Nano Banana 2 brings Pro features for free users
Google's new AI image model Nano Banana 2 combines high generation speed with Pro features and broad integration into platforms and services.
Nano Banana 2 generates consistent figures in different scenes, here a kangaroo in four environments.
(Image: Google)
Google has released Nano Banana 2. The new product is based on the Gemini 3.1 Flash image generation model and, according to Google, combines the speed of Flash models with features previously reserved for the paid Nano Banana Pro. This is intended to make complex AI image generation faster, cheaper, and more accessible. Nano Banana 2 is available immediately in the Gemini app, in the AI mode of Google Search, and on many other Google platforms.
Compared to the first Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash) from last August, Nano Banana adopts two central functions of the Nano Banana Pro introduced in November. Firstly, the new model should now be able to access Gemini's world knowledge as well as current information and images from web search, which should lead to better representation of motifs. According to Google, this helps in creating infographics, converting notes into diagrams, and graphically preparing data. Secondly, Nano Banana 2 can now generate text in images much more precisely and legibly, and automatically translate and localize them, Google writes.
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Significantly cheaper API image generation
Furthermore, Nano Banana 2 has been improved in several other areas. Up to five figures and 14 objects should now remain consistent across multiple generation steps, and complex instructions should be implemented more precisely. Flexible aspect ratios and resolutions up to 4K are available for output. At the same time, lighting, textures, and level of detail are said to have been improved without reducing generation speed.
Nano Banana 2 replaces Nano Banana Pro in the Gemini app. However, subscribers to Google AI Pro and Ultra will continue to have access to the Pro version via a three-dot menu, which Google still recommends for tasks requiring particularly high image fidelity and maximum content accuracy.
However, for API-based workflows, the significantly lower costs of Nano Banana 2 are appealing. According to Google, a 4K image with Nano Banana 2 costs around $0.15, while the Pro model costs $0.24. This represents a saving of almost 40 percent.
The new model is also available for Google Lens and the AI mode of Google Search, as well as in the Google app. It also becomes the standard image model for Google's AI video tool Flow.
(mack)
