Google Launches Nano Banana 2.1: Higher Than Its Predecessor at Half the Worth – Decrypt

Briefly
Google launched Nano Banana 2.1 on Oct. 6, rolling it out within the Gemini app, Search's AI Mode, Google Adverts and its developer instruments.
Google's personal assessments put it forward of Nano Banana 2 and Nano Banana Professional, together with an infographic factuality rating of 0.521 versus 0.179, however unbiased testing was not obtainable at launch.
Developer pricing is about half of Nano Banana 2's, beginning at $0.0336 for the standard 1K picture.
Google on Tuesday launched Nano Banana 2.1, the most recent model of the AI mannequin that turns a typed sentence into an image, or edits a photograph you have already got.It is rolling out within the Gemini app, Google Search's AI Mode, Google Adverts and developer instruments together with Google AI Studio, Stream and Sew.Myriad: Which firm will IPO subsequent? Click on to make your prediction.The unique Nano Banana made Gemini a success. In September 2025, its trick of turning selfies into collectible collectible figurines pushed Gemini to No. 1 on each main app shops, dethroning ChatGPT after practically three years.Alphabet's market worth topped $3 trillion in the identical stretch.Model 2 arrived in February, constructed on Gemini 3.1 Flash Picture. Its large trick was checking Google Search earlier than drawing real-world issues, so an image of an precise occasion or particular person had a greater shot at being proper.
Meet Nano Banana 2.1, our newest picture technology and enhancing mannequin 🍌
This upgraded model outperforms our earlier fashions throughout the board, with notable leaps in visible design, mask-based enhancing, and topic consistency that can assist you create extra natural-looking photos. pic.twitter.com/d858DrzrF3
— Google (@Google) October 6, 2026So what's new on this replace? Google factors to 3 upgrades: higher visible design, sharper mask-based enhancing (you mark one area and solely that space adjustments), and higher topic consistency, which means an individual or object nonetheless appears to be like like itself after a number of edits.On total choice in text-to-image assessments, Nano Banana 2.1 scored 1,050 ELO Factors. Nano Banana 2 scored 990 and Nano Banana Professional scored 935. Within the ELO system, the extra factors the higher. It doesn’t have a ceiling, so it's purely qualitative.On paper, it handles as much as 14 reference photos directly, monitoring as much as 4 characters and ten objects. It outputs as much as 4K, roughly TV-level sharpness, in codecs as huge as 8:1.Builders may also set how lengthy it “thinks” earlier than drawing, from minimal to excessive, and let it floor its leads to Google Search and Google Picture Search. In plain phrases, it may possibly look issues up earlier than it attracts them.Via Google's developer API, the pipe that lets different firms' apps use the mannequin, an ordinary 1K picture prices $0.0336. That is about half of Nano Banana 2's $0.067.A 4K picture runs $0.0756 versus $0.151. Batch jobs, large piles of photos processed in bulk as an alternative of immediately, get one other 50% off.At the usual 1K worth, a thousand photos now price about $33.60 by means of the API, down from $67 on Nano Banana 2, which makes this mannequin extraordinarily good and in addition very environment friendly and price efficient.Every day Debrief NewsletterStart on daily basis with the highest information tales proper now, plus authentic options, a podcast, movies and extra.