Google Launches Nano Banana 2.1 with Halved Prices

Google released its new image generation and editing model, Nano Banana 2.1, on October 6, reducing the API cost for a 1K resolution image from 6.70 cents to 3.36 cents, a roughly 50% drop.

Built on Gemini 3.6 Flash, the model is positioned as an "efficient counterpart" to the Pro version. Official data shows 2.1 scoring higher than or matching previous Flash and Pro versions in benchmarks for text rendering, character consistency, and infographic design. For instance, in multi-character consistency editing, 2.1 scored 1106 compared to Pro's 1011.

Despite strong benchmark numbers, third-party tests note that Nano Banana Pro often produces more natural and proportionally accurate images in practice. Version 2.1 struggled with complex spatial relationships, such as scale errors in prompts involving a horse riding an astronaut. The older gemini-3.1-flash-image model will be deprecated on October 29.