Google upgrades Nano Banana while nearly halving image costs
What's the story
Google has launched its latest image generation and editing model, Nano Banana 2.1. The new version succeeds the previous one released in February 2026 and promises to be better than its predecessors "across the board." The company also revealed that this new model is more cost-effective than its predecessor, with a significant reduction in pricing for generating images of various resolutions.
Cost efficiency
4K image costs $0.0756
The cost of generating images with Nano Banana 2.1 has been slashed by nearly half compared to its predecessor.
A 1K image now costs $0.0336, down from $0.0670, while a 4K image costs $0.0756 instead of the previous price of $0.1510.
Despite these improvements, Google's top-tier image model remains the Nano Banana Pro, which is based on the latest Pro model (3.1).
The new Banana 2.1 model uses Gemini 3.6 Flash.
Model capabilities
Key improvements of Nano Banana 2.1
The new model, Nano Banana 2.1, offers improved image quality, text rendering, and character consistency across conversation turns.
It can handle up to 14 reference images at once while maintaining the consistency of up to four characters and 10 objects.
The model also integrates with Google Search and provides three levels of thinking - minimal, medium, and high - that impact image quality.
Model performance
Availability and specifications of the new model
While Nano Banana 2.1 sometimes outperforms the Pro model in benchmarks, it doesn't always match its real-world image quality.
Google describes version 2.1 as "the more efficient counterpart" to the Pro model.
The new model runs at Flash-tier speed and supports various resolutions (1K, 2K, and 4K).
It is already available across several Google products including Gemini app, AI Mode in Google Search, and Google AI Studio, among others.