$ cat wiki/models/gemini-3-6-flash.md
Gemini 3.6 Flash
modelupdated 2026-07-22created 2026-07-22
Spec
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Developer | Google DeepMind |
| Released | 2026-07-21 |
| Announced | 2026-07-21 |
| Context window | 1,048,576 tokens (1M) |
| Pricing | $1.50/M input · $7.50/M output |
| License | proprietary |
| Availability | Gemini API, Google AI Studio, Android Studio, Vertex AI, consumer Gemini app, Google Search, GitHub Copilot |
Benchmarks
| Benchmark | Gemini 3.6 Flash | Gemini 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| DeepSWE | 49% | 37% |
| SWE-Bench Pro | 58.7% | 55.1% |
| MLE Bench | 63.9% | 49.7% |
| GDPval-AA | 1421 | 1349 |
| OSWorld-Verified (Computer Use) | 83% | 78.4% |
| AA Intelligence Index | 50 | 50 |
| Time per task | ~1.3 min | ~2.7 min |
| Output tokens per task | ~17% fewer | baseline |
| Output speed | 304 t/s | unknown |
| Knowledge cutoff: March 2026 (up from January 2025 on 3.5 Flash). |
Use Cases
- Agentic workloads: multi-step tasks with tool calls and computer use
- Coding and software engineering (SWE-Bench Pro 58.7%)
- High-throughput document and search processing
- Long-horizon engineering benchmarks (DeepSWE 49%, up from 37%)
- Drop-in upgrade for existing Gemini 3.5 Flash deployments
Key Differentiators
- Efficiency-over-intelligence design: The Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index is unchanged (50), but real agentic tasks complete in 1.3 min vs. 2.7 min — achieved by the model taking fewer tokens per step, not by reasoning better on each step. This makes it materially cheaper for agentic workloads.
- Knowledge cutoff advance: March 2026 (15 months more recent than 3.5 Flash's January 2025 cutoff) — relevant for current-events queries in agentic search.
- Lower output price: $7.50/M (down from $9.00/M) alongside the token-efficiency improvement — double benefit for agentic deployments where output cost dominates.
- GitHub Copilot integration: Available in Copilot at launch (alongside Google's own surfaces).
Compared To
| Model | SWE-Bench Pro | Time/task | Price (in/out) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gemini 3.6 Flash | 58.7% | 1.3 min | $1.50/$7.50 | This model |
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | 55.1% | 2.7 min | $1.50/$9.00 | predecessor |
| Claude Sonnet 5 | 63.2% | unknown | $2/$10 | Anthropic mid-tier |
| Kimi K3 | unknown | unknown | $0.30/$3/$15 | Chinese MoE |
| DeepSeek V4 | 80.6% (SWE-bench Verified) | unknown | unknown | Open-weight SOTA |
Sources
- Google Blog (July 21, 2026): https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/models-and-research/gemini-models/gemini-3-6-flash-3-5-flash-lite-3-5-flash-cyber/
- DeepMind blog: https://deepmind.google/blog/introducing-gemini-36-flash-35-flash-lite-and-35-flash-cyber/
- VentureBeat: https://venturebeat.com/technology/googles-gemini-3-6-flash-model-cuts-ai-agent-token-costs-by-up-to-65-on-long-horizon-engineering-tasks-and-3-5-pro-is-on-the-way
- Artificial Analysis: https://artificialanalysis.ai/articles/gemini-3-6-flash-3-5-flash-lite-halving-time
Related
- Google DeepMind — developer
- Gemini 3.5 Flash — predecessor in Flash tier
- Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite — lower-cost sibling released same day
- Gemini 3.5 Flash Cyber — cybersecurity-specialized sibling released same day
- Gemini 3.5 Pro — still pending GA; 3.6 Flash is the interim workhorse
- Agents (LLM Agents) — primary use case
Referenced by
Sources
- sources/blogs/google-2026-07-21-gemini-3-6-flash.md
- https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/models-and-research/gemini-models/gemini-3-6-flash-3-5-flash-lite-3-5-flash-cyber/
- https://9to5google.com/2026/07/21/gemini-3-6-flash-launch/
- https://venturebeat.com/technology/googles-gemini-3-6-flash-model-cuts-ai-agent-token-costs-by-up-to-65-on-long-horizon-engineering-tasks-and-3-5-pro-is-on-the-way