Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview vs Llama Guard 4 12B
Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview (2026) and Llama Guard 4 12B (2025) are frontier reasoning models from Google DeepMind and AI at Meta. Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview ships a 128k-token context window, while Llama Guard 4 12B ships a 164k-token context window. On pricing, Llama Guard 4 12B costs $0.18/1M input tokens versus $1/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, API access, capabilities, benchmarks, input and output token costs, and production fit for coding and agent workloads.
Llama Guard 4 12B is ~456% cheaper at $0.18/1M; pay for Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview only for reasoning depth.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview | Llama Guard 4 12B |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | reasoning-heavy apps, multimodal apps, and tool-calling agents | provider-routed production |
| Decision fit | RAG, Agents, and Long context | RAG, Long context, and Classification |
| Context window | 128k | 164k |
| Cheapest output | $5/1M tokens | $0.18/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 1 tracked | 3 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 shared | 0 shared |
Decision tradeoffs
- Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview uniquely exposes Vision, Multimodal, and Reasoning in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview for RAG, Agents, and Long context.
- Llama Guard 4 12B has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Llama Guard 4 12B has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $0.18/1M tokens.
- Llama Guard 4 12B has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Local decision data tags Llama Guard 4 12B for RAG, Long context, and Classification.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview
$2,050
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Google AI Studio
Llama Guard 4 12B
$189
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Estimated monthly gap: $1,861. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview and Llama Guard 4 12B; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Llama Guard 4 12B is $4.82/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Vision, Multimodal, and Reasoning before moving production traffic.
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Llama Guard 4 12B and Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview is $4.82/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview adds Vision, Multimodal, and Reasoning in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2026-04-14 | 2025-04-05 |
| Context window | 128k | 164k |
| Parameters | — | 12B |
| Architecture | Decoder Only | Decoder Only |
| License | Proprietary | Llama 2 Community |
| Openness | Proprietary | Open weights |
| Commercial use | Commercial use: conditional | Commercial use: conditional |
| Knowledge cutoff | - | 2024-08 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview | Llama Guard 4 12B |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $1/1M tokens | $0.18/1M tokens |
| Output price | $5/1M tokens | $0.18/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview | Llama Guard 4 12B |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Yes | No |
| Multimodal | Yes | No |
| Reasoning | Yes | No |
| Function calling | Yes | No |
| Tool use | Yes | No |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | No | No |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
No shared benchmark scores are currently available for this pair.
Deep dive
The capability footprint differs most on vision: Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview, multimodal input: Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview, reasoning mode: Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview, function calling: Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview, and tool use: Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview. Both models share structured outputs, so the practical split is not just feature count. Use those differences to decide whether the page is about raw model quality, agentic coding support, multimodal ingestion, or predictable structured API behavior.
For cost, Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview lists $1/1M input and $5/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider, while Llama Guard 4 12B lists $0.18/1M input and $0.18/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Llama Guard 4 12B lower by about $2.02 per million blended tokens. Availability is 1 providers versus 3, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview when reasoning depth are central to the workload. Choose Llama Guard 4 12B when long-context analysis, larger context windows, and lower input-token cost are more important. For production, rerun your own prompts through the exact provider, region, and tool stack you plan to ship.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview or Llama Guard 4 12B?
Llama Guard 4 12B supports 164k tokens, while Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview supports 128k tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible.
Which is cheaper, Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview or Llama Guard 4 12B?
Llama Guard 4 12B is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview costs $1/1M input and $5/1M output tokens. Llama Guard 4 12B costs $0.18/1M input and $0.18/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview or Llama Guard 4 12B open source?
Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview is listed under Proprietary. Llama Guard 4 12B is listed under Llama 2 Community. License labels affect whether you can self-host, redistribute weights, or rely only on hosted APIs, so confirm the upstream license before deployment.
Which is better for vision, Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview or Llama Guard 4 12B?
Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview has the clearer documented vision signal in this comparison. If vision is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Which is better for multimodal input, Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview or Llama Guard 4 12B?
Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview has the clearer documented multimodal input signal in this comparison. If multimodal input is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Where can I run Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview and Llama Guard 4 12B?
Gemini Robotics-ER 1.6 Preview is available on Google AI Studio. Llama Guard 4 12B is available on NVIDIA NIM, Replicate API, and OpenRouter. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-06-15. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.