Google Gemini: Everything you need to know

The Gemini logo orb hanging from a booth at I/O 2025.
(Image credit: Brady Snyder / Android Central)

What is Google Gemini and what does it do?

Google Gemini is a large language model that was developed by Google. The AI is designed to process and understand various data like text, images, audio, and video.

Gemini has been trained by trillions of words from publicly available sources. When you use Gemini on Google Assistant, for example, it will mimic human responses while rewriting information from the internet to provide you with information in an easily digestible way.

Because Gemini is an AI model, it is important to note that it can't actually determine whether the sources it pulls information from are accurate or correct. That's why you may occasionally receive incorrect responses, and it's essential to conduct your own further research.

How much does Google Gemini cost?

You don't have to pay for Gemini if you are using it casually. However, if you are extensively using it and want some of the more advanced features, you must subscribe to Google AI Pro, which costs $19.99. You can subscribe to this via Google One, which offers various AI and non-AI plans starting at $1.99 per month.

However, if you're looking for even more from your AI subscription, you can sign up for Google AI Ultra, which costs $249.99 per month and provides access to the entire suite of Google AI features, including access to early preview prototypes and YouTube Premium.

What Gemini models are available?

You might be confused by all the different Gemini models and terms being thrown about. We don't blame you; after all, Google continuously rebrands them, so it can be hard to keep up. However, there are really only three that you need to pay attention to, and they each have their own purpose and function depending on the type of work you're doing.

  • Gemini Nano: This is a lightweight model that runs on devices like smartphones, allowing them to process AI data on-device and without a connection to the cloud.
  • Gemini Flash: Built for efficiency, speed, and lower costs, Gemini Flash is ideal for analyzing and creating content, such as image generation and text summarization. Flash is natively multimodality and thinks as needed. This model is what most users may interact with. This is free.
  • Gemini Pro: This is Google's most powerful model and is built for more complex tasks, such as coding, research, and analyzing large databases. Deep Think gives Gemini Pro more advanced reasoning capabilities for improved accuracy. Access requires a Google AI Pro subscription.

You can easily switch between Gemini Flash, Pro, and other derivative models within the Gemini app, although you may be limited to preview versions of some models depending on your Google One plan.

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