tl;dr: 3.6 flash is a bit smarter than 3.5 flash, but also a bit more expensive.

My results [0] put Gemini 3.6 Flash at the top.

3.6 Flash high has same $1.5 input price as 3.5 Flash, but output is cheaper from $9.0 to $7.5.

Google said 3.6 Flash is more token efficient, but in my tests it's actually LESS token efficient[1] than 3.5 Flash, so despite the output price reduction, it still costs more.

[0]: https://aibenchy.com/compare/google-gemini-3-6-flash-medium/...

[1]: https://aibenchy.com/compare/google-gemini-3-6-flash-high/go...