Gemini 4 Argon Tops Multiple Benchmarks at Half the Cost
Google DeepMind's Gemini 4 (codenamed Argon) has rapidly swept multiple evaluation leaderboards since launch: a leaked benchmark table circulating on Reddit (whose methodology link points to deepmind.google) reportedly shows it ranking first in knowledge work, long context, and other dimensions, compared against GPT-6 Astra, Claude Fable 5.1, and Claude Opus 5.5. Several third-party tests have since corroborated its lead, while its significantly lower cost versus competitors has become a talking point.
Confirmed
- In a comparative leaderboard shared by blogger haider1, Gemini 4 Argon topped reasoning and data analysis tasks with a composite score of 84.1 at a price of $1.830, well below Claude Opus 5.5's $4.216.
- Abacus.AI CEO Bindu Reddy tweeted that Gemini 4.0 Argon ranks first globally on both the data analysis and reasoning leaderboards, ahead of Fable 5.1 and Astra 6, though without attaching specific data.
- GamowLabs evaluations show Gemini 4 topping the scientific/medical benchmarks RareBench and LabBench by a clear margin, surpassing former champion Claude Opus 5.5; developer danielmckinn0n relayed the same result and praised Google's science team.
- Reddit user kknd1991 cited Artificial Analysis's Intelligence Index vs Cost chart: Gemini 4 Argon (high) scored 53 on the intelligence index with a per-task cost of $1.99, roughly twice that of GPT Sol 6.1.
Unconfirmed
- Whether the leaderboard table leaked on Reddit is an official Google release lacks direct confirmation; the only indirect evidence is the methodology link pointing to deepmind.google.
Why it matters
- Multiple independent sources (leaderboards, a corporate CEO, GamowLabs, Artificial Analysis) all point to Gemini 4 Argon's lead on intelligence metrics, giving the signal strong consistency.
- There's tension in the cost narrative: haider1 emphasized it's half the price of Opus 5.5, while Artificial Analysis data shows it's twice the cost of GPT Sol 6.1 — meaning "value for money" depends on the comparison point, and users should judge based on their own task profiles.
2026-10-14 ~ 2026-10-14 · 6 related posts
- Episode 1: Google Unveils Gemini 4 Argón with Focus on Deep Reasoning(2026-10-07, 2 posts)
- Episode 2: Gemini 4 Argon's Delayed Rollout Fuels Speculation of Weekend Release(2026-10-07, 4 posts)
- Episode 3: Gemini 4 Codenamed Argon Leaks Across Google Platforms Ahead of Launch(2026-10-09, 10 posts)
- Episode 4: 'Gemini 4 Argon' Hype Sweeps Reddit, But It's All a Joke(2026-10-10, 3 posts)
- Episode 5: Google reportedly tests Gemini 4 "Carbon" internally, coding nears Opus 5.5(2026-10-10, 19 posts)
- Episode 6: Gemini 4 "Argon" rumors surge as model option surfaces in Antigravity IDE(2026-10-11, 6 posts)
- Episode 7: Gemini 4 Argon Leaks Across Google Surfaces as Launch Nears(2026-10-12, 20 posts)
- Episode 8: Google Reportedly Launches Gemini 4 Argon(2026-10-13, 4 posts)
- Episode 9: Google launches Gemini 4 Argon across API, apps and Search(2026-10-13, 189 posts)
- Episode 10: Gemini 4 Argon hands-on wave: Google is back in the frontier race(2026-10-14, 29 posts)
- Episode 11: Gemini 4 Argon Early Tests: Developers Showcase Million-Token Outputs(2026-10-14, 7 posts)
- Episode 12: Gemini 4 Argon Launches, Refactoring 6M Lines of Chrome Code in Weeks(2026-10-14, 9 posts)
- Episode 13: Gemini 4 Argon Tops Multiple Benchmarks at Half the Cost(2026-10-14, 6 posts)
- Episode 14: Google Publishes Gemini 4 Argon Safety Report; Situational Awareness Details Spark Discussion(2026-10-14, 12 posts)
- Episode 15: Gemini 4 Argon Generates Playable 3D Games in One Prompt(2026-10-14, 2 posts)
- Episode 16: Gemini 4 Argon Arrives on GitHub Copilot(2026-10-14, 2 posts)
- Episode 17: Leaked Gemini 4 Argon safety evals show top-tier cyber offense and stealth beyond human baselines(2026-10-14, 10 posts)
- Episode 18: Neel Nanda: Gemini 4 Argon markedly harder to monitor(2026-10-14, 2 posts)
Primary sources
- Artificial Analysis Chart Shows Gemini Argon Costs About 2x GPT Sol 6.1 for Similar Intelligence — kknd1991 · 2026-10-14
- [source] Gemini 4 tops RareBench at 57.4% and LabBench at 52.2%, dethroning Claude Opus 5.5 — danielmckinn0n · 2026-10-14
- [source] Gemini 4 Argon benchmarks leak: tops knowledge work and long-context, mixed in coding — Overflame · 2026-10-14
- Bindu Reddy: Gemini 4.0 Argon is #1 worldwide at data analysis and reasoning — bindureddy · 2026-10-14
- [source] Gemini 4 Argon Tops Reasoning Benchmark at $1.83, Half the Price of Opus 5.5 — haider1 · 2026-10-14
1 near-duplicate retellings: sahandsharif