Where is Gemini 3.5 Pro? The case of the missing AI model.

Gemini users who were hoping to see the launch of Gemini 3.5 Pro at Google I/O 2026 left disappointed. At the May developers' conference, the company launched a lighter-weight Gemini 3.5 Flash model for everyday use. However, Google CEO Sundar Pichai assured the audience that Gemini 3.5 Pro would follow in June.

"We are also excited for 3.5 Pro,” Pichai said at a pre-Google I/O media briefing. “We are using it internally. It's showing great improvements. We are still testing and refining it, and it will roll out to everyone next month."

As of July 17, there's still no sign of the model.

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Yesterday, Bloomberg published a report on the delayed launch, with reporters Julia Love and Davey Alba writing that "The delay has caused frustration among Google engineers, AI researchers, and managers, who are concerned the company risks losing its edge in the market to rivals Anthropic and OpenAI."

Mashable reached out to Google with questions about the Gemini 3.5 Pro launch timeline, and the company provided the same statement it shared with Bloomberg.

"We’re shipping quickly across a wide range of models while keeping them highly cost-effective for customers. We’re currently testing 3.5 Pro, an upgraded Flash model, and other models with partners, and we’re productively engaged with the U.S. government on model testing and broader frameworks."

While a one-month delay isn't normally a massive problem, the AI industry has been moving at lightning speed in recent months. The longer Google waits to release Gemini 3.5, the higher the performance bar it has to clear to maintain equal footing with its rivals. According to Bloomberg, even Meta has released a new model that outpaces Google Gemini.

Bloomberg's report suggests that there are two reasons driving the delay of Gemini 3.5 Pro. The first is bureaucratic. Because of the size of Google's organization and the number of products integrated with Gemini, delays are inevitable compared to leaner AI startups. Second, Bloomberg found that Google leaders are worried that Gemini 3.5 Pro may not be competitive with their rivals' recent releases.

Since Google I/O 2026, Anthropic announced it was launching its most advanced model ever, Claude Mythos Preview. The AI company said the model had such advanced cybersecurity capabilities that it would only be shared with trusted partners. Anthropic eventually did release a version of Claude Mythos called Fable 5 on June 9.

On July 9, OpenAI announced its own next-generation model with advanced cybersecurity coding abilities, GPT‑5.6 Sol.

This week, Chinese AI lab Moonshot released Kimi K3, a massive open-source model with 2.8 trillion parameters. Early testers say it has similar capabilities as Fable 5 and GPT-5.6 Sol, only with a much lower cost.

Without a new frontier model of its own, Google has taken a tumble down AI leaderboard rankings, despite its massive advantages in the AI arms race. Google not only has unprecedented access to the world's data, but it can also put its AI tools directly into the hands of billions of Android users worldwide.

Gemini 3.5 Pro may be launching soon, but while Google readies the model for release, the competition is racing ahead.