Google made Gemini 4 Hydrogen the default model in Google Search’s AI Mode on November 12, 2026. We tried AI Mode with a shopping question that combined a $500 budget, eSIM and long-term security updates. It gave us a comparison table, but it included a Galaxy phone Samsung skipped in the U.S. and left out a newer Pixel that matched the budget at its official starting price. Google’s Search announcement · The Verge’s rollout coverage
What changed in Google Search with Gemini 4 Hydrogen?
Google says Hydrogen can handle questions with more constraints, search several parts of a question in parallel and present the results in formats such as tables and images. The upgrade is available to Google Search users globally without a paid AI plan. Google Search product VP Robby Stein also says Hydrogen is used for some of the hardest questions in AI Overviews, the summaries that can appear above standard search results. Google’s overview of the changes · AI Mode and AI Overviews rollout details
What happened when we asked AI Mode to find an Android phone under $500?
Which unlocked Android phones under $500 in the U.S. have at least five years of security updates and an eSIM?
We submitted that question in a signed-out desktop session on November 13 and checked the first reply. AI Mode listed the Pixel 8a, Pixel 9a and several Samsung Galaxy A-series phones. Its table made it easy to scan estimated prices, update commitments and eSIM support. The session showed the AI Mode reply without a model label, so the observations below describe what appeared in that session.
| Model | What we found |
|---|---|
| Pixel 8a | AI Mode listed seven years of updates. Google dates that commitment from May 2024, so the phone had roughly four and a half years of support left at the time of our test. |
| Pixel 9a | AI Mode listed eSIM and seven years of updates. Google’s specs confirm both. The April 2025 start date puts the end of the seven-year window around April 2032. |
| Galaxy A35 5G | Samsung announced five years of security updates when it launched the phone in the U.S. in April 2024. Buyers in November 2026 would have roughly two and a half years left on that timetable. |
| Galaxy A55 5G | AI Mode grouped this phone with the A54 and A56 as U.S. market variants. Samsung confirmed it skipped an official U.S. launch for the A55. An imported listing can have different carrier and warranty terms. |
| Pixel 10a | AI Mode left it out. Google announced a $499 starting price. Its U.S. specs list eSIM and seven years of security updates, with the update window starting in March 2026. |
We checked update dates against Google and Samsung’s documentation. The AI reply’s estimated prices were separate from those checks. The Pixel 10a’s $499 figure is its announced starting price, and actual retailer prices and stock can change. Google’s Pixel update policy · Pixel U.S. availability dates · Pixel 9a specifications · Pixel 10a specifications · Pixel 10a launch price · Samsung’s Galaxy A35 announcement · Samsung’s U.S. Galaxy A55 statement reported by Android Authority
The wording that matters when you shop for a phone
“Five years of security updates” can mean a five-year promise at launch or five years still left when you buy. Our question left that distinction open. A clearer follow-up would be “Show unlocked U.S. models with at least five years of security updates remaining as of November 2026. Include the expected end month, the exact U.S. model, a manufacturer link for eSIM support and a current price before tax with no trade-in or carrier activation.”
You can open Google AI Mode directly or select AI Mode after entering a query in Google Search. Use the comparison to build a shortlist. Check the manufacturer’s update policy, the U.S. product page and the retailer’s checkout price before choosing a phone. Google’s AI Mode help
Related reading Google’s Gemini smart glasses and iPhone compatibility.
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