Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) vs Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview
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.
Alibaba (Qwen)Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking)
34/100- ECI—
- Price$0.50 / $6.00
- Context131K
- Our pick
GoogleGemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview
50/100- ECI—
- Price$1.00 / $5.00
- 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 sameQwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) 131,072 · Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview 131,072 tokens
- Widest inputsGemini Robotics-ER 1.6 PreviewQwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking): Text · Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview: Text, Images, Audio, Video
- Self-hostingQwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking)Publishes downloadable weights
| Measure | Weight | Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) | Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | 50% | 37 | 36 |
| Inputs & features | 30% | 35 | 90 |
| Context window | 20% | 24 | 24 |
| Overall | 100% | 34/100 | 50/100 |
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 | Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking)Alibaba (Qwen) | Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 PreviewGoogle |
|---|---|---|
| Capability | ||
| Capabilities Index (ECI) | — | — |
| ECI rank | — | — |
| Price per million tokens | ||
| Input | $0.50 (best) | $1.00 |
| Output | $6.00 | $5.00 (best) |
| Cached input | — | — |
| Blended (3:1) | $1.88 (best) | $2.00 |
| Long-context rate | Same rate | Same rate |
| Price source | Official Alibaba API | Median of 1 providers |
| Limits | ||
| Context window | 131,072 tokens | 131,072 tokens |
| Max output | 32,768 tokens | 65,536 tokens (best) |
| Inputs and features | ||
| Text | Yes | Yes |
| Images | No | Yes |
| PDFs | No | No |
| Audio | No | Yes |
| Video | No | Yes |
| Reasoning | Yes | Yes |
| Tool calling | Yes | Yes |
| Structured output | No | Yes |
| Availability | ||
| Weights | Open | Proprietary |
| API model ID | qwen3-next-80b-a3b-thinking | — |
| API providers | 10 (best) | 1 |
| Released | Sep 2025 | Apr 14, 2026 |
| Knowledge cutoff | Apr 2025 | Jan 2025 |
What would a month cost?
Enter your expected volume in millions of tokens. List prices only; caching and batch discounts would lower these.
- Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking)$17.00
- Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview$20.00
Which should you choose?
Which is better: Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) or Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview?
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, Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) or Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview?
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. Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) 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 Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) 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?
Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) and Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview share the same 131,072-token context window. Maximum output per response: Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) up to 32,768, Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview up to 65,536 tokens.
Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?
Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) accepts text; 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?
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: Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) Apr 2025, 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 Oct 4, 2026.
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