A user from the LocalLLaMA community shared their experience with the Step 3.5 Flash model, highlighting its capabilities in complex merging tasks.

Performance and Context Window

The model was successfully tested on a 90,000 token context window, maintaining consistency during execution. The user expressed surprise at the performance, comparing it to that of high-end proprietary models like Claude 4.6.

Agentic Applications and Flexibility

Step 3.5 Flash proved superior to Gemini 3.0 Preview in agentic tasks, while offering remarkable speed. Its flexibility was further confirmed by its ability to handle both opencode and Claude code.

Open-Source Alternatives

The discussion now focuses on the existence of open-source models that can effectively compete with Gemini 3.0 Pro in real-world scenarios. For those evaluating on-premise deployments, there are trade-offs to consider, as discussed in AI-RADAR's analytical frameworks on /llm-onpremise.