# Gemini 3.8 Live

Google, released 2026-09-15

**Verdict: conditional.** Gemini 3.8 Live is Google's default Live API model for low-latency voice agents that keep talking while tool calls finish in the background. Conditional because Google bills Gemini 3.8 Live Extended Thinking at the identical rate, and Artificial Analysis scores that sibling higher on its Speech to Speech Index, so you pay the same for less reasoning. Pick 3.8 Live only when turn latency matters more than reasoning depth: developers shipping real-time voice experiences on the Gemini API. Last verified 2026-09-18.

## Pricing

- Input: $0.75 / 1M (text)
- Output: $4.50 / 1M (text)
- Context: 131K in, 65K out; audio $3/$12 per 1M

## Strengths

- Voice agents where turn latency is the priority, per Google's "without reasoning-induced delays" positioning
- Keeping a conversation going while tools and API calls finish in the background
- Multi-step reasoning mid-call, where Google recommends the Extended Thinking model
- Workloads that need structured outputs, context caching, code execution or the Batch API, none of which the model supports
- Sensitive data on the free tier, which Google's pricing page marks as used to improve its products

## Benchmarks

- Artificial Analysis Speech to Speech Index: 76.0 (https://artificialanalysis.ai/speech-to-speech)

## Sources

- [Google AI for Developers: Gemini API pricing](https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/pricing)
- [Google: Gemini 3.8 Live and Gemini 3.8 Live Extended Thinking (Sep 15, 2026, updated Sep 17)](https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/models-and-research/gemini-models/gemini-3-8-live-gemini-3-8-live-extended-thinking/)
- [Gemini API model page: gemini-3.8-live](https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/models/gemini-3.8-live)
- [Gemini API model page: gemini-3.8-live-extended-thinking](https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/models/gemini-3.8-live-extended-thinking)
- [Artificial Analysis: Speech to Speech Index leaderboard](https://artificialanalysis.ai/speech-to-speech)

Canonical: https://neomanex.com/models/gemini-3-8-live