generation Nova flagship - 1M context, selectable reasoning effort, and deep Bedrock integration, replacing the retiring Nova Premier. MAI-Thinking-1 is microsoft's first fully in-house flagship reasoning model — a Claude-class reasoner built independently to cut its OpenAI dependence. They diverge most on price and context window — each quantified below from the models' real specs.

Key differences at a glance

Side-by-side specs

SpecAmazon Nova 2 ProMAI-Thinking-1
ProviderAmazon (US) Microsoft (US)
ReleasedDecember 2, 2025 August 12, 2026
Context window1M (~1,500 pages) 256K (~384 pages)
Price (in/out)$2.19/$17.5 per 1M tokens Not published
Open weight?No — API only No — API only
Modalitiestext, image text, code
SWE-Bench VerifiedNot published Not published
MRCR v2 @ 1MNot published Not published

Who wins what

Amazon's next-generation Nova flagship - a 1M-token context window with selectable reasoning effort

Amazon Nova 2 Pro

Its 1M window holds about 3.9× more than MAI-Thinking-1's 256K in a single prompt.

Deep AWS Bedrock integration for teams already building on AWS

Amazon Nova 2 Pro

Amazon's next-generation Nova flagship - 1M context, selectable reasoning effort, and deep Bedrock integration, replacing the retiring Nova Premier — and it carries the larger 1M context.

A companion real-time-voice model (Nova 2 Sonic) in the same family

Amazon Nova 2 Pro

Amazon Nova 2 Pro lists a companion real-time-voice model (Nova 2 Sonic) in the same family among its strengths; MAI-Thinking-1 does not.

Very strong math reasoning (AIME 2025 97%, AIME 2026 94.5%)

MAI-Thinking-1

Microsoft's first fully in-house flagship reasoning model — a Claude-class reasoner built independently to cut its OpenAI dependence — and it is the newer of the two.

Microsoft's first in-house flagship reasoner, trained without OpenAI distillation

MAI-Thinking-1

Amazon Nova 2 Pro is comparatively weak here — a newer release with less real-world production track record than established flagships

Efficient reasoning at low token cost for its class

MAI-Thinking-1

MAI-Thinking-1 lists efficient reasoning at low token cost for its class among its strengths; Amazon Nova 2 Pro does not.

Lowest cost at scale

MAI-Thinking-1

Its weights are open, so at volume you pay for your own hardware instead of Amazon Nova 2 Pro's $2.19/$17.5 per 1M tokens.

Largest single-prompt input

Amazon Nova 2 Pro

Its 1M window is about 3.9× larger than MAI-Thinking-1's 256K, fitting roughly 1,500 pages in one prompt.

Which should you pick?

A cost-sensitive startup shipping high volume

MAI-Thinking-1

At Not published it undercuts Amazon Nova 2 Pro, and on millions of tokens that margin decides the monthly bill.

Someone analysing very long documents or codebases

Amazon Nova 2 Pro

Larger 1M window fits more in one prompt.

Anyone whose priority is amazon's next-generation nova flagship - a 1m-token context window with selectable reasoning effort

Amazon Nova 2 Pro

It is specifically built for that.

Anyone whose priority is very strong math reasoning (aime 2025 97%, aime 2026 94.5%)

MAI-Thinking-1

That is its strongest area.

Amazon Nova 2 Pro: where it fits

Amazon's next-generation Nova flagship - 1M context, selectable reasoning effort, and deep Bedrock integration, replacing the retiring Nova Premier. Released December 2, 2025 by Amazon, it is built for amazon's next-generation Nova flagship - a 1M-token context window with selectable reasoning effort, deep AWS Bedrock integration for teams already building on AWS, a companion real-time-voice model (Nova 2 Sonic) in the same family, and replaces the original Nova Premier, which AWS is retiring in September 2026.

Its trade-offs are real: pricing shown reflects preview-tier rates and may change at general availability, amazon's Nova line has historically scored below independent-intelligence leaders like Claude, GPT, and Gemini, and a newer release with less real-world production track record than established flagships. At $2.19 in / $17.5 out per million tokens, it sits in the mid price band.

MAI-Thinking-1: where it fits

Microsoft's first fully in-house flagship reasoning model — a Claude-class reasoner built independently to cut its OpenAI dependence. Released August 12, 2026 by Microsoft, it is built for very strong math reasoning (AIME 2025 97%, AIME 2026 94.5%), microsoft's first in-house flagship reasoner, trained without OpenAI distillation, efficient reasoning at low token cost for its class, and competitive with Claude Opus 4.6 on SWE-Bench Pro (vendor-reported).

Its trade-offs: closed and in private preview — no open weights, no published pricing, thin availability, and benchmarks are largely self-reported.

The bottom line for this matchup

Amazon Nova 2 Pro and MAI-Thinking-1 overlap enough that the right pick depends on your specific job. MAI-Thinking-1 costs less per token; Amazon Nova 2 Pro holds the larger context; and each leads in its own area — Amazon Nova 2 Pro for amazon's next-generation nova flagship - a 1m-token context window with selectable reasoning effort, MAI-Thinking-1 for very strong math reasoning (aime 2025 97%, aime 2026 94.5%). Rather than crowning one, run the same hard task through both once and let the results decide.

Want both Amazon Nova 2 Pro and MAI-Thinking-1 without two subscriptions? LumiChats gives you these plus 40+ models under one ₹69/day pass (about $1/day) — draft with one, cross-check with the other.

See pricing

Frequently asked questions

Is Amazon Nova 2 Pro or MAI-Thinking-1 better for coding?

Public SWE-Bench figures are not available for either model, so the honest test is your own repository — run an identical real bug through both. By design, Amazon Nova 2 Pro leans toward amazon's next-generation nova flagship - a 1m-token context window with selectable reasoning effort while MAI-Thinking-1 leans toward very strong math reasoning (aime 2025 97%, aime 2026 94.5%), and that positioning usually predicts which feels better on your codebase.

Which is cheaper, Amazon Nova 2 Pro or MAI-Thinking-1?

MAI-Thinking-1 is cheaper — $2.19/$17.5 per 1M tokens vs Not published.

Which has the bigger context window?

Amazon Nova 2 Pro — 1M vs 256K, about 3.9× larger. Useful only if the model actually reasons over the full window, which not all do.

Can I use both Amazon Nova 2 Pro and MAI-Thinking-1 together?

Yes — a multi-model platform like LumiChats gives you Amazon Nova 2 Pro, MAI-Thinking-1 and 40+ others under one ₹69/day pass (about $1/day), so you can draft with one and cross-check with the other instead of buying two subscriptions.

Which is newer, Amazon Nova 2 Pro or MAI-Thinking-1?

MAI-Thinking-1 — released August 12, 2026, about 8 months after Amazon Nova 2 Pro.

Related comparisons

Specifications and benchmarks reflect publicly reported figures as of June 2026 and may change as providers release updates. Always verify on your own workload.