Google launches Gemini 3 Flash as default AI model, delivering speed with Pro-grade reasoning

Google releases Gemini 3 Flash, promising improved intelligence and efficiency

Google began its transition to Gemini 3 a few weeks ago with the launch of the Pro model, and the arrival of Gemini 3 Flash kicks it into high gear. The new, faster Gemini 3 model is coming to the Gemini app and search, and developers will be able to access it immediately via the Gemini API, Vertex AI, AI Studio, and Antigravity. Google's bigger gen AI model is also picking up steam, with both Gemini 3 Pro and its image component (Nano Banana Pro) expanding in search. This may come as a shock, but Google says Gemini 3 Flash is faster and more capable than its previous base model. As usual, Google has a raft of benchmark numbers that show modest improvements for the new model. It bests the old 2.5 Flash in basic academic and reasoning tests like GPQA Diamond and MMMU Pro (where it even beats 3 Pro). It gets a larger boost in Humanity's Last Exam (HLE), which tests advanced domain-specific knowledge. Gemini 3 Flash has tripled the old models' score in HLE, landing at 33.7 percent without tool use. That's just a few points behind the Gemini 3 Pro model. Google is talking up Gemini 3 Flash's coding skills, and the provided benchmarks seem to back that talk up. Over the past year, Google has mostly pushed its Pro models as the best for generating code, but 3 Flash has done a lot of catching up. In the popular SWE-Bench Verified test, Gemini 3 Flash has gained almost 20 points on the 2.5 branch. The new model is also a lot less likely to get general-knowledge questions wrong. In the Simple QA Verified test, Gemini 3 Flash scored 68.7 percent, which is only a little below Gemini 3 Pro. The last Flash model scored just 28.1 percent on that test. At least as far as the evaluation scores go, Gemini 3 Flash performs much closer to Google's Pro model versus the older 2.5 family. At the same time, it's considerably more efficient, according to Google. One of Gemini 3 Pro's defining advances was its ability to generate interactive simulations and multimodal content. Gemini 3 Flash reportedly retains that underlying capability. Gemini 3 Flash offers better performance than Gemini 2.5 Pro did, but it runs workloads three times faster. It's also a lot cheaper than the Pro models if you're paying per token. One million input tokens for 3 Flash will run devs $0.50, and a million output tokens will cost $3. However, that's an increase compared to Gemini 2.5 Flash input and output at $0.30 and $2.50, respectively. The Pro model's tokens are $2 (1M input) and $12 (1M output). Simplified model selection Google's rapid-fire release of new AI models and tools has occasionally made the Gemini app a bit confusing. Over recent weeks, the settings have been pared down and rearranged. With the release of Gemini 3 Flash, that will become the new default model in the Gemini app and web interface -- that's the Fast setting in the app, as well as the one labeled Thinking, which uses simulated reasoning for better outputs. Gemini 3 Pro will continue to be available under the Pro option. That's still a bit misleading, though, as both versions of Gemini 3 can use the reasoning process that Google likes to call "thinking" to generate answers. Whichever one you choose in the app, you can then select tools like image generation, canvas, and Deep Research. In addition to its debut in the Gemini app, the new Flash model will be coming to search immediately. When Google says "search" in this context, it mostly means AI Mode. Gemini 3 Flash will be the default model in AI Mode going forward. That means free users will see a notable improvement when using the Gemini app. There are no specific changes to AI Overviews. Google says AI Overviews will continue to use the best model for the job. Due to its place at the top of organic search results, though, you'll probably see it lean on less capable (but faster) models. Gemini 3 Flash could show up there -- even Gemini 3 Pro could power some complex queries in AI Overviews for paying subscribers. Gemini 3 Pro is also expanding in AI Mode for all US-based users. Likewise, Gemini 3 Pro Image (Nano Banana Pro) will also arrive in AI mode for all. There will be limits on free access to these models, but Google hasn't specified what those are. It does say that Pro and Ultra subscribers will enjoy much higher usage limits.

Google launches Gemini 3 Flash, makes it the default model in the Gemini app | TechCrunch

Google today released its fast and cheap Gemini 3 Flash model, based on the Gemini 3 released last month, looking to steal OpenAI's thunder. The company is also making this the default model in the Gemini app and AI mode in search. The new Flash model arrives six months after Google announced the Gemini 2.5 Flash model, offering significant improvements. On the benchmark, the Gemini 3 Flash model outperforms its predecessor by a significant margin and matches the performance of other frontier models, like Gemini 3 Pro and GPT 5.2, in some measures. For instance, it scored 33.7% without tool use on Humanity's Last Exam benchmark, which is designed to test expertise across different domains. In comparison, Gemini 3 Pro scored 37.5%, Gemini 2.5 Flash scored 11%, and the newly released GPT-5.2 scored 34.5%. On the multimodality and reasoning benchmark MMMU-Pro, the new model outscored all competitors with an 81.2% score. Google is making Gemini 3 Flash the default model in the Gemini app globally, replacing Gemini 2.5 Flash. Users can still choose the Pro model from the model picker for math and coding questions. The company says the new model is good at identifying multimodal content and giving you an answer based on that. For instance, you can upload your pickleball short video and ask for tips; you can try drawing a sketch and have the model guess what you are drawing; or you can upload an audio recording to get analysis or generate a quiz. The company also said the model better understands the intent of users' queries and can generate more visual answers with elements like images and tables. You can also use the new model to create app prototypes in the Gemini app using prompts. The Gemini 3 Pro is now available to everyone in the U.S for search and more people in the U.S. can access the Nano Banana Pro image model in search, as well. Google noted that companies like JetBrains, Figma, Cursor, Harvey, and Latitude are already using the Gemini 3 Flash model, which is available through Vertex AI and Gemini Enterprise. For developers, the company is making the model available in a preview model through the API and in Antigravity, Google's new coding tool released last month. The company said the Gemini 3 Pro scores 78% on the SWE-bench verified coding benchmark, only outperformed by GPT-5.2. It added that the model is ideal for video analysis, data extraction, and visual Q&A, and because of its speed, it is suited for quick and repeatable workflows. Model pricing is $0.50 per 1 million input tokens and $3.00 per 1 million output tokens. This is slightly more expensive than $0.30 per 1 million input tokens and $2.50 per 1 million output tokens of Gemini Flash 2.5. But Google claims that the new model outperforms the Gemini 2.5 Pro model while being three times faster. And, for thinking tasks, it uses 30% fewer tokens on average than 2.5 Pro. That means overall, you might save on the number of tokens for certain tasks. "We really position flash as more of your workhorse model. So if you look at, for example, even the input and output prices at the top of this table, Flash is just a much cheaper offering from an input and output price perspective. And so it actually allows for, for many companies, bulk tasks," Tulsee Doshi, Senior Director & Head of Product for Gemini Models, told TechCrunch in a briefing Since it released Gemini 3, Google has processed over 1 trillion tokens per day on its API, amid its fierce release and performance war with OpenAI. Earlier this month, Sam Altman reportedly sent an internal "Code Red" memo to the OpenAI team after ChatGPT's traffic dipped as Google's market share in consumers rose. Post that, OpenAI has released GPT-5.2 and a new image generation model. OpenAI also boasted about its growing enterprise use and said the ChatGPT messages volume has grown 8x since November 2024. While Google didn't directly address the competition with OpenAI, it said that the release of new models is challenging all companies to be active. "Just about what's happening across the industry is like all of these models are continuing to be awesome, challenge each other, push the frontier. And I think what's also awesome is as companies are releasing these models," Doshi said. "We're also introducing new benchmarks and new ways of evaluating these models. And so that's also encouraging us."

Google Says Its New Gemini 3 Flash AI Model Is Better and Faster Than 2.5 Pro

Imad is a senior reporter covering Google and internet culture. Hailing from Texas, Imad started his journalism career in 2013 and has amassed bylines with The New York Times, The Washington Post, ESPN, Tom's Guide and Wired, among others. Google's new Gemini 3 Flash AI model is built for faster output at a lower cost, and functions as well as previous powerful reasoning models, Google said in a press release on Wednesday. According to benchmark tests, Gemini 3 Flash achieves PhD-level reasoning in the GPQA Diamond test, with a score of 90.4%, and achieved a score of 33.7% (without tools) in Humanity's Last Exam. These are very difficult tests designed to push AI models and require expert-level knowledge. By comparison, Gemini 3 Pro achieved scores of 91.9% and 37.5%, respectively. Google said Gemini 3 Flash outperforms Gemini 2.5 Pro, which was Google's top model when it released earlier this year, at three times the speed. Don't miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source. Gemini 3 Flash is available in Google AI Studio and Gemini CLI for developers. For general consumers, it's rolling out in the Gemini app and AI Mode in Google Search. For enterprise users, Gemini 3 Flash is available in Vertex AI and Gemini Enterprise. Google said Gemini 3 Flash can be a handy agent for customer support or in-game support, tasks that require fast responses. "Gemini 3 Flash excels at grasping the nuance of your question to serve thoughtful, comprehensive responses that are visually digestible -- pulling real-time local information and helpful links from across the web," Google said in a blog post. Gemini 3 Pro and nano banana, Google's image model, are also landing in AI Mode in Search. They'll be accessible via a dropdown menu and is only available to AI Pro and Ultra subscribers.

You can try Google's new Gemini 3 Flash AI model today for free - it's even in Search's AI Mode

Google unveiled Gemini 3 Flash on Wednesday.It's the default model in AI Mode in Search and the Gemini app.It outperformed Gemini 3 Pro on agentic coding. Google has unveiled Gemini 3 Flash, the company's latest AI model, which it says balances speed with industry-leading reasoning and multimodal capabilities. Along with its global release, Gemini 3 Flash has also been made the default model in both Google Search, the Gemini app, and AI Mode. That's significant, since in the earlier days of the AI race, companies -- even the more powerful ones like Google -- would tend to roll out new AI tools slowly and cautiously, getting a sense of user feedback before adding them to their most popular and widely used services. Also: Inside the making of Gemini 3 - how Google's slow and steady approach won the AI race (for now) Last month, Google embedded the recently arrived Gemini 3 into Search; then, as now, the decision to move quickly and upgrade the company's cornerstone products with a brand new model points strongly to a strong sense of confidence within the company as it steps up its competition with OpenAI and other developers. "For too long, AI forced a choice: big models that were slow and expensive, or high-speed models that were less capable," Josh Woodward, VP of Google Labs and Gemini, wrote in a blog post published Wednesday. "Gemini 3 Flash ends this compromise. Gemini 3 Flash delivers smarts and speed." At this point in the AI race, you might be feeling a little motion sickness from the sheer number of new models and tools that have been dropping pretty much on a daily basis. Companies have an incentive to move quickly and promote every new AI product as a complete game-changer, since it adds to their aura of power. It's therefore always important to ask: What does this or that tool actually offer? Is it just the same old AI capabilities in a new guise, or is there something that's actually, substantively new, here? If you write code for a living (or just for fun), you're likely to see real benefits from Gemini 3 Flash. The model combines Gemini 3 Pro's frontier coding skill with low latency, and it also offers state-of-the-art agentic capabilities, "which means it can enable more intelligent applications -- like live customer support agents or in-game assistants -- that demand both quick answers and deep reasoning," Tulsee Doshi, a senior director of product management at Google, wrote in a blog post. Also: Google just rolled out Gemini 3 to Search - here's what it can do and how to try it For the rest of us, the global deployment of Gemini 3 Flash will primarily mean a boost in the perks they've already come to expect from Gemini app or AI Mode in Search. For example, non-coding experts can feed a stream of consciousness description about an app they'd like to build into the app, and Gemini will quickly spit out a prototype. Or someone running a search can ask for travel advice and reservations for a last-minute vacation, and the model will pull up results based on that user's particular preferences. Users will also probably notice a significant boost in the quality and flexibility of the multimodal capabilities offered by Gemini through AI Mode and the app: it can respond to questions about images, video, audio, or text, and thanks to Nano Banana Pro, generate images in AI Mode (just select "Thinking with 3 Pro" and then "Create Images Pro" in the model drop-down menu). The model fell just short of matching GPT-5.2's performance on Humanity's Last Exam, and it outperformed both Gemini 3 Pro and Claude Sonnet 4.5 on the agentic coding SWE-Bench Verified benchmark, according to data published by Google. Gemini 3 Flash is available now in preview through the Gemini API in Google AI Studio, and it's starting to roll out on Wednesday for free to all users in the Gemini app and in AI Mode in Search.

Gemini 3 Flash is here, bringing a 'huge' upgrade to the Gemini app

Google is upgrading its Gemini app with Gemini 3 Flash, a more efficient version of its flagship AI model that's still capable of fielding complex requests. The new model will replace Gemini 2.5 Flash as the default inside the Gemini app, and it's headed to Google Search, too. Its arrival comes one month after the launch of Gemini 3 Pro, which showed advancements in reasoning, coding, and its ability to process images, text, and videos simultaneously. Google says Gemini 3 Flash "retains this foundation, combining Gemini 3's Pro-grade reasoning with Flash-level latency, efficiency and cost." Tulsee Doshi, Google DeepMind's senior director and head of product, tells The Verge that the jump to Gemini 3 Flash will be a "huge upgrade" for most users. "With Gemini 3 Flash... it'll be a faster turnaround from a latency perspective," Doshi says, adding that you'll also see "more detailed, nuanced answers" when compared to Gemini 2.5 Flash. Gemini 3 Flash also outperforms the last-gen flagship, Gemini 2.5 Pro, while operating at a "fraction of the cost," according to Google. As an example, the company says Gemini 3 Flash can generate a plan based on a series of videos and images in "just a few seconds." In addition to launching inside the Gemini app globally, Gemini 3 Flash is becoming the default model powering AI Mode in Google Search, which previously ran on 2.5 Flash. Google is bringing Gemini 3 Flash to developers as well. It's coming to Google AI Studio, the Gemini API, Google Antigravity, Gemini CLI, Android Studio, and Vertex AI.

Google's Gemini 3 Flash model outperforms GPT-5.2 in some benchmarks

Almost exactly a month after the debut of Gemini 3 Pro in November, Google has begun rolling out the more efficient Flash version of its latest AI model. According to the company, the new system offers similar "pro-grade" reasoning performance as its flagship model at a fraction of the cost, making it ideal for everyday use. In benchmarks, the new system performed significantly better than Google's previous generation models, including Gemini 2.5 Pro. More notably, in Google's testing it managed to trade blows with GPT-5.2, the model OpenAI rushed out to counter Gemini 3 Pro. For example, in the tough Humanity's Last Exam suite, Gemini 3 Flash scored less than a percentage point worse than GPT-5.2 when neither model had access to tools like web search. In a handful of other benchmarks, Google's more efficient system even managed to outperform OpenAI's latest. For instance, in MMMU-Pro, a benchmark designed to test a model's multimodal understanding and reasoning, it edged out GPT-5.2 with a result of 81.2 percent compared to 79.5 percent. Of course, benchmarks only tell a partial story; we'll have to see what people think once both systems are broadly available. Still, the fact Gemini 3 Flash is even close to GPT-5.2, and the "Extra High" reasoning mode at that, is a worrying sign for OpenAI. As with Gemini 3 Pro, Google is rolling out the new model to both the Gemini App and AI Mode in Search where it will be the default model for both services. "That means all of our Gemini users globally will get access to the Gemini 3 experience at no cost, giving their everyday tasks a major upgrade," Google explains. While on the subject of AI Mode, it's now possible to access Nano Banana Pro, Google's latest image generator, directly from the chatbot. Provided you live in the US, select "Thinking with 3 Pro," followed by "Create Images Pro" from the model picker.

Google AI Mode gets a speed boost with Gemini 3 Flash

The new model is more performant than 2.5 Pro while working faster than 2.5 Flash. The Gemini app and Google's AI Mode should feel a little quicker starting today. Google's announced that its latest Gemini model, Gemini 3 Flash, is now rolling out across its various AI products. As the name implies, 3 Flash is meant to be quicker than other Gemini 3 models while still offering strong performance on AI benchmarks. Google announced the rollout in a blog post this morning. The company says that Gemini 3 Flash includes the best of Gemini 3's "Pro-grade reasoning" while operating with less latency and, crucially, at a lower cost, an area that's still a sore spot for AI providers at large. The main takeaway for average users is that both the Gemini app and AI Mode in Search should be able to provide answers more quickly, particularly when queries are complex. Gemini 3 Flash handily outperforms both the previous 2.5 Flash and even 2.5 Pro on a wide variety of benchmarks while working three times as fast as the older Pro model. Gemini 3 Flash is apparently not as inexpensive to operate as 2.5 Flash; Google's data shows 3 Flash's input price is rated at 50 cents per one million tokens, up from 30 cents in the previous version. Google does go on to say that Gemini 3 Flash "uses 30% fewer tokens on average than 2.5 Pro," so that increase in per-token cost could be offset to some extent. Google says that Gemini 3 Flash offers enticing improvements for developers, including "better coding and agent capabilities" that apparently outperform Gemini 3 Pro. Gemini 3 Flash is available now in Google AI Studio, Google Antigravity, and Android Studio. Gemini 3 Flash is now the default model for Search's AI Mode for all users. Google says this allows AI Mode to answer "more nuanced questions" with "thoughtful" responses. If you need more out of AI Mode -- custom interactive tools or specialized visuals, for example -- you're able to select Gemini 3 Pro from the model drop-down. With Gemini 3 Pro selected, you can also use Nano Banana Pro to create images and infographics. You can try out Gemini 3 Flash in AI Mode and the Gemini app right now.

Google launches Gemini 3 Flash as faster, cheaper default AI model

The battle for AI dominance is playing out in real time. A day after OpenAI launched GPT Image 1.5, Google rolled out Gemini 3 Flash, pushing it as the default model across its consumer apps and Search. The release marks Google's latest attempt to challenge OpenAI, as the AI race intensifies across consumer apps, search, and enterprise software. The company is making Gemini 3 Flash the default model in the Gemini app worldwide and in AI Mode within Google Search. It replaces Gemini 2.5 Flash, which launched just six months ago.

Gemini app adds 3 Flash 'Fast' and 'Thinking' models, with 3 'Pro'

With today's launch, Gemini 3 Flash is widely rolling out to the Gemini app and AI Mode in Search. This is one of Google's speediest model rollouts. Since the launch of 3 Pro in November, Gemini's model picker has offered: Fast - "Answers quickly" and Thinking with 3 Pro - "Thinks through complex topics." With today's launch, the model picker now has a "Gemini 3" label at the top: It's widely rolling out on gemini.google.com, and seeing pretty wide availability in the Gemini app as of this morning. Meanwhile, in the past day, you might have seen a "Now Gemini checks your screen when needed" message upon launching the overlay. This contextual awareness might save you from using "Ask about screen." When you say or type something like "Explain this," Gemini checks your screen and app info to give you more relevant answers. Turn this off in Settings anytime. Gemini 3 Flash is also globally rolling out to AI Mode as the default model. It's appearing as "Auto" in the model picker, which is also now available in the 'plus' menu. In the US, Google is bringing Gemini 3 Pro and Nano Banana Pro (Gemini 3 Pro Image) to all users. Select "Thinking with 3 Pro" from the dropdown. Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers will get higher usage limits.

Gemini 3 Flash launches worldwide -- here's everything to know about Google's smartest model yet

Google's Gemini just got a major speed upgrade. Gemini 3 Flash, the company's fastest AI model yet, rolled out worldwide today (December 17). But Google is betting that raw speed isn't enough anymore -- modern AI has to think well and respond instantly. As the newest model in the Gemini 3 family, Flash is designed to blur the line between lightweight assistants and high-end reasoning models. Let's just say, based on these benchmarks, OpenAI might be stuck in "Code Red" mode because this is Google's attempt to make advanced AI feel effortless. Here's what Gemini 3 Flash actually does -- and why it's a bigger deal than it sounds. Gemini 3 Flash is a new AI model built to deliver high-level reasoning at Flash-tier speeds. Google describes it as combining "frontier intelligence" with low latency, making it suitable for real-time use across apps, tools and developer workflows. This matters because users traditionally had to choose between fast models that respond quickly but reason shallowly and smart models that take longer to respond. Gemini 3 Flash aims to eliminate that trade-off. While previous "Flash" models prioritized speed over depth, Gemini 3 Flash changes that. According to Google, the model delivers Pro-level reasoning performance while maintaining faster inference times and lower compute costs. That makes it more efficient than earlier Pro models, and significantly more capable than earlier Flash versions. In practical terms, that means users will get faster answers to their complex questions and better step-by-step reasoning with more consistent performance across longer prompts. This is especially noticeable in tasks like planning, summarization and coding, where response time usually slows things down. Like other Gemini 3 models, Flash is natively multimodal. It can work with text, images, audio and video. That means you can upload a photo, ask a question about it and follow up with a related task -- without switching tools or models. Google is positioning Gemini 3 Flash as an everyday assistant that understands context across formats, not just words on a screen. And here's the kicker: you may already be using the latest Gemini Flash model without realizing it. Google says Gemini 3 Flash is rolling out across the Gemini app, where it becomes the default model for many users, and AI Mode in Google Search, powering faster, more nuanced answers. It's also a part of developer platforms including Gemini API, AI Studio, Vertex AI, Android Studio and the Gemini CLI. This model is clearly designed for everyday users who want fast, thoughtful answers, developers building interactive agent-style apps and power users who need quick iteration without sacrificing reasoning quality. Gemini 3 Flash is also especially well-suited for real-time workflows such as live coding assistance, document analysis or multimodal Q&A -- where slow responses break momentum. If it works as promised, this model could become the default experience for millions of users.

Google launches Gemini 3 Flash -- and claims it's as fast as using traditional Search

In the US, Gemini 3 Pro and Nano Banana Pro are also available in AI Mode Google just launched Gemini 3 Flash, a new AI model the company says "brings the incredible reasoning of the Gemini 3 model at the speed you expect of Search." Gemini 3 Flash is available worldwide as part of Google's AI Mode, and if it lives up to the claim of being as fast as a normal person using Search, then it could be the system seller for AI search. Google says, "Gemini 3 Flash's strong performance in reasoning, tool use, and multimodal capabilities enable AI Mode to tackle your most complicated questions with greater precision - without compromising speed." And considering that up until this point, AI Mode feels more like a gimmick rather than the principal way to use Google Search, maybe Gemini 3 Flash can change the narrative. Gemini 3 Flash is completely free to use as part of AI Mode; simply navigate to the AI-powered search engine directly from Google.com. Google claims this upgraded model makes AI Mode "an all-around more powerful tool" capable of "understanding your needs, so you can ask more nuanced questions," and then, considering the constraints, "provide a thoughtful, well-formatted response." After you've got your speedy AI-powered search results, you can then explore further by clicking through sources and useful links from across the web. Users in the US are also getting access to a wider rollout of Gemini 3 Pro and the incredible AI image generation tool, Nano Banana Pro, from directly within AI Mode - a sign that Google really wants you to give AI search a try. Both of these models are available for free, but you'll need Google AI Pro or Ultra to get higher usage limits and make the most of what Gemini has to offer. I'll be totally honest, even as TechRadar's Senior AI Writer, I've had no urge to use Google's AI Mode in my day-to-day life. That said, Google is promising an AI search engine here that offers supremely fast results similar to those we've come to expect in the decades the company's search engine has ruled the internet. If this is actually true (I've yet to try Gemini 3 Flash), then AI Mode might genuinely replace Google Search, just like the company wants it to. I'm not totally convinced, especially considering that even AI Overviews in regular Google Search can often take time to load and are sometimes inaccurate. But, if any company is going to convince users to trust AI with search engine results, it's Google, and I'm very intrigued to see if the new AI model can live up to the bold marketing claims. Stay tuned to TechRadar for all Gemini news, and we'll be sure to put AI Mode's Gemini 3 Flash through its paces to see if it's as efficient as Google promises.

Google Gemini 3 Flash is fast, cheap and everywhere. Here's what to know

Why it matters: The AI race is quickly becoming a standoff between Google and OpenAI, with huge implications not just for artificial intelligence technology, but for the entire economy. Driving the news: Gemini 3 Flash includes Gemini 3 Pro's reasoning capabilities in a model that Google says is faster, more efficient and cheaper to run. * "This is about bringing the strength and the foundation of Gemini 3 to everyone," Tulsee Doshi, senior director and Gemini product lead, told Axios. The release is all about giving more people access to the most powerful AI tools, Doshi says. * As of Wednesday, Gemini 3 Flash will be the default model in the Gemini app, replacing Gemini 2.5 Flash for everyday tasks. * It will also be the default model for AI Mode in search, meaning everyday Google users worldwide will be exposed to it. * Salesforce, Workday and Figma are already using Gemini 3 Flash. * The launch comes less than a week after OpenAI launched GPT-5.2, and a day after OpenAI launched ChatGPT Images. Between the lines: More efficient AI models can put the power of machine learning into the hands of more people, including consumers and small businesses. * Google says Gemini 3 Flash excels at tasks like planning last-minute trips or learning complex educational concepts quickly. * Multimodal reasoning capabilities in the new model allow users to ask Gemini to watch videos, look at images, listen to audio or read text and turn those answers into content. The intrigue: Gemini 3 Flash performs better than Gemini 3 Pro on SWE-bench Verified, a benchmark for evaluating coding agent capabilities, Doshi says. * That makes the new model more attractive for business clients, an area where Anthropic's Claude has made heavy inroads and where OpenAI is trying to catch up. Catch up quick: Google released its Gemini 3 Pro model on November 18, lighting a fire under OpenAI and forcing the company into a "code red" mode to catch up. * Google entered into its own code red mode three years ago at the launch of ChatGPT. The big picture: In the increasingly binary AI race between OpenAI and Google, Google has the ubiquity edge. * OpenAI may have the first-mover advantage, but Gemini's distribution is wider within search and across Google's core apps. * Gemini's share of weekly mobile app downloads, monthly active users and its global website visits have all recently increased at a higher rate than ChatGPT's, according to a report in The Information. Yes, but: The relentless release cycle reflects the cut-throat nature of competition at the leading edge of the model race where any company can quickly go from leader to also-ran. * Google and OpenAI aren't far ahead enough to discount Anthropic, Meta, xAI, DeepSeek and a whole host of startups. What we're watching: Whether Google can maintain accuracy at scale as it inserts Gemini more aggressively across products.

Google reveals Gemini 3 Flash to speed up AI search and beefs up image generation

Gemini 3 Flash is now available globally within AI mode for Search. Google has just announced a new AI model in the Gemini 3 series, one that is focused on speedy responses. Say hello to Gemini 3 Flash, which is claimed to offer "frontier intelligence" and aims to speed up the Google Search experience for users. What's the big shift? Gemini 3 will be integrated within the AI Mode in Search. In case you missed it, AI mode is the new conversational version of Search that is now available as its own mode, alongside the vanilla "blue link" mode, image, news, videos, and shopping, among others. Recommended Videos The whole idea behind AI mode is to give answers just the way you would get them from an AI chatbot like Gemini and ChatGPT, instead of showing traditional web links. Aside from giving you the answer, AI mode also lets you ask follow-up questions in a conversational manner. With the release of Gemini 3 Flash, AI mode is getting a dual boost. It's smarter, faster, and the new default for AI Mode in Search. "Gemini 3 Flash's strong performance in reasoning, tool use and multimodal capabilities enable AI Mode to tackle your most complicated questions with greater precision - without compromising speed," says Google. Gemini 3 Flash in AI Mode is now available to all users worldwide. Interestingly, hours ahead of the launch, some keen eyes also spotted its presence in Google's Vertex AI platform for developers and the Canvas collaboration tool. The anonymous user mentioned on Reddit that it's much faster than the older Gemini 2.5 Flash model at creating a website using just a prompt. The more powerful Gemini models are expanding Aside from introducing the Gemini 3 Flash model, Google is also pushing the Gemini 3 Pro model for all users in the US. When you open AI Mode, you will be able to pick "Thinking with 3 Pro" from the model selector drop-down. Compared to Flash, this one is tailored for more complex queries that require deeper thinking, reasoning, and problem-solving chops. Google is also pushing its most powerful AI image model, Nano Banana Pro (Gemini 3 Pro Image), and integrating it within the Search experience. So, whether it is generating image or editing them with text prompts, the results are going to be faster and more accurate. "For both of these Pro models with AI creation tools, Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers will have higher usage limits," says the company. On the other side of the competition, OpenAI introduced the GPT 5.2 model for ChatGPT and a next-gen image creation AI model a few days ago.

Google announces Gemini 3 Flash with Pro-level performance, rolling out now

Following last month's launch of Gemini 3 Pro, Google today announced Gemini 3 Flash for consumers and developers. The tagline, of sorts, for Gemini 3 Flash is "frontier intelligence built for speed at a fraction of the cost." It retains Gemini 3's complex reasoning, multimodal/vision understanding, and performance in agentic/vibe coding tasks, but adds "Flash-level latency, efficiency and cost." The Flash model series is Google's most popular offering. It unsurprisingly surpasses 2.5 Flash across the board and "significantly" outperforms 2.5 Pro across several benchmarks. 3 Flash is comparable to 3 Pro, while even beating it in some areas, including MMMU Pro, Toolathlon, and MPC Atlas. Google touts how 3 Flash "outperforms 2.5 Pro while being 3x faster at a fraction of the cost." This strong reasoning, tool use, and multimodal capabilities can translate to "more complex video analysis, data extraction and visual Q&A" for third-party developers building customer support agents or in-game assistants. ...priced at $0.50/1M input tokens and $3/1M output tokens (audio input remains at $1/1M input tokens). Gemini 3 Flash is rolling out to the Gemini app now and replaces 2.5 Flash as the default model. It's billed as a "major upgrade to your everyday AI" for delivering "smarts and speed." For example: ...you can quickly build fun, useful apps from scratch without prior coding knowledge. Just ask Gemini to help you iterate on an idea. You can dictate stream-of-consciousness thoughts on-the-go and turn those into a prototype. Notably, Gemini 3 Flash will be available in the model picker as two options: "Fast" for quick answers and "Thinking" for complex problems. Gemini 3 Pro will appear as "Pro" for advanced math and code prompts. It's also rolling out globally as the default model in AI Mode. Gemini 3 Flash lets you ask more nuanced questions. Meanwhile, Google is making Gemini 3 Pro with its generative UI and Nano Banana Pro available for everyone in the US. ... excels at grasping the nuance of your question to serve thoughtful, comprehensive responses that are visually digestible - pulling real-time local information and helpful links from across the web. For developers, Gemini 3 Flash is available in preview via AI Studio, Google Antigravity, Gemini CLI, and Android Studio. It joins Gemini 3 Pro and Gemini 3 Deep Think from earlier this month.

Gemini 3 Flash is rolling out globally in Google Search

This content is generated by Google AI. Generative AI is experimental Today we introduced Gemini 3 Flash, our latest model with frontier intelligence built for speed, and we're rolling it out globally in Search in AI Mode. Gemini 3 Flash brings the incredible reasoning of our Gemini 3 model at the speed you expect of Search. We're also expanding access to our Pro models in the U.S., which include powerful AI creation tools to help you visualize complex topics and deepen your understanding. Starting today, we're rolling out Gemini 3 Flash as the default model for AI Mode globally. Gemini 3 Flash's strong performance in reasoning, tool use and multimodal capabilities enable AI Mode to tackle your most complicated questions with greater precision -- without compromising speed. With this upgrade, AI Mode becomes an all-around more powerful tool. It's better at understanding your needs, so you can ask more nuanced questions and it will consider each of your constraints to provide a thoughtful, well-formatted response. And as always, you'll have access to real-time information and useful links from across the web, so you can explore further and take action.

Google's Gemini 3 Flash makes a big splash with faster responsiveness and superior reasoning - SiliconANGLE

Google's Gemini 3 Flash makes a big splash with faster responsiveness and superior reasoning Google LLC is building on the successful launch of its all-powerful Gemini 3 Pro large language model with the debut of a more lightweight and streamlined version called Gemini 3 Flash. It's the successor to Gemini 2.5 Flash, designed for applications that require lower latency and costs, and it's being rolled out across multiple platforms starting today. Gemini 3 Flash is built on the same foundation as Gemini 3 Pro, which delivers industry-leading performance in terms of complex reasoning, multimodal and vision-based understanding, agentic artificial intelligence and coding-based tasks. Where it differs is that it's a more streamlined and efficient version of that model, sacrificing a little performance in order to reduce latency and reduce the costs of AI processing. Nonetheless, Google said Gemini 3 Flash is still one of its most impressive models for agentic workflows and can power AI agents at less than a quarter of the cost of Gemini 3 Pro, while allowing higher rate limits. More importantly, Gemini 3 Flash surpasses the performance of Gemini 2.5 Flash on numerous benchmarks, Google said, with faster time-to-first-token meaning it's even more responsive. Gemini 3 Flash is being made available now to consumers in the Gemini app, where it replaces 2.5 Flash, while developers will be able to access it via platforms including Google AI Studio, Gemini CLI, Vertex AI and Google Antigravity, a new agentic-led application development environment that debuted last month. In the Gemini app, Gemini 3 Flash becomes the new default model instead of 2.5 Flash, which means that every single user globally will benefit from its superior performance free of charge. Google Labs and Google Gemini Vice President Josh Woodward said the improved multimodal reasoning capabilities in Gemini 3 Flash mean that the app can now help people to see, hear and understand any type of information much faster than before. "For example, you can ask Gemini to understand your videos and images and turn that content into a helpful and actionable plan in just a few seconds," he said. Users can also ask Gemini to create new applications for them from scratch, even if they don't have any coding knowledge at all. It truly democratizes application development, Woodward said. Someone can just ask Gemini to help them iterate on an idea, dictate their stream-of-consciousness thoughts and transform their vision into a working prototype right there on their laptop or smartphone, he said. In addition, Gemini 3 Flash is being made the default model for Google Search's AI Mode, which responds to user's searches with detailed, AI-generated summaries to help people discover what they need to know faster. Users can expect faster, more accurate summaries, Woodward said. He explained that Gemini 3 Flash excels at understanding the nuances of user's questions, and that this allows it to generate more thoughtful and comprehensive responses based on real-time information rather than stale content. "The result effectively combines research with immediate action: you get an intelligently organized breakdown alongside specific recommendations - at the speed of Search," he promised. Developers will also benefit from enhanced performance, with Gemini 3 Flash striking the perfect balance between reasoning and speed for agentic coding tasks and responsive, interactive applications. It's available now across all of Google's major development platforms, meaning developers and their applications will be able to leverage its near real-time multimodal processing capabilities. These span complex video analysis, data extraction and visual questions and answers, and enable Gemini 3 Flash to analyze thousands of documents or video archives and generate the required insights as quick as a flash, said Gemini Senior Director of Product Management Tulsee Doshi. She explained that Gemini 3 Flash has been designed to eliminate almost completely the lag that's typically associated with larger models. That ensures split-second responsiveness for customer support agents, in-game assistants and other applications where speed is of the essence, she said. In terms of its performance, Google has tested Gemini 3 Flash across a number of popular benchmarks. It demonstrated best-in-class scores on PhD-level reasoning and knowledge benchmarks like GPQA Diamond (90.4%) and Humanity's Last Exam (33.7% without tools), rivaling many much larger frontier models. It also showed leading efficiency, outperforming Gemini 2.5 Pro by generating responses three-times faster at a fraction of the cost, Google said. Developers will also find that Gemini 3 Flash is much more cost-effective than either Gemini 3 Pro or 2.5 Flash, Doshi said. For instance, in the Gemini application programming interface and Vertex AI platforms, the model is priced at just 50 cents per 1 million input tokens and $3 per 1 million output tokens. It also comes with standard context caching, which enables cost reductions of up to 90% in applications with repeated token use above certain thresholds.

Gemini 3 Flash: frontier intelligence built for speed

This content is generated by Google AI. Generative AI is experimental Today, we're expanding the Gemini 3 model family with the release of Gemini 3 Flash, which offers frontier intelligence built for speed at a fraction of the cost. With this release, we're making Gemini 3's next-generation intelligence accessible to everyone across Google products. Last month, we kicked off Gemini 3 with Gemini 3 Pro and Gemini 3 Deep Think mode, and the response has been incredible. Since launch day, we have been processing over 1T tokens per day on our API. We've seen you use Gemini 3 to vibe code simulations to learn about complex topics, build and design interactive games and understand all types of multimodal content. With Gemini 3, we introduced frontier performance across complex reasoning, multimodal and vision understanding and agentic and vibe coding tasks. Gemini 3 Flash retains this foundation, combining Gemini 3's Pro-grade reasoning with Flash-level latency, efficiency and cost. It not only enables everyday tasks with improved reasoning, but also is our most impressive model for agentic workflows. Starting today, Gemini 3 Flash is rolling out to millions of people globally:

Build with Gemini 3 Flash, frontier intelligence that scales with you

Today we're introducing Gemini 3 Flash, our latest model with frontier intelligence built for speed at a fraction of the cost. Building on 3 Pro's strong multimodal, coding and agentic features, 3 Flash offers powerful performance at less than a quarter the cost of 3 Pro, along with higher rate limits. The new 3 Flash model surpasses 2.5 Pro across many benchmarks while delivering faster speeds. It also features our most advanced visual and spatial reasoning and now offers code execution to zoom, count and edit visual inputs. Flash remains our most popular version, with 2 and 2.5 Flash processing trillions of tokens across hundreds of thousands of apps built by millions of developers. Our Flash models are truly built for developers, and with 3 Flash, you no longer need to compromise between speed and intelligence. Gemini 3 Flash is rolling out to developers in the Gemini API via Google AI Studio, Google Antigravity, Gemini CLI, Android Studio and to enterprises via Vertex AI. Gemini 3 Flash delivers frontier-class performance on PhD-level reasoning and knowledge benchmarks like GPQA Diamond (90.4%) and Humanity's Last Exam (33.7% without tools), rivaling much larger frontier models.

Google launches its faster AI model Gemini 3 Flash

Alphabet's (GOOG) (GOOGL) Google has globally launched its latest AI model called Gemini 3 Flash, making it the default model in the Gemini app, replacing 2.5 Flash. Last month, the company launched Gemini 3 with Gemini 3 Pro and Gemini 3 Gemini 3 Flash provides faster reasoning, better benchmark scores, improved multimodal abilities, uses fewer tokens, and outperforms Gemini 2.5 Pro in speed and cost efficiency. Gemini 3 Flash is priced at $0.50/1M input tokens and $3/1M output tokens, is three times faster than Gemini 2.5 Pro, and uses 30% fewer tokens on average for tasks. Gemini 3 Flash delivers performance rivaling larger frontier models such as OpenAI's newest GPT models, offering strong benchmark results and advanced multimodal reasoning capabilities.