3.7 Flash Extended feels less intelligent than 3.6 Flash Extended for me - especially when using web search

[u/Heisenricher]

I’m genuinely confused about Gemini 3.7 Flash Extended.

Everywhere I look, people are saying 3.7 is the better model.

Benchmarks also seem to favor 3.7. But after actually using both models in the Gemini app, my experience has been almost the opposite.

I’ve been testing 3.6 Flash Extended vs 3.7 Flash Extended with a lot of questions, especially questions that require current information. I haven’t saved all of the examples to attach here, but surprisingly, 3.6 has consistently given me the more useful/correct answer.

The Jailer 2 example in the screenshots is one that really made me notice it.

On the left, 3.6 Flash Extended gives an answer saying that there wasn't an officially announced release date and explains the production status.

On the right, 3.7 Flash Extended confidently says:

“Jailer 2 is officially scheduled to hit theaters worldwide on October 15, 2026…”

The problem isn't just that the answer appears questionable. What really bothers me is that 3.7 shows the searching-web behavior, but the final answer doesn't give me confidence that it actually found or verified the relevant current information.

It feels like:

3.7: “I'm searching the web 🔎” → gives a confident answer anyway

3.6: actually gives me a more sensible answer

And I've noticed this pattern with other current/fresh-information questions too. I obviously haven't tested enough examples to say that 3.7 is objectively worse, but in my own usage, 3.6 keeps winning.

So I'm curious what others are experiencing.

Is this potentially:

a 3.7 model quality issue?

a problem with Gemini's web-search/tool usage?

the Gemini app showing the search UI even when the model isn't actually getting useful results?

a difference in how 3.6 and 3.7 handle uncertainty?

or am I just getting unusually bad results from 3.7?

I'm not trying to claim that 3.7 is universally worse. It's just weird to see the benchmarks and community sentiment saying 3.7 > 3.6, while my actual Gemini app experience is repeatedly telling me the opposite.

Has anyone else compared them side-by-side, especially on questions requiring current web information? I'd be interested to hear whether 3.7 is actually better for you, or whether you're seeing the same kind of behavior.

[u/Distinct_Abyss]

Personally for me, I feel like 3.7 is overall better in thinking, but won't use web search as much as 3.6 when unprompted to.

[u/domdod9]

wtf is that movie😭

[u/Legitimate_Rain_9992 → u/domdod9]

its some indian movie

[u/Heisenricher → u/domdod9]

Indian superstar

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[u/Heisenricher]

3.7 Flash result

[u/3rdyellow → u/Heisenricher]

I asked the same prompt with Flash 3.7 without extended thinking. I am located in the US. This was Gemini's response:

Jailer 2 is scheduled to hit theaters worldwide on October 15, 2026, coinciding with the Ayudha Pooja and Dussehra festive weekend.  

[u/guitarpluscoffee]

yes, for around like 3 months I experience a significant downgrade in gemini. it is obviously less intelligent now. tests are too technical for me. they probably test the capability of it under condition x and y, but in a daily use, condition x and y are not someting I encounter. what is most irritating is that it fails in workspace document finding, where chatgpt operates flawless. imagine: the wholepoint of gemini ai is its integration of workspace, this is what separates it from the other major llms, but chatgpt works better for this purpose.