Musk confirmed on X on January 21st that Grok Imagine now generates 10-second videos with improved audio and visuals. The update started rolling out that same day, though "rolling out" is doing a lot of heavy lifting here.
The timeline is telling
Back in late November, Musk posted that text-to-video worked with Grok Imagine and that the 10-second upgrade would drop "hopefully this weekend." That was November 27th. Almost two months later, we're finally seeing it.
The delay isn't surprising if you've been following xAI's pattern. Leaks from @blankspeaker in November showed UI mockups with video duration options (6s, 10s, 12s, 15s). None of that made it into production. What we got instead: a system where the timer option isn't available yet and generation lengths are "pretty random rn."
What's actually new
According to X user @XFreeze, whose post Musk amplified: much better video quality and clean, clear audio. That tracks with what I've seen from early samples. The audio sync on previous versions was rough, with sound effects that felt stapled on in post. The new clips have tighter integration.
The video quality bump is harder to evaluate without side-by-side comparisons, but the consensus from users who've gotten lucky with the rollout is that there's less of the uncanny jitteriness that plagued earlier outputs.
Still playing catch-up
Here's the thing. Grok Imagine's speed has always been its selling point. Sub-15-second generation time represents a significant competitive advantage. Runway ML Gen-3 typically requires 40-60 seconds for similar outputs, while OpenAI's Sora takes 1-2 minutes during peak hours.
Speed matters. But speed without quality is just fast garbage.
When Tom's Guide tested Grok Imagine against Sora 2 last October, Grok Imagine generated a fairly good video but the man walking was stiff and robot-like. Sora won most rounds. The gap was real.
Whether this update closes that gap? I couldn't verify independently. The feature isn't available to everyone yet, and xAI hasn't published any technical specs or benchmark comparisons. Convenient.
The elephant in the room
This update drops amid xAI's worst controversy to date. In December 2025, Bloomberg reported that X users found Grok would comply with unconsensual requests to digitally undress individuals, including minors. An analysis found users had Grok create 6,700 sexually suggestive or nudified images per hour over a 24-hour period in early January.
Multiple countries have called for legal or regulatory action. xAI's response to media inquiries? "Legacy Media Lies."
So when X users expressed concerns about the 10-second video upgrade and its potential for abuse, those concerns have history behind them.
Premium first, probably
The rollout pattern suggests Premium+ subscribers will see this first, then Premium, then everyone else. But xAI hasn't confirmed the order. The company has been inconsistent about what requires paid tiers, with image-to-video and basic video creation functions made available to all users on August 20, 2025.
For now, if you can't generate 10-second clips, you're not broken. You're just waiting.
What comes next
Leaked UI showed duration options up to 15 seconds. That's presumably still coming. The custom aspect ratio feature rolled out recently, so xAI is actively pushing updates even if the timelines are anyone's guess.
xAI plans to create "watchable" AI-generated content in the near future, perhaps including long-form films or videos in 2026. Big ambitions. But they couldn't hit a two-month deadline for 10-second clips, so.
Full rollout expected soon. Make of that what you will.
