Google releases Gemini 4 Hydrogen, a fast model for coding and agents, and brings it to Search
Announced · Published · By Contractor AI Shop
Google released Gemini 4 Hydrogen, a fast model for everyday coding and agent work. It is rolling out in Google Search, the Gemini app, the Gemini API and AI Studio, Gemini for business, and Antigravity for paid subscribers. API pricing: $1.50 per million input tokens, $7.50 per million output.
Key facts
- On Nov 12, 2026, Google introduced Gemini 4 Hydrogen. Google says it is built for rapid execution across agentic workflows, while its frontier models, Gemini 4 Carbon and Gemini 4 Argon, are for deep, long-horizon reasoning. Hydrogen can work on its own or as the execution model alongside Carbon and Argon. Google (Koray Kavukcuoglu)
- Google says Hydrogen is priced flat across its full 1 million-token context window at $1.50 per million input tokens and $7.50 per million output tokens. It has four thinking levels: low, medium, high (the default) and a new xhigh tier. Google (Koray Kavukcuoglu)
- Google says Hydrogen is rolling out globally: in the Gemini API through AI Studio and Android Studio, in Gemini for business, in Google Antigravity for paid Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers, in the Gemini app model menu, and in Google Search for all users. Free Gemini app users get it through automatic model selection when it fits the prompt. Google (Koray Kavukcuoglu)
- Google says Hydrogen finishes tasks 2.5 times faster than Gemini 3.8 Flash at its default setting. That is Google's claim; we have not tested it. Google (Koray Kavukcuoglu)
- Google's Search post (Robby Stein, VP of Product, Google Search) calls it the biggest model upgrade to Search yet and says Search will handle multi-part questions better, link to a broader range of sites, and show more images, tables and structured answers. Google (Robby Stein)
- The Verge (Stevie Bonifield, Nov 12) reports that Stein says Hydrogen is now the default model in AI Mode and is used for the hardest questions in AI Overviews. The Verge (Stevie Bonifield)
- TechCrunch (Sarah Perez, Nov 12) reports that Google says the Hydrogen update is rolling out to all Search users globally. TechCrunch (Sarah Perez)
Our take: what it means for contractors
This is the model most office users will touch without choosing it: per Google's Robby Stein, it now runs AI Mode answers in Search, and it is in the Gemini app. If you build agents on an API, it is a fast model worth pricing against your current Claude or GPT setup. The speed claims are Google's; we have not timed it.
What we don't know yet
- Usage limits for free users in the Gemini app
- Independent speed and quality tests
- When Gemini in Google Sheets with Hydrogen reaches more plans (Google says it starts with AI Pro and Ultra subscribers and eligible business subscriptions)
Sources
- Google (Koray Kavukcuoglu) · Introducing Gemini 4 Hydrogen · 2026-11-12 · Primary
- Google (Robby Stein) · Google Search gets a major upgrade with Gemini 4 Hydrogen · 2026-11-12 · Primary
- The Verge (Stevie Bonifield) · Google’s new Gemini model is better at understanding complicated questions · 2026-11-12 · Secondary
- TechCrunch (Sarah Perez) · Google’s latest Search upgrade promises better answers to your most complicated questions · 2026-11-12 · Secondary
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