Google DeepMind’s Gemini 3.5 Pro has encountered another delay, marking its third postponement since the original June 2026 release target. The model has struggled to meet key performance benchmarks, particularly in areas like reliability and real-world application, with specific issues including frequent hallucinations and inconsistent outputs. Speculation surrounds the potential release of interim models like Gemini 3.6 Flash, aimed at addressing market demands and buying time for further development of Gemini 3.5 Pro. Internal challenges, such as the departure of key researchers and growing frustration over a lack of breakthroughs, are complicating the company’s ability to innovate. There is a possibility that Google DeepMind may pivot its focus to future models like Gemini 4.0 Flash, emphasizing practical use cases over benchmark performance. The model has struggled to meet the high expectations set by both the market and its competitors, such as OpenAI’s GPT-5.6 and Anthropic’s Fable 5.