Key Takeaways
Nova Lite 1.0 wins:
- Cheaper input tokens
- Cheaper output tokens
- Faster response time
Gemini 3 Pro Preview wins:
- Larger context window
- Higher intelligence benchmark
- Better at coding
- Better at math
- Has reasoning mode
Price Advantage
Nova Lite 1.0
Benchmark Advantage
Gemini 3 Pro Preview
Context Window
Gemini 3 Pro Preview
Speed
Nova Lite 1.0
Pricing Comparison
Price Comparison
| Metric | Nova Lite 1.0 | Gemini 3 Pro Preview | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input (per 1M tokens) | $0.06 | $2.00 | Nova Lite 1.0 |
| Output (per 1M tokens) | $0.24 | $12.00 | Nova Lite 1.0 |
| Cache Read (per 1M) | N/A | $200000.00 | Gemini 3 Pro Preview |
| Cache Write (per 1M) | N/A | $375000.00 | Gemini 3 Pro Preview |
Using a 3:1 input/output ratio, Nova Lite 1.0 is 98% cheaper overall.
Nova Lite 1.0 Providers
Amazon Bedrock $0.06 (Cheapest)
Gemini 3 Pro Preview Providers
Google AI Studio $2.00 (Cheapest)
Google $2.00 (Cheapest)
Benchmark Comparison
7
Benchmarks Compared
0
Nova Lite 1.0 Wins
6
Gemini 3 Pro Preview Wins
Benchmark Scores
| Benchmark | Nova Lite 1.0 | Gemini 3 Pro Preview | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
Intelligence Index Overall intelligence score | 12.4 | 48.4 | |
Coding Index Code generation & understanding | 5.1 | 46.5 | |
Math Index Mathematical reasoning | 7.0 | 95.7 | |
MMLU Pro Academic knowledge | 59.0 | 89.8 | |
GPQA Graduate-level science | 43.3 | 90.8 | |
LiveCodeBench Competitive programming | 16.7 | 91.7 | |
AIME Competition math | 10.7 | - | - |
Gemini 3 Pro Preview significantly outperforms in coding benchmarks.
Cost vs Quality
X-axis:
Y-axis:
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Nova Lite 1.0
Other models
Context & Performance
Context Window
Nova Lite 1.0
300,000
tokens
Max output: 5,120 tokens
Gemini 3 Pro Preview
1,048,576
tokens
Max output: 65,536 tokens
Gemini 3 Pro Preview has a 71% larger context window.
Speed Performance
| Metric | Nova Lite 1.0 | Gemini 3 Pro Preview | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tokens/second | 224.8 tok/s | 132.8 tok/s | |
| Time to First Token | 0.38s | 30.65s |
Nova Lite 1.0 responds 69% faster on average.
Capabilities
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Nova Lite 1.0 | Gemini 3 Pro Preview |
|---|---|---|
| Vision (Image Input) | ||
| Tool/Function Calls | ||
| Reasoning Mode | ||
| Audio Input | ||
| Audio Output | ||
| PDF Input | ||
| Prompt Caching | ||
| Web Search |
License & Release
| Property | Nova Lite 1.0 | Gemini 3 Pro Preview |
|---|---|---|
| License | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Author | Amazon | |
| Released | Dec 2024 | Nov 2025 |
Nova Lite 1.0 Modalities
Input
textimage
Output
text
Gemini 3 Pro Preview Modalities
Input
textimagefileaudiovideo
Output
text