Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite, from July 21, is the newest Flash-Lite in Google's own posts

Google's blog post dated July 21, 2026 introduced Gemini 3.6 Flash, 3.5 Flash-Lite and 3.5 Flash Cyber together. It described 3.5 Flash-Lite as its fastest, most cost-effective 3.5-class model. That is below the 3.6 threshold, so it does not count as a qualifying release. The forecast leans towards no qualifying Flash-Lite arriving by November 30. The core Flash line has moved faster. The blog says Gemini 3.7 Flash came three weeks after 3.6 Flash, and a September 28 post covers Gemini 3.8 Flash. Flash-Lite has trailed that pace, and the evidence shows Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite preview on March 3, then 3.5 Flash-Lite in July. A September 23 post covers Gemini 3.8 Flash-Lite TTS. This is a speech model, so it sits in the specialised variant category the rules exclude. It does show that the Flash-Lite name is being used at the 3.8 level, which is a reason for caution about the lean. A November 2 post mentions Gemini 4 Argon and the announced Gemini 4 Carbon. The excerpt does not mention a Flash-Lite model. The supplied research has no dated plan for a text Flash-Lite at 3.6 or higher. The risk is a surprise launch, because Google has shipped Flash models at short intervals. Watch Google's official blog and API model list for any Flash-Lite at 3.6 or higher, including a Gemini 4 Flash-Lite, before the November 30 deadline.