Google releases 3 new Gemini models, but 3.5 Pro still delayed
Original: Google releases three new Gemini models — but no 3.5 Pro
Why This Matters
The absence of Gemini 3.5 Pro highlights Google's competitive pressure against rapidly releasing rivals OpenAI and Anthropic.
On July 21, Google DeepMind released Gemini 3.6 Flash, 3.5 Flash-Lite, and 3.5 Flash Cyber. The new models focus on efficiency, speed, and cybersecurity, with 3.6 Flash reducing token usage by up to 17%. The long-awaited flagship Gemini 3.5 Pro was not included in the release.
Google DeepMind on Tuesday released three new Gemini models: Gemini 3.6 Flash, 3.5 Flash-Lite, and 3.5 Flash Cyber. Gemini 3.6 Flash, described as Google's 'workhorse model,' delivers improved coding, knowledge work, and multimodal performance while cutting token usage by up to 17%, making it cheaper than the previous 3.5 Flash. Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is positioned as the most cost-effective model in its class. Gemini 3.5 Flash Cyber is a specialized model fine-tuned for identifying and fixing cybersecurity vulnerabilities, available exclusively to governments and trusted partners through a limited access pilot program. Google stated the releases prioritize efficiency, latency, and reliability for developers building AI agents at scale. Notably absent from the release was the flagship Gemini 3.5 Pro, last updated in February. Bloomberg previously reported internal delays due to unmet performance goals. In the interim, OpenAI released GPT-5.5 and began rolling out GPT-5.6, while Anthropic launched Claude Opus 4.8 and Claude Sonnet 5. Google DeepMind product lead Logan Kilpatrick stated that 3.5 Pro is currently in partner testing and hopes to 'land soon,' and that the team has begun its 'most ambitious pre-training run yet' for Gemini 4.