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Comparison · 2 models · Updated Nov 2, 2026

o4-mini-deep-research vs Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview

Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview comes out ahead, 46 to 37 on our weighted score, and it is the cheaper option too.

  1. OpenAI

    o4-mini-deep-research

    Released Jun 26, 2025

    37/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$1.80 / $7.20
    • Context200K
    Full specs Remove o4-mini-deep-research
  2. Our pick

    Google

    Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview

    Released Apr 14, 2026

    46/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$1.00 / $5.00
    • Context131K
    Full specs Remove Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview

  3. Add a model

    Make it a three-way comparison.

01 — Verdict

Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview is our pick

Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview is the better all-round choice, scoring 46/100 against o4-mini-deep-research (37). It leads on price and inputs & features. o4-mini-deep-research wins on context window. 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 priceGemini Robotics-ER 1.6 PreviewGemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview $2.00 · o4-mini-deep-research $3.15 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
  • Longest contexto4-mini-deep-researcho4-mini-deep-research 200,000 · Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview 131,072 tokens
  • Widest inputsGemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Previewo4-mini-deep-research: Text, Images · Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview: Text, Images, Audio, Video
  • Self-hostingNo open weightsBoth are available only through APIs
How the score is built
MeasureWeighto4-mini-deep-researchGemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview
Price50%2534
Inputs & features30%6080
Context window20%3225
Overall100%37/10046/100

Left out because at least one model lacks the data: capability. The remaining weights were rescaled.

02 — Side by side

Every spec in one table

Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.

o4-mini-deep-research vs Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview specifications side by side
Specificationo4-mini-deep-researchOpenAIGemini Robotics-ER 1.6 PreviewGoogle
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)——
ECI rank——
Price per million tokens
Input$1.80$1.00 (best)
Output$7.20$5.00 (best)
Cached input——
Blended (3:1)$3.15$2.00 (best)
Long-context rateSame rateSame rate
Price sourceMedian of 1 providersMedian of 1 providers
Limits
Context window200,000 tokens (best)131,072 tokens
Max output100,000 tokens (best)65,536 tokens
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesYesYes
PDFsNoNo
AudioNoYes
VideoNoYes
ReasoningYesYes
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputNoNo
Availability
WeightsProprietaryProprietary
API model ID——
API providers11
ReleasedJun 26, 2025Apr 14, 2026
Knowledge cutoffMay 2024Jan 2025
03 — Cost

What would a month cost?

Enter your expected volume in millions of tokens. List prices only; caching and batch discounts would lower these.

  • o4-mini-deep-research$32.40
  • Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview$20.00
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: o4-mini-deep-research or Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview?

Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview is the better all-round choice, scoring 46/100 against o4-mini-deep-research (37). It leads on price and inputs & features. o4-mini-deep-research wins on context window. 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, o4-mini-deep-research or Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview?

Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview is cheaper at $1.00 input / $5.00 output per million tokens (median across 1 API provider). o4-mini-deep-research costs $1.80 input / $7.20 output per million tokens (median across 1 API provider). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $2.00 per million tokens for Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview versus $3.15 for o4-mini-deep-research (1.6× as much).

Which scores higher on benchmarks?

There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. o4-mini-deep-research has not been scored yet and Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview has not been scored yet.

Which is better for coding?

There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for o4-mini-deep-research and Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview 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?

o4-mini-deep-research has the largest context window at 200,000 tokens, against 131,072 for Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview. Maximum output per response: o4-mini-deep-research up to 100,000, Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview up to 65,536 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

o4-mini-deep-research accepts text and images; Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview accepts text, images, audio and video. Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview handles the widest range of inputs.

Are any of these open source?

No. o4-mini-deep-research and Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview are proprietary and only available through APIs and apps.

Which is newer?

Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview is the newest, released Apr 14, 2026. o4-mini-deep-research came out Jun 26, 2025. Knowledge cutoff: o4-mini-deep-research May 2024, Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview Jan 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 Nov 2, 2026.

05 — Keep comparing

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