Google Ships Three Flash Models — and Still No Flagship Pro

Google has released three Gemini models at once: Gemini 3.6 Flash (an improved all-purpose model with up to 17% token savings over its predecessor), Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite (the cheapest option in its class), and Gemini 3.5 Flash Cyber — a specialized model for finding and patching security vulnerabilities, available only to governments and trusted partners as part of a pilot program.

The flagship Gemini 3.5 Pro, however, has not shipped. According to Bloomberg, Google ran into internal delays and failed to hit its target quality benchmarks. The model was last updated in February 2026. Product leadership said the company is "testing 3.5 Pro with partners" and hopes to "release it soon."

While OpenAI has shipped GPT-5.5 and GPT-5.6 and Anthropic has released Opus 4.8 and Sonnet 5, Google is doubling down on its efficient Flash lineup, betting on efficiency and low latency for agentic workloads. The absence of a flagship Pro model in the face of the competition is either a deliberate strategy or a sign that Google is currently falling behind in the raw-capability race.