Google releases image model Nano Banana 2.1

Google has released Nano Banana 2.1, an image generation and editing model that replaces Nano Banana 2, released in February 2026. According to The Decoder, the company says the new model improves on every front and costs about half as much as its predecessor: 1K images drop from 6.70 cents to 3.36 cents, and 4K from 15.10 cents to 7.56 cents. The model is based on Gemini 3.6 Flash and supports 1K, 2K, and 4K resolutions, can process up to 14 reference images at once while keeping 4 characters and 10 objects consistent, and is being rolled out across the Gemini app, AI Mode in Google Search, Google AI Studio, Flow, Stitch, Google Ads, and the Gemini enterprise platform; the older model gemini-3.1-flash-image will be retired on October 29, 2026. On October 7, Krea announced that Nano Banana 2.1 was live, saying it understands prompts better, edits more sharply, and keeps subjects more consistent, with generation support up to 4K. On October 9, an Artificial Analysis evaluation showed that the model ranks three places higher than Nano Banana 2 on the quality-versus-price frontier, at only half the price.

AI-generated from public reports

1. Oct 9· 1 reports

   English translation is being prepared.

   Source:Artificial Analysis
2. Oct 7· 1 reports

   English translation is being prepared.

   Source:The Decoder
3. Oct 6· 2 reports

   Nano Banana 2.1 launches on Krea

   Source:Krea AI