Google’s Gemini 4 reveal has users asking awkward questions of 3.5 and 3.6 releases

Google announced three new Gemini models on July 21—3.6 Flash, 3.5 Flash-Lite, and 3.5 Flash-Cyber in CodeMender—while revealing that pre-training for Gemini 4 has begun, prompting users on Reddit to question the fate of the unreleased Gemini 3.5 Pro and criticize Google's strategy. One user called the 3.5 Pro a "flop confirmed," and others questioned the need for a competing coding model against Anthropic, though some expressed optimism about Google's efficiency and science-focused models.

Google’s Gemini 4 reveal has users asking awkward questions of 3.5 and 3.6 releases Read More https://www.pcguide.com/earnings-disclaimer/ Table of Contents Google has announced the release of three distinct new models for its Gemini AI tool, one designated as 3.6 and two as 3.5. And while the division of labor for each model is detailed in the announcement, some other things stand out. One is the very early mention of Gemini 4. But one or two other queries have raised a few awkward questions from users about Google’s Gemini roadmap. Gemini 4 reveal The three new models of Google’s AI tool announced on July 21 https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/models-and-research/gemini-models/gemini-3-6-flash-3-5-flash-lite-3-5-flash-cyber/ were Gemini 3.6 Flash, 3.5 Flash-Lite, and 3.5 Flash-Cyber in CodeMender. If you’re not sure about each, here’s the summary. 3.6 Flash is the new multimodal workhorse for Gemini. 3.5 Flash-lite is the fastest and most cost-effective model of Gemini. Lastly, 3.5 Flash Cyber in CodeMender is a specialist cybersecurity-focused model for enterprises. The announcement focuses on those three, but it also offers a sneak peek of the future. Beyond today’s releases, Gemini 3.5 Pro is currently testing with partners and we plan to make it broadly available as soon as it’s ready. In parallel, our team is already focusing on building the next generation of models. We have started our most ambitious pre-training run yet, for Gemini 4, and are excited by the progress. blog.google Awkward Gemini questions What’s obvious is that Gemini 4 is a little way away, but it was one of the things seized upon by users in a thread on the Gemini SubReddit https://www.reddit.com/r/GeminiAI/comments/1v4dn9k/google has revealed the first details about/? . The second most upvoted comment? “3.5 Pro flop confirmed”, with one supporting comment noting “Fr for real . Like, how bad must it be if are they sic pre-hyping the Gemini 4 model after their unreleased Gemini3.5 Pro model?” Latest PC & Tech deals Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 - was $2,199 now $1,749 ASUS SFF-Ready RTX 5080 - was $1,499 now $1,354 Samsung Odyssey G7- was $999 now $649 HP OMEN 45L gaming PC - was $2,499 now $2,309 BIWIN Black Opal NV7400 4TB SSD - was $599 now $459 Prices correct as of July 10th, 2026. That’s not the only question, though, with one user focusing on Google’s ‘3.5 Flash-Cyber in CodeMender’ model, asking: “I don’t get it why they have to have a competing model with Anthropic. Code Assistance is not Google’s business. Never was. It would make more sense for them to either focus on releasing reliable yet resource efficient models. Or to work on technology to improve efficiency of AI models in general.” One reply to that suggests: “Because they want that subscription $ from the coding population. That simple.” Another user backs that view, with: “Because I pay 200€ + 250€ in extra usage to anthropic every month and nothing to gemini.” Meanwhile, a third user took a dig, stating that Google could “Reclaim the frontier for like 2 weeks then downgrade the model like they always do.” Some bright sparks However, the comments aren’t all negative towards the new Gemini model news. In light of the announcement, and the original post’s question of “Do you think Gemini 4 can close the gap with OpenAI and Anthropic?” one Redditor suggests, “Google can win on 2 fronts – super efficient low cost models like flash light with multimodal and super intelligent science based model like Gemini 3 was ”. One Redditor offered a more laid-back and detailed response to Gemini’s competition with the likes of Claude and ChatGPT, saying: “Google is different to OpenAI and Anthropic in the sense that their AI is outputted through dozens if not hundreds of services that were not designed with AI in mind”, adding: “Im sic not surprised Google struggles to maintain a lead in frontier models: technically, they don’t have to. Their user base will wait for competent gemini models to appear inside the software they already pay for and use.” That’s a fair point. Point towards the money, or point toward the delayed Gemini 3.5 Pro. Either way, Gemini 4 is clearly in Google’s plans, and by then we may see exactly where it stands versus its competition.