Google has unveiled Gemini 3, the most anticipated AI model release since GPT-5, featuring both a Pro version and a Deep Think variant designed for advanced reasoning. While the marketing claims—such as “state-of-the-art reasoning capabilities,” “world-leading multimodal understanding,” and “new agentic coding experiences”—are familiar from every major AI launch, the real story lies in how Gemini 3 performs in practice, not just in the press releases. In a series of tests comparing Gemini 3 Pro against top-tier competitors—including Gemini 2.5 Pro, Claude Sonnet 4.5 from Anthropic, and GPT-5.1 from OpenAI—Google reports that Gemini 3 achieved the highest score in 19 out of 20 benchmarks. That’s a 95% dominance rate across the standard evaluation suite used by the industry to measure AI performance. The results are striking, especially given how tightly packed the leaderboard has become among the leading models. But beyond the benchmark numbers—often criticized as “noise” due to their narrow focus and susceptibility to optimization—there’s one achievement that stands out as genuinely surprising. It’s not about speed, accuracy, or even multimodal fluency. Instead, it’s about how Gemini 3 handles complex, multi-step reasoning tasks that require deep contextual awareness and long-term planning. In a series of real-world scenarios involving legal analysis, scientific research synthesis, and multi-stage coding projects, Gemini 3 demonstrated an ability to maintain coherence and strategic focus across dozens of steps—something even the best models have struggled with. It didn’t just solve problems; it anticipated roadblocks, adjusted course dynamically, and delivered solutions that felt more like those of a seasoned expert than a machine. While GPT-5.1 and Claude Sonnet 4.5 remain formidable, Gemini 3 appears to have crossed a qualitative threshold in reasoning depth and reliability. It’s not just faster or more accurate—it feels more deliberate, more thoughtful. And yes, the benchmarks are impressive. But what truly sets Gemini 3 apart is the sense that it’s not just improving incrementally—it’s evolving in kind. For the first time, it feels less like a tool and more like a collaborator.