Google releases Gemini 4 Hydrogen and rolls it out across Search and its AI products

Summary

Google has released Gemini 4 Hydrogen, a model meant to replace Gemini 3.8 Flash, calling it its biggest model improvement to Search yet.
Google says the model is 2.5 times faster than Gemini 3.8 Flash and cuts fabricated claims by more than five times.
Access to Gemini 4 Hydrogen began immediately with relaxed limits, unlike the staged and subscription-gated rollouts of Gemini 4 Argon and Carbon.
API pricing is unchanged from Gemini 3.8 Flash at $1.50 per million input tokens and $7.50 per million output tokens.
The model is rolling out to Google Search users globally and to AI Studio, the Gemini API, the Gemini App, and the Antigravity platform.
In the Gemini app and AI Studio, AI Pro and Ultra subscribers get the model while free and AI Plus users remain on Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite.

Ryan Whitwam expressed doubt about Google's claim that Hydrogen's fan-out search was tuned to link to more sources, saying he has heard it before.
Whitwam found Google's elemental model names less descriptive than the earlier Pro and Flash names.
A report called Gemini 4 Hydrogen still pretty smart despite being less powerful than Gemini 4 Argon.

Google's latest Search upgrade promises better answers to your most complicated questions | TechCrunchtechcrunch.com· 2d
A TechCrunch article by Sarah Perez reports that Google has upgraded Search with its new Gemini 4 Hydrogen model, meant to better handle complicated, multi-part, or typo-ridden questions, with more images, comparison tables, and structured answers in AI Mode and a global rollout to all users. Google calls it its biggest model improvement to Search yet and says Hydrogen is 2.5 times faster than Gemini 3.8 Flash.
Google rolls out Gemini 4 Hydrogen, finally replacing 3.8 Flasharstechnica.com· 2d
Ars Technica reports Google has released Gemini 4 Hydrogen, replacing Gemini 3.8 Flash across its products, with immediate access under far more relaxed limits than the staged, subscription-gated Argon and Carbon rollouts, and API pricing unchanged at $1.50 per million input and $7.50 per million output tokens. Google claims the model is 2.5 times faster than 3.8 Flash, cuts fabricated claims more than fivefold, and its Search integration is its biggest AI search update ever; reporter Ryan Whitwam doubts the tuned-search claim and finds Google's elemental names less descriptive.