Google Replaces Flash 3.8 with Gemini 4 Hydrogen in Its Services

Key Takeaways

1Hydrogen replaces Flash 3.8 in all Google products with immediate access

2API pricing remains the same as Flash 3.8, Carbon and Argon will increase next month

3Hydrogen offers speed and reliability gains and integrates with Google Search

Why it matters : This launch generalizes a more efficient and faster model while maintaining pricing for developers and expanding access to search.

Gemini 4 Hydrogen takes the place of Flash 3.8 in Google products, offering more flexible immediate access compared to the recent deployments of Argon and Carbon. Google promises faster responses and more reliable outputs, and announces the integration of Hydrogen into Search. API pricing remains the same as Flash 3.8, while access varies depending on subscription plans.

Broader Access, But Based on Offer and Product

Hydrogen is now available and replaces Flash 3.8 across all Google products. Access varies by interface: it remains more limited in the Gemini app and AI Studio. The model is accessible to AI Pro and Ultra subscribers, while AI Plus subscribers and free users continue to use 3.5 Flash-Lite. Hydrogen is expected to be accessible to everyone in the research domain.

Unchanged API Pricing for Hydrogen, Upcoming Increases for Argon and Carbon

Access to Hydrogen via the API is priced at $1.50 for one million incoming tokens and $7.50 for one million outgoing tokens, the same prices as Flash 3.8. Carbon and Argon are currently offered at $2 and $10, but their prices will rise to $4 and $20 next month.

Performance: Four Levels of Reflection and Speed Gains

Hydrogen offers four levels of reflection, including a new xhigh tier. According to Google, in high mode, it is 2.5 times faster than Flash 3.8 and reduces fabricated claims by more than five times. In code generation, it exceeds Flash 3.8's score in Terminal-Bench by more than three times. On the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index in xhigh mode, it scores 54, compared to 50 for Argon. Google presents Hydrogen as a significant improvement over Flash 3.8.

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Range and Uses: Fast Coding, Enhanced Search

Google anticipates that Hydrogen will play an important role for developers using agentic coding tools, as its speed is well-suited for simple code generation and testing without consuming too many tokens. Argon and Carbon remain preferred for long tasks and security. Hydrogen is integrated into Google Search, which the company presents as the largest AI update to its search tools: it is expected to better handle long and multipart questions, enrich AI Overviews and AI Mode with more visual elements, and utilize an adjusted fan-out search to connect to more sources. Hydrogen is compared to the mid-range offerings from OpenAI and Anthropic. Google continues a strategy of elemental naming, less explicit than the previous Pro/Flash labels, with Hydrogen succeeding the Flash models, which are used by the majority of users in the Google ecosystem. The launches of Argon and Carbon began with a gradual rollout to cybersecurity researchers, followed by access reserved for subscribers of the most expensive AI plan. Hydrogen marks the replacement of Flash 3.8.