Google unveiled Gemini 4 Hydrogen on November 12, 2026, a new fast model for the Gemini lineup. Google is offering it as a switch for teams that have so far used Gemini 3.8 Flash. In the programming interface (API), Google bills by input tokens and output tokens. Tokens are the text building blocks that make up a request and a response.
For chat and search, you will notice little of the change. In Google Search, the model is available to all users, in the Gemini app you select it in the model menu, and free users get it through automatic model selection when it suits the request. Hydrogen becomes truly relevant for anyone who builds Gemini into their own scripts via the API.
What can Gemini 4 Hydrogen do?
The model has four thinking levels: low, medium, high, and the new level xhigh. High is the default. The higher the level, the more effort the model puts in before answering. The context window, meaning the amount of text the model processes at once, holds one million tokens.
In the blog post, Google cites its own measurements. In the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, a comparison test for AI models, Hydrogen reaches 51 points at the high level and 54 points at xhigh, while Gemini 4 Argon scores 50. In Terminal-Bench 4.1, which tests tasks on the command line, it achieves 57 percent, while Gemini 3.8 Flash manages only 18.2 percent. At the default level, Hydrogen is said to respond 2.5 times faster than Gemini 3.8 Flash. These are manufacturer claims; the post does not mention an independent verification.
Who gets Hydrogen, and what does it cost?
Google states the prices per million tokens in dollars; there is no euro price. The price per token stays the same across the entire context window of one million tokens, and long inputs carry no surcharge. The pricing page of Google AI Studio shows how the prices relate to each other: until December 31, 2026, Gemini 3.8 Flash costs only half as much as Hydrogen there, for both input and output. After that, it costs exactly the same. So until the turn of the year, Hydrogen is twice as expensive, and afterward the same price. The amounts are listed in the blog post and on the pricing page. For trying things out, there is a free quota in the API for both models.
Hydrogen and Flash price comparison
According to the Google AI Studio pricing page, prices in dollars
- November 12, 2026Google unveils Gemini 4 Hydrogen
- Until December 31, 2026Gemini 3.8 Flash costs half as much as Hydrogen
- After thatGemini 3.8 Flash costs exactly as much as Hydrogen
Google does not state a euro price.
Sources: Google Blog, Google AI Studio Docs
On the pricing page, output tokens also include thinking tokens, meaning the tokens the model uses for intermediate steps before answering. The chosen level therefore helps determine what a call costs. Google does not state costs per level. Here is how you can get the model:
- Gemini API and Google AI Studio: all plans
- Google Search: all users
- Gemini app: in the model menu, for free users via automatic model selection
- Google Antigravity: only paying subscribers of Google AI Pro and Ultra
- Gemini in Google Sheets: initially for Google AI Pro and Ultra as well as for some business plans
Google does not provide a list of countries; the post only speaks of a worldwide rollout. The post likewise does not state a shutdown date for Gemini 3.8 Flash.
What this means for you
If you only use Gemini in chat or in search, you don't have to do anything. If you want to know which model is currently responding, a look at the app's model menu helps.
If you build Gemini into scripts via the API, it's best to test Hydrogen with your own tasks in the free quota before you switch. Besides quality, also measure how many tokens a call uses at each level, because thinking tokens count as output. Note December 31, 2026 as the deadline: from January, Gemini 3.8 Flash costs the same as Hydrogen, and you decide based on quality and speed rather than price.
If you use Gemini in client projects, plan with the dollar amounts until a euro price is available, and check beforehand whether your plan includes the model. Google unveiled Gemini 4 Hydrogen on November 12, 2026.
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