Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview vs Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking)
Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview comes out ahead, 50 to 34 on our weighted score, though Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) is 6% cheaper per token.
- Our pick
GoogleGemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview
50/100- ECI—
- Price$1.00 / $5.00
- Context131K
Alibaba (Qwen)Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking)
34/100- ECI—
- Price$0.50 / $6.00
- Context131K
Add a model
Make it a three-way comparison.
Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview is our pick
Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview is the better all-round choice, scoring 50/100 against Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) (34). It leads on inputs & features. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.
- CapabilityNot enough dataNo independent benchmark covers every model here yet
- Lowest priceQwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking)Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) $1.88 · Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview $2.00 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
- Longest contextAbout the sameGemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview 131,072 · Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) 131,072 tokens
- Widest inputsGemini Robotics-ER 1.6 PreviewGemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview: Text, Images, Audio, Video · Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking): Text
- Self-hostingQwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking)Publishes downloadable weights
| Measure | Weight | Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview | Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | 50% | 36 | 37 |
| Inputs & features | 30% | 90 | 35 |
| Context window | 20% | 24 | 24 |
| Overall | 100% | 50/100 | 34/100 |
Left out because at least one model lacks the data: capability. The remaining weights were rescaled.
Every spec in one table
Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.
| Specification | Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 PreviewGoogle | Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking)Alibaba (Qwen) |
|---|---|---|
| Capability | ||
| Capabilities Index (ECI) | — | — |
| ECI rank | — | — |
| Price per million tokens | ||
| Input | $1.00 | $0.50 (best) |
| Output | $5.00 (best) | $6.00 |
| Cached input | — | — |
| Blended (3:1) | $2.00 | $1.88 (best) |
| Long-context rate | Same rate | Same rate |
| Price source | Median of 1 providers | Official Alibaba API |
| Limits | ||
| Context window | 131,072 tokens | 131,072 tokens |
| Max output | 65,536 tokens (best) | 32,768 tokens |
| Inputs and features | ||
| Text | Yes | Yes |
| Images | Yes | No |
| PDFs | No | No |
| Audio | Yes | No |
| Video | Yes | No |
| Reasoning | Yes | Yes |
| Tool calling | Yes | Yes |
| Structured output | Yes | No |
| Availability | ||
| Weights | Proprietary | Open |
| API model ID | — | qwen3-next-80b-a3b-thinking |
| API providers | 1 | 10 (best) |
| Released | Apr 14, 2026 | Sep 2025 |
| Knowledge cutoff | Jan 2025 | Apr 2025 |
What would a month cost?
Enter your expected volume in millions of tokens. List prices only; caching and batch discounts would lower these.
- Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview$20.00
- Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking)$17.00
Which should you choose?
Which is better: Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview or Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking)?
Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview is the better all-round choice, scoring 50/100 against Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) (34). It leads on inputs & features. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.
Which is cheaper, Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview or Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking)?
Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) is cheaper at $0.50 input / $6.00 output per million tokens (official Alibaba API price). Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview costs $1.00 input / $5.00 output per million tokens (median across 1 API provider). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $1.88 per million tokens for Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) versus $2.00 for Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview (1.1× as much).
Which scores higher on benchmarks?
There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview has not been scored yet and Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) has not been scored yet.
Which is better for coding?
There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview and Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) yet, so there is no like-for-like coding score. Test both on a sample of your own tasks. Both support tool calling for agent workflows.
Which has the bigger context window?
Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview and Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) share the same 131,072-token context window. Maximum output per response: Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview up to 65,536, Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) up to 32,768 tokens.
Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?
Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview accepts text, images, audio and video; Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) accepts text. Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview handles the widest range of inputs.
Are any of these open source?
Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) publishes its weights and can be self-hosted; Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview is proprietary.
Which is newer?
Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview is the newest, released Apr 14, 2026. Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) came out Sep 2025. Knowledge cutoff: Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview Jan 2025, Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) Apr 2025.
How do you decide the winner?
Each model gets a 0–100 score on capability (50%, independent benchmark results); price (25%, blended price per million tokens (3 input : 1 output), log scale); inputs & features (15%, image, PDF, audio and video input, tool calling, structured output and reasoning); context window (10%, maximum tokens per request, log scale). Dimensions missing for any model are dropped and the remaining weights rescaled, so every model is judged on the same evidence. Specs and prices come from public model listings and the labs’ own API pages; capability scores come from independent benchmark runs. Data updated Oct 4, 2026.
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