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  • Published: July 22, 2026
  • Last verified: July 23, 2026
  • Current status: Available; token-group access and pricing are shown in the console
gemini-3.6-flash and gemini-3.5-flash-lite are now available on LaoZhang API. Start with Gemini 3.6 Flash for general multimodal, coding, and multi-step agent work. Start with Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite for classification, extraction, document parsing, and high-volume workloads where cost or latency matters most.

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What is the difference between the two models?

Google documents an input context of about one million tokens and up to 64K output tokens for both models. Effective capabilities, concurrency, and billing on LaoZhang API still depend on the token group and current route configuration.

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Correct model IDs

  • Gemini 3.6 Flash: gemini-3.6-flash
  • Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite: gemini-3.5-flash-lite
Use the complete model ID. Do not invent -preview, -thinking, or -nothinking suffixes; use a compatibility alias only when the console explicitly lists it.

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How do I call the models through LaoZhang API?

LaoZhang API provides an OpenAI-compatible endpoint. This minimal request uses Gemini 3.6 Flash; replace only the model value to test Flash-Lite.
Before production rollout:
  1. Confirm that the model is enabled for your token group on the console model and pricing page.
  2. Run a small-volume test with representative production requests and record output format, latency, token usage, and errors.
  3. Increase concurrency in stages while monitoring 429s, 5xx errors, average latency, and actual charges in call logs.
  4. Keep a tested fallback model ID when migrating instead of switching all production traffic at once.

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Who should pay attention to this launch?

  • Teams selecting a main Flash model for coding, complex multimodal work, or multi-step agents.
  • Applications that need high-throughput classification, structured extraction, document parsing, or subagents.
  • Projects using Gemini 3.5 Flash, Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite, or an earlier Flash model and evaluating a migration.
A stable existing workload does not need an immediate migration. Compare quality, latency, tool behavior, and total cost with your own prompts and data before replacing a production model.

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Frequently asked questions

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Are Gemini 3.6 Flash and Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite production models?

Yes. Google lists gemini-3.6-flash and gemini-3.5-flash-lite as GA and production-ready. Availability for a specific LaoZhang API token group must still be confirmed in the console.

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Which model should I choose?

Test Gemini 3.6 Flash first for complex agents, coding, and multimodal tasks. Test Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite first for high-volume extraction, classification, document parsing, and cost-sensitive workloads. Use measured quality, latency, and total cost—not the model name alone—to make the final decision.

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What is the API endpoint for these models?

For the LaoZhang API OpenAI-compatible interface, use the base URL https://api.laozhang.ai/v1; text chat usually calls POST /v1/chat/completions. See the OpenAI SDK guide for full configuration.

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Can I migrate existing Gemini code by changing only the model ID?

Do not switch all traffic without testing. Change the model ID in a small-volume test and check tool calls, structured outputs, thinking behavior, token usage, and latency. If you use Google’s native API, also review Google’s latest-model migration guide; native parameter rules should not be assumed to match LaoZhang API’s OpenAI-compatible protocol.

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How do I enable or disable thinking?

Gemini 3 models control thinking through request parameters. Some gateway aliases are not official Google model IDs. Use only the parameters or aliases currently displayed by the LaoZhang API console instead of appending a suffix yourself.

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Where can I find current pricing?

Google’s upstream pricing and LaoZhang API gateway pricing are separate billing contracts. Check the console model and pricing page and call logs for current LaoZhang API prices, token groups, and actual charges.