Google's Nano Banana 2.1 image model improves quality and roughly halves prices

Google has released Nano Banana 2.1, a new model for image generation and editing, The Decoder reports. It replaces Nano Banana 2, which was released in February 2026, and Google says it improves on earlier versions 'across the board.' The new model is built on Gemini 3.6 Flash. Nano Banana Pro, which uses the more advanced Pro model, likely remains Google's best image model, and The Decoder suggests the next big gain in image quality could come with Google's announced Gemini 4 Argon. According to Google, version 2.1 improves visual quality, text rendering, character consistency across conversation turns, wide panoramas and infographics, and it can process up to 14 reference images at once. Prices fall by roughly half compared with Nano Banana 2. A 1K image costs 3.36 cents instead of 6.70 cents, a 2K image costs 5.04 cents instead of 10.10 cents, and a 4K image costs 7.56 cents instead of 15.10 cents. Nano Banana Pro still costs 13.40 cents per 1K image. Lower per-image prices matter most to developers and businesses generating images at volume through the API. The release continues the trend of cheaper, faster versions of mid-tier models that narrow the gap with premium tiers.