Google Releases Gemini 3.8 Flash, Its Third Budget Model in Six Weeks

Google has launched the Gemini 3.8 Flash model, marking its third budget AI model release in just six weeks. This new model reportedly burns about 30 percent more output tokens per task compared to its predecessor, Claude Opus 5. This increase in token consumption is attributed to a ‘working harder’ approach, although the claim remains unverified. The rapid rollout of budget models highlights a shift in Google’s strategy as frontier models are currently absent from the market. Practitioners should note that this increased token usage may impact cost-efficiency in applications relying on the Gemini series. For further details, see The Decoder.