GOOGLE DEEPMIND · FRONTIER FLAGSHIP: GEMINI 4 ARGON · CHECKED 2026-11-05
Google DeepMind: Gemini 4 Argon & 2026 Buyer's Verdict
Google DeepMind last shipped Gemini 4 Argon on Oct 13, 2026, 24 days ago. Its last 4 release gaps were 63, 23, 20, 41 days, so a typical gap is about 32 days. Next announced model: Gemini 4 Carbon.
1. SOURCED 2026 RELEASE TIMELINE (8 RELEASES)
Every 2026 Google DeepMind Release With Primary Source
Only public API and open-weight releases count toward the cadence calculation. Gated previews and app-only launches are listed for context and marked accordingly.
| RELEASE DATE | MODEL | RELEASE TYPE | GAP FROM PRIOR PUBLIC DROP | PRIMARY SOURCE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-02-19 | Gemini 3.1 Pro | public API preview | First 2026 baseline | ai.google.dev ↗ |
| 2026-05-19 | Gemini 3.5 Flash | API release | 89d [source] | ai.google.dev ↗ |
| 2026-07-21 | Gemini 3.6 Flash | API release | 63d [source] | blog.google ↗ |
| 2026-08-13 | Gemini 3.7 Flash | API release | 23d [source] | blog.google ↗ |
| 2026-09-02 | Gemini 3.8 Flash | API release | 20d [source] | blog.google ↗ |
| 2026-09-30 | Gemini 4 Argon | trusted access only | Not counted (gated/app) | blog.google ↗ |
| 2026-10-13 | Gemini 4 Argon | API release | 41d [source] | blog.google ↗ |
| 2026-10-28 | Gemini 4 Carbon | trusted access only | Not counted (gated/app) | blog.google ↗ |
2. CURRENT MODELS, BENCHMARKS & API PRICING
Current Google DeepMind Models a Buyer Can Use Today
Every score and price links directly to its source (LMArena text leaderboard (Oct 27, 2026), Epoch AI, Artificial Analysis, or official lab documentation). Unpublished metrics are left as "Not published".
| MODEL & RELEASE DATE | INPUT / OUTPUT ($/1M) | CONTEXT | ARENA TEXT ELO | GPQA DIAMOND | OUTPUT SPEED |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Gemini 4 Argon ↗
FRONTIER FLAGSHIP
Released 2026-10-13
· Effort: low · medium · high (
thinking_config={"thinking_level": "low" | "medium" | "high"} docs ↗)
Best at: Highest GPQA Diamond score we track (96.4%, Epoch AI) and the top Arena Text score among models you can use today (1520). ↗
Additional evals: DeepSWE v1.1: 77.9% (Google) ↗ · AA Intelligence Index v5.0.1: 50 (High) (Artificial Analysis) ↗
|
$2.00 / $10.00 ↗
Introductory price until Nov 30, 2026; $4 / $20 from Dec 1. No higher rate for long prompts.
|
1M ↗ | 1520 (High thinking) ↗ | 96.4% (Epoch AI) ↗ | 74 tok/s (AA) ↗ |
|
Gemini 3.8 Flash ↗
TIER MODEL
Released 2026-09-02
· Effort: low · medium · high (
thinking_config={"thinking_level": "low" | "medium" | "high"} docs ↗)
Best at: 95.4% on GPQA Diamond (Epoch AI) and 117 tok/s output (Artificial Analysis) at a Flash-tier price. ↗
Additional evals: DeepSWE v1.1: 73.7% (Google) ↗
|
$0.75 / $3.75 ↗
Until Dec 31, 2026; $1.50 / $7.50 from Jan 1, 2027. No higher rate for long prompts.
|
1M ↗ | 1496 (preliminary (High)) ↗ | 95.4% (Epoch AI) ↗ | 117 tok/s (AA) ↗ |
3. NEXT-RELEASE FORECAST & PLAIN-LANGUAGE METHOD
How We Estimate the Next Google DeepMind Release Window
Plain-language method: We take the last 4 public release gaps for Google DeepMind:
The shortest of those 4 gaps is 20 days, the median is 32 days, and the longest is 63 days. Adding those intervals to Gemini 4 Argon (2026-10-13) places the historical cadence window between 2026-11-02 and 2026-12-15 (median date: 2026-11-14). Rough estimate from 4 gaps ranging 20 to 63 days. Labs do not follow schedules.
Official Statements & Labeled Rumors
- Official (Oct 28, 2026): Gemini 4 Carbon went to a subset of cyber defenders on Oct 28. Google says it will reach developers, businesses and consumers soon, after more guardrail work, at the same $2 / $10 introductory price as Argon. It is not in the API yet. [blog.google ↗]
- Official (Nov 5, 2026): Price change ahead: Gemini 4 Argon's introductory $2 / $10 rate ends Nov 30, 2026. It becomes $4 / $20 per 1M tokens on Dec 1. [ai.google.dev ↗]