Pika H3 Flex takes up to 12 references for a short video

What Pika released on 29 October

On 29 October 2026, Pika’s blog introduced H3 Flex. Pika says it trained MiniMax H3 so the new model generates in six steps instead of 50.

The open files make video with synchronized stereo sound at 480p or 768p. You ask for a clip of 5 to 15 seconds. The model card says the file can run a fraction of a second longer, because the frames sit on a fixed grid. Output is 24 frames a second, with 32 kHz stereo mixed into the video.

Pika says a 15-second clip at 768p can take as little as seven seconds of the model’s core math in a controlled test. The post says that number is not the full wait. References, upscaling, separate audio stems and the service add time.

Pika also wrote that, when the post went up, Flex ranked first among open-weights models and seventh overall on DesignArena’s text-to-video board. Pika calls that rank a launch snapshot. This desk did not open the board.

What you can hand the model

A prompt can stand alone. You can also give a first frame, a last frame, or both. The reference mode takes images, video and audio together.

That mode accepts up to 12 files: as many as 9 images, 3 videos and 3 separate audio clips. You still need at least one image or one video. Each video or audio clip must run 2 to 15 seconds. The videos together, and the separate audio clips together, must each stay within 15 seconds.

Sound that is already inside a reference video stays with that video. It does not count as one of the three separate audio clips. The card says these are input limits, not a promise that every full set fits in graphics memory.

The card lists 11 frame shapes, including widescreen 16:9 and vertical 9:16.

What stays on Pika’s servers

The download covers the six-step generator at 480p and 768p, with stereo sound. Higher finish sizes stay on Pika’s side.

Pika’s upscaler can take a draft to 1080p, 2K or 4K. The blog says that pass keeps the generated clip and adds detail. It is not part of the open weights.

Through the API you can also ask for five separate audio stems: Dialogue, Score, SFX, Foley and Ambience. SFX means sound effects. Foley means the small sounds of movement. Optional prompt rewriting is a hosted extra too.

What the API index lists as a price

On 2 November 2026, the Pika API model index listed H3 Flex. Text to video and image to video start from $0.01 a second. Reference to video starts from $0.03 a second. The prompt rewriter is $0.02 a request. Audio stems are $0.001 a second.

The word “from” means the index does not show one rate for every resolution. The upscale card says “Draft price deducted” and does not print a separate number. The page shows US dollars. It does not show a peso price, tax, or whether a Philippine card works.

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The app date, and the download

Pika’s 29 October post says Flex is also coming to the Pika creation product on 2 November. This article was checked on that date. It does not confirm that the app shows H3 Flex for a reader in the Philippines. This desk did not sign in.

Pika released adapter files and the code that runs them. The adapters are the extra weights for the six-step method. The Hugging Face card says they are derivatives of MiniMax H3, under the MiniMax H3 Community License. The example code is under Apache 2.0. That code license does not cover the weights.

The license text says it applies worldwide except the European Union, the United Kingdom, South Korea and the United States. The Philippines is not on that exclusion list. The same text says the model and its results are not licensed for use outside that territory.

It also says a commercial product or service needs separate written permission from MiniMax if yearly revenue is above 20 million US dollars. Read the license before you ship a clip, especially if viewers are in an excluded place. This article is not legal advice.

The hardware note says sample jobs passed on one H100 with 80 GB of memory. A 768p clip of 15 seconds did not fit unless part of the work moved to the computer’s main memory. H200 and B300 cards are not listed as tested. The note asks for at least 211 GB of disk for the base files, plus about 5.5 GB for both adapters. A chosen workflow loads only its matching part.

The model card also links ComfyUI workflows. This desk did not run them.

Why it matters in the Philippines

A creator who already uses Pika can try a reference-led clip on the API, if the account and the payment method work. The pages checked here do not say that a Philippine account can finish that job.

The download is a different decision. The published tests used a data-center graphics card. A laptop or a typical desktop is not the machine those tests describe.

The license text includes the Philippines and excludes the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union and South Korea. A studio that posts clips for viewers in an excluded place should read that rule before it relies on the weights.

This section is this desk’s reading of those pages for local creators. It is not a statement from Pika.

What to do next

• Read the 29 October blog and the model card before you spend.
• If you try the API, read the price on the model page that day. A rate that starts with “from” can be higher.
• Treat 2 November as Pika’s app date until H3 Flex shows in your own account.
• Do not plan a shoot around running the weights on a laptop. The published tests used an H100.
• If the clip will be shown in the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union or South Korea, read the territory rule in the license first.

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How this was checked

The dates, steps, reference limits, resolutions, stems and app date are from Pika’s blog, opened 2 November 2026. The file limits, frame rate, audio rate, license pointer and H100 tests are from the Hugging Face card and the linked hardware note, opened the same day.

The license sentences are from the MiniMax H3 Community License text at the revision the model card names. The prices are from the Pika API model index, opened the same day. This desk did not create an account, run a generation, or sign in from the Philippines.

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