Nano Banana 2.1 Release Guide: What Changed From Nano Banana 2
Google released Nano Banana 2.1 on October 6, 2026, as a generally available model in the Gemini API under the id gemini-nano-banana-2.1. It is an update to Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image), and Google describes it as keeping Flash-level speed and cost while improving visual quality, prompt adherence, multi-turn character consistency and text rendering. This guide covers what changed, what it costs, and where it still falls short. Last checked: 2026-10-08.
What changed from Nano Banana 2
- Image quality. Better realism across 1K, 2K and 4K output; 1K remains the default.
- Wide formats. Tiling artifacts are fixed on the panoramic ratios 1:4, 4:1, 1:8 and 8:1 at 2K and 4K.
- Text and infographics. More accurate text rendering and layout. On the model card, infographic factuality rises from 0.179 for Nano Banana 2 to 0.521.
- Reference images. Multi-image fusion takes up to 14 references, with character consistency for up to four characters and object fidelity for up to ten objects.
- Thinking levels. Thinking is configurable as minimal, medium (the default) or high.
- Grounding. Prompts can be grounded with Google Web Search and Image Search.
Inputs can be text, images, video or PDF, and the model returns images and text. The input limit is 131,072 tokens.
Pricing compared
| Per output image (standard API) | Nano Banana 2 | Nano Banana 2.1 |
|---|---|---|
| API id | gemini-3.1-flash-image | gemini-nano-banana-2.1 |
| 0.5K | $0.045 | Not listed |
| 1K | $0.067 | $0.0336 |
| 2K | $0.101 | $0.0504 |
| 4K | $0.151 | $0.113 |
Per image, 2.1 is cheaper than its predecessor at every listed resolution, and the Batch API halves those prices again. Input tokens cost more, though: $1.50 per million against $0.50 for Nano Banana 2, which matters if you send many large reference images.
Benchmarks and known limits
Google's model card puts Nano Banana 2.1 with Thinking at an Elo of 1050 for overall text-to-image preference, against 990 for Nano Banana 2. The same card lists what it still struggles with: small text, character consistency between input and output images, and world knowledge, 3D reasoning and factuality. Outputs are marked with SynthID, and the knowledge cutoff is March 2026.
Where it is available, and what it means for Nano Banana 2
Beyond the Gemini API, the model card lists the Gemini app, Google AI Studio, AI Mode in Search, Google Ads, Flow and Stitch. For developers, the changelog marks gemini-3.1-flash-image as deprecated and recommends migrating to 2.1. Google has not announced a shutdown date, so Nano Banana 2 keeps working for now.
Is Nano Banana 2.1 on Imgo?
Not yet. Imgo currently runs Nano Banana 2, not 2.1, and lists a model only once it can be generated end to end. What you can use on Imgo today is Nano Banana 2 and Nano Banana Pro in the AI image generator; our Nano Banana 2 prompt hub collects prompts that work with it, and the live model list shows everything else. For the differences in one table, see Nano Banana 2.1 vs Nano Banana 2.
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