Token costs killing you? Google may have the solution. Gemini just dropped their fastest, cheapest models ever.
This morning, I took them out for a test drive. Gemini’s new models excel at parsing documents, but still lag a little when it comes to coding.
Let me show you what these models can do…
Round #1: Making a Landing Page
Coding is a big focus for the new Gemini models. So I used 3.6 Flash to make myself a landing page.
I seeded it with some info from my X and LinkedIn profiles. I told Gemini to make a page in a minimalist, MS DOS format.
Gemini created a solid landing page. The graphic of my name on the top is a little off, but overall it’s a decent effort.
Still, Grok 4.5 Build produced a prettier design. And since it only costs slightly more, I’d go with Grok.
I’m giving Gemini a B for this round.
Round #2: Summarizing a Pitch Deck
Next let’s test an even faster and cheaper model: 3.5 Flash-Lite. Google says this model is great for simple tasks that you want to run quickly.
When I get a pitch deck from a founder, I like getting a quick summary of it. Can Gemini help?
Gemini summarized the deck faster than any other model I’ve used. Even though I gave Gemini very little guidance, it did a beautiful job.
It pulled all the key details, including the founder’s backgrounds and terms of the round. I liked Gemini’s summary better than the cheap Grok models, like 4.1 Fast.
At $0.3/1M input tokens and $2.5/1M output tokens, the price is hard to beat. If you need to parse lots of documents, 3.5 Flash-Lite is a great option.
Gemini gets an A here!
Round #3: Analyzing a Monster Spreadsheet
I have a huge spreadsheet with over 5,000 lines tracking every deal I’ve passed on for the last several years. Can Gemini analyze it and find some trends over time?
For this round, I used 3.6 Flash. I gave it a pretty vague prompt, asking it to analyze trends and surface patterns that would be useful to me in future investments.
Gemini did a beautiful job!
The most striking pattern it found was how much my dealflow sources have changed. When I was first starting out, I relied on syndicates.
Now, the vast majority of my dealflow is direct. That makes sense…my network has grown over time.
If you need to analyze huge spreadsheets, Gemini 3.6 Flash is a great choice.
I’m giving this round an A!
Wrap-Up
The new Gemini models earned A- overall in my testing.
When it comes to summarizing documents or analyzing spreadsheets, Gemini crushes it.
For basic coding, Gemini does an acceptable job. But its design sense is not as good as Grok 4.5 Build or Claude Code.
If you’re struggling with token cost, try switching out some of your existing models for the new ones from Gemini. You may get everything you need at a much lower cost!
Have a great weekend, everyone!
More from the blog:
How I Built a Slick Landing Page in 28 Seconds with Grok 4.5, Elon’s New Coding Agent
I Built a Meeting Prep Agent That Saves Me 30 Minutes a Day — Here’s How You Can Use It Too
China’s GLM 5.2: The Most Powerful Open-Source Model Yet — But Does It Deliver in Real Life?
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