Nano Banana 2: Google's Fast, Cheap Image Generation Model
Nano Banana 2 is Google's image generation model. The technical name is Gemini 3.1 Flash Image. It replaced the previous Nano Banana Pro on February 26, 2026, and runs about 50% cheaper at $0.067 per image at 1K resolution. It's built on the Gemini Flash architecture, so generation latency is sub-500ms.
| Resolution | Per image (raw) |
|---|---|
| 1K | $0.067 |
| 2K | $0.101 |
| 4K | $0.151 |
Raw Google API pricing per image. Verified 2026-03-29. Available on Slates with credit-based pricing or your own Google API key on Slates Pro.
What Nano Banana 2 actually is
Nano Banana 2 is Google's image generation model. The official Google API model name is "gemini-3.1-flash-image-preview", but everyone calls it Nano Banana 2 because that's what Google's product team named it.
It launched on February 26, 2026 and replaced the previous Nano Banana Pro as the default image model on the Gemini API. Same vendor (Google), same API format, completely new model underneath. Drop-in replacement for any code that was already calling Nano Banana Pro.
The headline upgrades over the previous version are speed, price, and subject consistency. Nano Banana 2 generates in under 500ms because it runs on the Gemini Flash architecture instead of the heavier Pro architecture. It costs about 50% less per image at the same resolution. And it can hold subject consistency across up to 5 characters in a single prompt, which Pro could not do reliably.
One important note: there's a competitor own-key desktop app called "Nano Banana Pro" that's named after Google's previous-generation model. The app and the model share a name. Nano Banana 2 is a Google model, not a third-party product. When you use it through Slates or any other tool, you're calling Google's API with either your own key or through the tool's credit system.
Real pricing for every resolution tier
Nano Banana 2 has three resolution tiers and the raw API price scales with the pixel count.
With your own Google AI Studio key, 1K is $0.067 per image, 2K is $0.101 per image, and 4K is $0.151 per image. The own-key path is the cheapest because there's no proxy markup. Available on Slates Pro.
Slates Standard ships Nano Banana 2 with credit-based pricing — no Google account required, no key management, just generate. Credits prices are slightly higher than the raw rate to cover the routing.
Compare that to subscription image tools that charge $20-50 per month for limited credits. The free tier on most subscription image tools gives you 25-100 generations per month, which Nano Banana 2 covers for under $7 on Slates. So if you're generating more than a handful of images per week, Slates wins by a wide margin.
What Nano Banana 2 is genuinely good at
Nano Banana 2 has three strengths that make it the default image model in most workflows.
The first is photorealism with text. Nano Banana 2 renders readable text inside images at a quality level no other major model matches right now. So if your project needs signs, labels, posters, or any in-image typography, this is the model to reach for first.
The second is speed. Sub-500ms latency means you can run iteration cycles in real time. Generate, evaluate, tweak the prompt, regenerate. The whole loop fits in a few seconds, which is the difference between feeling fluent and feeling stuck.
The third is subject consistency. Up to 5 characters in a single prompt with consistent appearance across them. That's the foundation for any character-driven workflow like the AI influencer generator or the AI story generator, where you need the same person to appear in dozens of generations.
The main limitation is content filtering. Google applies aggressive filters to Nano Banana 2, the same ones that block Imagen. Realistic people in non-PG poses, fashion editorial scenes, and anything that looks remotely commercial-photography in nature can get rejected. For those prompts, FLUX.2 Max or Seedream 5 Lite are the uncensored alternatives that ship in Slates.
How to use Nano Banana 2 without a subscription
The two real options are bringing your own Google API key, or paying through a credit-based wrapper. The own-key path means signing up for Google AI Studio, generating an API key, and pasting it into a tool that supports it. The credit path means you skip the key entirely and pay through the wrapper.
Slates is the desktop tool path. Paste your Google API key once on Slates Pro for raw-rate access, or skip the key and pay through Slates credits on Slates Standard. Either way, Slates handles the generation, the file management, the prompt history, and the @mention system for character consistency. No subscription, no credit caps, no monthly expiry on what you've already paid for.
If you'd rather call the API yourself, the model name is "gemini-3.1-flash-image-preview" on the Gemini API. The endpoint accepts a text prompt and an optional list of reference images. Output is a base64-encoded image you decode and save. For most people, building that wrapper is a few hours of work. For most workflows, the desktop tool is faster to set up and faster to use day to day.
Frequently asked questions
What is Nano Banana 2?+
Nano Banana 2 is Google's image generation model, technically named Gemini 3.1 Flash Image. It launched on February 26, 2026 and replaced the previous Nano Banana Pro as Google's default image model on the Gemini API. It's about 50% cheaper than the previous version and runs at sub-500ms latency thanks to the Gemini Flash architecture.
How much does Nano Banana 2 cost per image?+
Raw Google API pricing for Nano Banana 2 is $0.067 per image at 1K, $0.101 at 2K, and $0.151 at 4K. Slates ships it on credit-based pricing (handled for you, no Google account required), and Slates Pro users can plug in their own Google API key to pay these raw rates directly.
Is Nano Banana 2 the same as the Nano Banana Pro app?+
No. Nano Banana 2 is a Google AI model. There's a separate competitor desktop app named Nano Banana Pro that's named after the previous-generation Google model. The app is an own-key wrapper that calls Google's API. The model and the app share a name but they're completely different things. Google makes the model, a third-party developer makes the app.
What's the difference between Nano Banana 2 and the older Nano Banana Pro?+
Nano Banana 2 runs about 50% cheaper at the same resolution, generates in under 500ms instead of several seconds, and supports subject consistency for up to 5 characters in a single prompt. Same API format as the older version, drop-in replacement. Slates switched from Pro to NB2 on February 26, 2026 the same day Google released it.
Can Nano Banana 2 generate realistic people?+
Sometimes. Google applies the same content filters as Imagen, so realistic people in non-PG poses, fashion editorial work, and commercial-photography style prompts can get rejected. For prompts that hit the filter, FLUX.2 Max and Seedream 5 Lite are the uncensored alternatives Slates ships, and both produce comparable quality on subjects Nano Banana refuses.
Related
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