Ever since its announcement, Grok has been among the leading generative AI platforms across the globe. Reason – its quick and accurate outputs, longer context handling, and of course, a bit of wit that accompanies all its responses. It is easy to see the AI model’s sharpness across output formats, be it textual responses, or image and video generation. Building on the latter, xAI has now announced Grok Imagine 1.0, and by the looks of it, the folks at xAI are really gunning for the top AI video generator spot with this one.
Why is it so evident? To begin with, improvements are aplenty with the Imagine 1.0. Be it video quality, length, or its audio, the latest model from Grok seems to have sharpened its skills across the gamut. To give you a hint – Grok Imagine 1.0 now enables 10-second videos at 720p resolution. All of this, combined with “super fine audio,” as the company puts it in its launch announcement.
Of course, there are other enablers that help Imagine 1.0 be a class apart from other AI video generators, at least from what is visible with the demos. Let’s have a look at all that is new with the Imagine 1.0 in this article.
Table of contents
What Is Grok Imagine 1.0?
In case you have been unaware of Grok and its features, know that Imagine 1.0 is not its first attempt at AI video generation. xAI offered this service for a long time with its Imagine model (read our thoughts about it here). Imagine 1.0, then, simply brings some obvious upgrades to take it to the next level as an AI video generation tool. A “quality leap,” if you will.
With Grok Imagine 1.0, xAI is refining three key areas of video generation: duration, visual clarity, and audio quality. The big upgrade is that the model now supports videos up to 10 seconds long. It even outputs them at 720p resolution. Even more importantly, it pairs them with what xAI describes as super fine audio. That audio is not stitched on later. It is generated as part of the same output.
If you’ve tried AI video tools before, you know these are the areas where things usually fall apart. Motion looks off. Frames lose consistency. Audio feels robotic or completely disconnected from the visuals. Imagine 1.0 is xAI’s attempt to clean up exactly those issues.
Grok Imagine 1.0 Highlights
Here is a thorough look at all the powerful features that the Imagine 1.0 brings with it.
10-Second Video Generation
Up from the previous 6 seconds, Grok Imagine 1.0 now allows you to generate videos up to 10 seconds long. Needless to say, this makes it far more useful than before. This has a direct implication on its use case, where videos generated by Imagine 1.0 will actually be useful for storytelling, demos, and short-form content. Grok is no longer producing just mini animations useful for social media sharing, but real videos that can actually help creators.
720p HD Video Output
With Imagine 1.0, Grok now outputs videos at 720p resolution, offering a noticeable jump in clarity and sharpness. This makes the generated videos feel cleaner and more watchable, especially when viewed on larger screens or shared across platforms.
Super Fine, Synchronised Audio
One of the most meaningful upgrades here is audio quality. Grok Imagine 1.0 generates audio as part of the same process as visuals, resulting in sound that feels better synced and far less robotic than typical AI video outputs.
Improved Motion and Visual Consistency
AI videos often struggled with jittery motion and inconsistent frames. Imagine 1.0 claims to improve temporal consistency, producing smoother movement and fewer visual glitches. Result? The overall output is much easier to watch and, overall, more believable.
Stronger Prompt Adherence
xAI says that the Grok Imagine 1.0 follows prompts more closely, especially for actions, scenes, and tone. This gives users better control over what actually appears in the video. This also reduces randomness from the AI’s output, making them more predictable and usable.
Benchmark-Leading Core Model
As per xAI, the Grok Imagine 1.0 API model tops Artificial Analysis benchmarks. This backs the quality improvements brought in by xAI through solid technical fundamentals.
Now that we know what all is on offer, here is how to access the new Grok Imagine 1.0.
Grok Imagine 1.0: How to Access
Imagine 1.0 is being rolled out as part of the SuperGrok package, the premium version of Grok. It now powers all the image and video creation under the SuperGrok plan.
- To access it, simply visit https://grok.com/imagine. Or you can open the Grok app on your smartphone.
- Click on Imagine from the Menu bar on the left (or on the top right in Mobile)
- Enter your prompt in the chat bar.
- Imagine 1.0 gets to action and produces your required media.
Note that you will need access to the Premium version of Grok to use Imagine 1.0, which brings us to the next part – Pricing.
Grok Imagine 1.0: Pricing
As mentioned, Imagine 1.0 is part of a Grok’s premium package, which goes by the name of SuperGrok. Here is the pricing for the same:
- Monthly billing – Rs 700 per month
- Yearly billing – Rs 6,500 per year (around Rs 541 per month)
There are, of course, other premium features that you can avail with SuperGrok, like priority access during heavy loads, longer conversations in Chat, and longer Voice Mode & Companion chats.
The good news is Grok allows you to test its premium package for a week for free. For this, you simply have to sign up and enter your billing information. Once done, you can enjoy Imagine 1.0 in SuperGrok for a week and then decide if you wish to continue with it or not.
To help you further with this decision, we did a hands-on with the new Grok model, and here are the results.
Grok Imagine 1.0: Hands-on
We used the following prompt to test Imagine 1.0’s image and video generation capabilities.
Prompt 1:
Create a 10-second cinematic, comedy video set in a near-future Indian megacity at dawn. A chai vendor serves tea to a human office worker and a robot with softly glowing eyes. Steam rises from the cups as traffic hums lightly in the background.
Include a short, natural conversation with clear, synchronised audio:
Chai vendor (warm, casual tone): ‘Chai Cutting! Chai Cutting!’
Office worker (light smile, calm voice): Bhau 2 cutting dena
Robot (soft, neutral voice): Bhai mera nahi. Bohot tel piya hai abhi (I have had too much oil)
Add realistic ambient city sounds—distant traffic, footsteps, quiet chatter, and the clink of ceramic cups.
Output:
Prompt 2:
Create a 10-second high-intensity cinematic video of two massive ancient dragons flying side by side at extreme speed through dark storm clouds at night. Their wings beat powerfully, tearing through mist and lightning as the camera tracks them from a slightly low, side-angle. Motion should feel fast, heavy, and forceful, with strong wind trails and cloud displacement.
Both dragons speak while flying, using very deep, heavy, resonant voices that feel ancient and intimidating. Their speech must be clearly synchronised with mouth movement and carried over loud wind and thunder.
Dialogue:
Dragon One (deep, gravelly, controlled anger):
‘The skies remember our last war… and they will remember the next.’Dragon Two (even deeper, slower, threatening):
‘Let them tremble. I am done waiting.’After the dialogue, both dragons roar loudly in anger, overlapping slightly, as lightning flashes around them. The roars should be powerful, echoing, and emotionally charged, as if they are preparing for an imminent battle.
Output:
Conclusion
As we can see with both outputs, xAI has managed to work on three key areas of improvement. The 10-second videos are much more appealing in the overall context of things, as they can actually convey a message as a stand-alone media. In parallel, xAI has also managed to introduce 720 pixels output, which means you now get high-resolution videos within seconds. For anyone creating content on a regular basis, this is a major add-on.
I also like the audio in the dragon video above very much. The deep voices and the loud roars of the dragons really added cinematic flair to the scene. Having said that, both the videos clearly show that AI-generated videos are far from being perfect right now, and I believe there is still time before we give them a prompt and stay assured of an error-free, quality output.
Till then, I shall consider Imagine 1.0 a step in the right direction.
