Short answer: Gemini 4 Argon is a strong model at a very sharp introductory price, but it doesn't top the independent rankings. It scores 53 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, level with GPT-6 Astra and five points behind Opus 5.5. It costs $2/$10 per million tokens until November 30, then doubles.
Gemini 4 is no longer a rumor. On October 13, Google released Gemini 4 Argon, calling it "our latest frontier model," in the Gemini app, AI Mode in Search and the Gemini API. The question now is whether it takes the crown back from Claude Opus 5.5 and GPT-6 Astra.
Gemini 4 Argon
Claude Opus 5.5
GPT-6 Astra
Gemini 4 Argon in numbers
Gemini 4 Argon at a glance
Prices checked October 15, 2026, on each company's own pricing page.
| Fact | What Google says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Release date | October 13, 2026 | Google launch post |
| API price | $2 / $10 per 1M tokens through Nov 30, then $4 / $20 | Gemini API pricing page |
| Cached input | 95% off ($0.10, then $0.20 per 1M) | Gemini API pricing page |
| Token limit | 1M input and output combined | Google launch post |
| Gemini app | Paid plans: AI Plus $4.99, AI Pro $19.99, AI Ultra from $99.99 a month | Gemini subscriptions page |
| Free access | No free API tier; not listed on the free Gemini plan | Google pricing pages |
| Independent score | 53 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index | Artificial Analysis |
The launch timeline
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| Before launch | "Argon" leaks as the codename for Gemini 4 test checkpoints |
| Sept 30, 2026 | Google announces Gemini 4 Argon and opens it to a small group of cyber defenders through its Fairwind Program |
| Oct 13, 2026 | Wide release: Gemini app, AI Mode in Search, Gemini API, AI Studio and Antigravity |
| Nov 30, 2026 | Last day of the $2 / $10 introductory API price |
| Dec 1, 2026 | API price rises to $4 / $20 per 1M tokens |
| No date yet | "The rest of the Gemini 4 family," per Google |
What Google released
Google's launch post names AI Pro and Ultra subscribers for the Gemini app and AI Mode in Search, and its subscription page also lists Argon on the cheaper AI Plus plan. Ultra subscribers get it in Antigravity, Google's agent coding tool.
Developers get the Gemini API and AI Studio on the paid tier, and businesses get Google's enterprise agent platform. Batch and Flex requests cost half, $1 / $5 through November 30.
The benchmarks Google published
The October 13 post leans on science, robotics and safety: #1 on the Vals Index, 87% on ERQA (embodied reasoning), 57% on RareBench and 52.2% on LabBench. On Gray Swan's prompt injection test, attacks succeeded just 0.7% of the time, the best result shown.
Google's September 30 table compares Argon with Opus 5.5 and GPT-6 Astra on tests Google picked. Argon leads DeepSWE v1.1 at 77.9% but trails Opus 5.5 on Terminal-bench 4.0, 57.4% to 66.4%. There's no SWE-bench Pro score, so treat vendor numbers as directional.
Can it beat Claude Opus 5.5 and GPT-6 Astra?
Not on the independent numbers. Artificial Analysis scores Argon 53, tied with GPT-6 Astra and Claude Fable 5.1, while Opus 5.5 leads at 58 and Sonnet 5.5 sits at 56. That's 12 points above Gemini 3.8 Flash's 41, which puts Google back in the top tier, but not at the top.
Where Argon wins is price. Until November 30 it costs the same as Sonnet 5.5 and a fifth of GPT-6 Astra's $10/$50, then it matches Opus 5.5 at $4/$20. It's also going into Search, the Gemini app and Gemini Spark, Google's always-on agent, so it reaches more people on day one than any rival.
For the full ranking, see Claude Opus 5.5 vs GPT-6 Astra vs Fable 5.1.
Confirmed vs rumor
| Claim | Where it came from | Confirmed? |
|---|---|---|
| Codename "Argon" | TestingCatalog | ✓ It's the launch name |
| Focus on coding and agents | Sundar Pichai | ✓ |
| More Gemini 4 models to follow | Google launch post | ✓ No names or dates |
| Responses up to 256,000 tokens | TestingCatalog | – Google lists a 1M combined limit |
| Long reasoning modes of 2 to 20 minutes per answer | TestingCatalog | – |
| Context window of 1.5M to 10M+ tokens | Various, unsourced | ✗ Not at launch |
| Beats GPT-6 Astra and Claude on benchmarks | Unsourced | ✗ Not on the independent index |
– means Google hasn't confirmed or ruled it out.
Should you switch to Gemini 4?
The verdict
Gemini 4 Argon puts Google back in the top tier without taking first place. Try it if you're on Google's stack or want frontier quality cheaply this fall, and pick Opus 5.5 if you need the strongest model today; we'll update this page when the rest of the Gemini 4 family ships.
FAQ
When did Gemini 4 come out?
Google released the first Gemini 4 model, Gemini 4 Argon, on October 13, 2026. It's in the Gemini app and AI Mode in Search for paid Google AI subscribers, and available to developers through the Gemini API and Google AI Studio.
How much does Gemini 4 Argon cost?
In the API, $2 per million input tokens and $10 per million output tokens through November 30, 2026, then $4 and $20. There's no free API tier. In the Gemini app, Google's subscription page lists it on Google AI Plus ($4.99 a month), AI Pro ($19.99) and AI Ultra (from $99.99).
What is Gemini 4 Argon?
It's Google's new frontier model and the first member of the Gemini 4 family. Argon first surfaced as a leaked codename for test checkpoints, and Google kept it for the launch. Google says more Gemini 4 models are coming but hasn't named them or given dates.
Is Gemini 4 better than GPT-6 and Claude Opus 5.5?
Not on the main independent index. Artificial Analysis scores Gemini 4 Argon 53, tied with GPT-6 Astra and behind Claude Opus 5.5 at 58 and Claude Sonnet 5.5 at 56. Google says Argon ranks #1 on the Vals Index and leads several science and safety tests.
Is Gemini 4 free?
Not yet. Google lists it only on paid Google AI plans, and the Gemini API has no free tier for Argon. Google may bring a limited version to free users later, but it hasn't said so.