Model Comparison

Gemini 3 Flash vs Gemini 1.5 Flash 8BWhich is better in 2026?

Gemini 3 Flash significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B is 8.8x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Gemini 3 Flash vs Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B — which is better?

Gemini 3 Flash (by Google) and Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B (by Google) are two of the AI models people compare most. Here is how they stack up on benchmarks, price and capabilities, and which one to pick in 2026.

Gemini 3 Flash outperforms in 1 benchmarks (GPQA), while Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B is better at 0 benchmarks. Gemini 3 Flash significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B is roughly 8.8x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B also accepts a larger context window (1,048,576 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose Gemini 3 Flash if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 1 of 1 shared benchmarks
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Dec 2025

Choose Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B if…

  • cost matters — it's about 8.8x cheaper per token
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 1,048,576 token context window
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Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

1 benchmarks

Gemini 3 Flash outperforms in 1 benchmarks (GPQA), while Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B is better at 0 benchmarks.

Gemini 3 Flash significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Sun Jun 07 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B costs less

For input processing, Gemini 3 Flash ($0.50/1M tokens) is 7.1x more expensive than Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B ($0.07/1M tokens).

For output processing, Gemini 3 Flash ($3.00/1M tokens) is 10.0x more expensive than Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B ($0.30/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Gemini 3 Flash is more expensive than Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B.*

* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens

Lowest available price from all providers
Sun Jun 07 2026 • llm-stats.com
Google
Gemini 3 Flash
Input tokens$0.50
Output tokens$3.00
Best providerGoogle
Google
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B
Input tokens$0.07
Output tokens$0.30
Best providerGoogle
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B accepts 1,048,576 input tokens compared to Gemini 3 Flash's 1,000,000 tokens. Gemini 3 Flash can generate longer responses up to 65,536 tokens, while Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B is limited to 8,192 tokens.

Google
Gemini 3 Flash
Input1,000,000 tokens
Output65,536 tokens
Google
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B
Input1,048,576 tokens
Output8,192 tokens
Sun Jun 07 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Gemini 3 Flash and Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B support multimodal inputs.

They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.

Gemini 3 Flash

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Both models are licensed under proprietary licenses.

Both models have usage restrictions defined by their respective organizations.

Gemini 3 Flash

Proprietary

Closed source

Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Gemini 3 Flash was released on 2025-12-17, while Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B was released on 2024-03-15.

Gemini 3 Flash is 21 months newer than Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B.

Gemini 3 Flash

Dec 17, 2025

5 months ago

1.8yr newer
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B

Mar 15, 2024

2.2 years ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Gemini 3 Flash has a knowledge cutoff of 2025-01-31, while Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B has a cutoff of 2024-10-01.

Gemini 3 Flash has more recent training data (up to 2025-01-31), making it potentially better informed about events through that date compared to Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B (2024-10-01).

Gemini 3 Flash

Jan 2025

3 mo newer
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B

Oct 2024

Provider Availability

Gemini 3 Flash is available from Google. Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B is available from Google.

Gemini 3 Flash

google logo
Google
Input Price:Input: $0.50/1MOutput Price:Output: $3.00/1M

Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B

google logo
Google
Input Price:Input: $0.07/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.30/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

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Key Takeaways

Google
Higher GPQA score (90.4% vs 38.4%)
Google
Larger context window (1,048,576 tokens)
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
GoogleGemini 3 Flash
GoogleGemini 1.5 Flash 8B
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Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Google
Gemini 3 Flash
Google
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B

FAQ

Common questions about Gemini 3 Flash vs Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B.

Which is better, Gemini 3 Flash or Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B?

Gemini 3 Flash significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Gemini 3 Flash is made by Google and Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B is made by Google. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Gemini 3 Flash compare to Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B in benchmarks?

Gemini 3 Flash scores Vending-Bench 2: 100.0%, AIME 2025: 99.7%, Global PIQA: 92.8%, MMMLU: 91.8%, GPQA: 90.4%. Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B scores XSTest: 92.6%, FLEURS: 86.4%, Natural2Code: 75.5%, WMT23: 72.6%, Video-MME: 66.2%.

Is Gemini 3 Flash cheaper than Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B?

Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B is 7.1x cheaper for input tokens. Gemini 3 Flash costs $0.50/M input and $3.00/M output via google. Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B costs $0.07/M input and $0.30/M output via google.

What are the context window sizes for Gemini 3 Flash and Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B?

Gemini 3 Flash supports 1.0M tokens and Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B supports 1.0M tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between Gemini 3 Flash and Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B?

Key differences include context window (1.0M vs 1.0M), input pricing ($0.50 vs $0.07/M). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

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