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Is Google’s Deep Think Finally Worth the Wait for Ultra Subscribers?
Google AI Ultra subscribers can finally breathe a sigh of relief. After months of waiting and rising tensions, Google officially launched the Deep Think feature for Gemini on August 1, 2025. This means the long period of customer disappointment has ended.
What Happened During the Wait
For several months, Ultra subscribers felt cheated out of what they paid for. These customers shelled out $250 per month specifically to access Google’s most advanced AI reasoning capabilities. Many signed up right after Google first announced Deep Think in May at I/O 2025. The company promised subscribers would “soon” get this enhanced reasoning mode for complex math and coding problems[content provided].
But “soon” stretched on for months. Online forums filled with angry customers questioning whether they were victims of fraud. Some wondered if they were missing something obvious, while others demanded refunds for a feature that simply wasn’t there.
Google’s customer support made things worse. Support representatives gave conflicting information about whether Deep Think was included in business plans versus personal subscriptions. Some agents told customers the feature would launch on August 11, but that date came and went without any release[content provided].
The Technology Behind Deep Think
Deep Think represents a major leap forward in AI reasoning. Unlike regular AI models that process one line of thinking, Deep Think uses “parallel thinking techniques”. This means it can:
- Consider multiple solutions at the same time
- Combine different ideas before picking the best answer
- Spend more time exploring complex problems
- Use code execution and Google Search as thinking tools
Google built this using novel reinforcement learning methods that encourage the model to make better use of its extended reasoning paths. The result is an AI that can tackle problems requiring creativity, strategic planning, and step-by-step improvements.
How Deep Think Performs
The numbers show this AI is genuinely impressive. Deep Think scored:
- 87.6% on LiveCodeBench (competition-level coding problems)
- 34.8% on Humanity’s Last Exam, compared to Grok 4’s 25.4% and other models scoring around 20%
- Bronze-level performance on the 2025 International Mathematical Olympiad benchmark
A special version of Deep Think actually won gold at the IMO, though that model takes hours to solve problems rather than minutes. Google is sharing that ultra-powerful version with select mathematicians and researchers.
What Customers Get Now
Ultra subscribers can access Deep Think through a new button in the Gemini app prompt bar. However, there are limits. Users get “a few prompts” per day on both mobile and web platforms. This makes sense given the huge computational costs of running such an advanced system.
The feature excels at:
- Complex coding projects that need careful problem formulation and consideration of tradeoffs
- Scientific research that involves exploring mathematical conjectures or analyzing complex literature
- Web development where both aesthetics and functionality matter
- Strategic planning that requires building solutions piece by piece
Why the Delay Made Sense
Looking back, the extended wait wasn’t just about technical problems. Google needed to:
- Improve the model significantly – The August release offers “significant improvement over what was first announced” in May
- Get feedback from trusted testers to refine the system before wider release
- Conduct extensive safety testing for such a powerful AI system
- Balance performance with usability – making it faster than the hours-long IMO version
Some customers speculated Google held back the release because competitors like Grok-4 launched, or because the computational costs were too high[content provided]. While Google hasn’t confirmed these theories, the final product suggests they used the extra time wisely.
Google’s handling of the Deep Think rollout was far from perfect. Poor communication left paying customers feeling deceived and angry. However, the feature they finally received appears to justify the wait – and the premium price tag.
For Ultra subscribers willing to pay $250 monthly, Deep Think offers genuinely advanced AI reasoning that outperforms most competing models. The parallel thinking approach and extended reasoning capabilities make it particularly valuable for complex technical and scientific problems.
The real test now is whether Google can maintain clear communication about future features and avoid repeating this customer service disaster.