Google just dropped new versions of Gemini — here's why its a big deal
Lower costs and higher performance
Here at Tom’s Guide our expert editors are committed to bringing you the best news, reviews and guides to help you stay informed and ahead of the curve!
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Want to add more newsletters?
Daily (Mon-Sun)
Tom's Guide Daily
Sign up to get the latest updates on all of your favorite content! From cutting-edge tech news and the hottest streaming buzz to unbeatable deals on the best products and in-depth reviews, we’ve got you covered.
Weekly on Thursday
Tom's AI Guide
Be AI savvy with your weekly newsletter summing up all the biggest AI news you need to know. Plus, analysis from our AI editor and tips on how to use the latest AI tools!
Weekly on Friday
Tom's iGuide
Unlock the vast world of Apple news straight to your inbox. With coverage on everything from exciting product launches to essential software updates, this is your go-to source for the latest updates on all the best Apple content.
Weekly on Monday
Tom's Streaming Guide
Our weekly newsletter is expertly crafted to immerse you in the world of streaming. Stay updated on the latest releases and our top recommendations across your favorite streaming platforms.
Join the club
Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.
Google announced the release of two new versions of its popular Gemini AI models that promise a 50% price drop for developers as well as two times faster output and three times lower latency over the previous generation. Gemini-1.5-Pro-002 and Gemini-1.5-Flash-002 will initially be available to developers but will also come to the Gemini App and website.
Among the most notable features, the faster output makes these models ideal for high-demand AI tasks such as code, text, and multimodal processing. Performance has been enhanced across multiple benchmarks, showing a 20% improvement in math-related tasks and substantial gains in visual understanding and code generation.
Considering developer feedback, Google reduced the output length by 5-20%, resulting in faster responses without compromising quality. For longer, more verbose responses, developers can apply specific prompting strategies.
The previous version of Gemini Flash 1.5 beat Gemini Pro 1.5 in our testing, so it will be interesting to see if this upgrade makes a difference.
Designed for performance, flexibility, and safety
The new Gemini-1.5-Pro model is well-suited for tasks like summarizing information from large documents and understanding long videos. For developers, accessing these models via Google AI Studio and Vertex AI has been streamlined, and the improved rate limits make it easier to build with Gemini’s capabilities at scale.
In an effort to give developers more of what they want, Google has experimented with Gemini-1.5-Flash to bring even greater improvements across text and multimodal tasks. It is clear that the company is committed to evolving the AI landscape while taking to heart developers' needs. Alongside these model upgrades, Google updated privacy filters, allowing developers more flexibility in how they configure the models while maintaining content safety.
With these enhancements, Google has made the Gemini models not only more affordable but also more powerful, responsive and safer, solidifying their place as competitive tools in the AI space. These improvements continue to open new possibilities for AI applications, and Google is encouraging developers to explore the models' potential across various use cases.
In addition to the aforementioned updates, Google announced that Gemini Advanced users can expect to access a chat optimized version of Gemini 1.5 Pro-002 soon, signaling there is more to come to excite users and industry leaders alike.
The updated version of Gemini Pro 1.5 will be available to Gemini Advanced subscribers.
Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.
More from Tom's Guide
- 5 best AI apps for Mac — here's what I use to work smarter
- I test AI chatbots for a living and these are the best ChatGPT alternatives
- ChatGPT's Advanced Voice Mode is set to roll out soon

Amanda Caswell is an award-winning journalist, bestselling YA author, and one of today’s leading voices in AI and technology. A celebrated contributor to various news outlets, her sharp insights and relatable storytelling have earned her a loyal readership. Amanda’s work has been recognized with prestigious honors, including outstanding contribution to media.
Known for her ability to bring clarity to even the most complex topics, Amanda seamlessly blends innovation and creativity, inspiring readers to embrace the power of AI and emerging technologies. As a certified prompt engineer, she continues to push the boundaries of how humans and AI can work together.
Beyond her journalism career, Amanda is a long-distance runner and mom of three. She lives in New Jersey.









