Nano Banana 2 Lite: Google's Fast, Low-Cost AI Image Model
Nano Banana 2 Lite is Google's fastest Nano Banana image model — ~4-second 1K images at about $0.034 each, with strong character consistency and text rendering. Here's what it does and when to use it.
SeeAnyGoogle released Nano Banana 2 Lite (also known as Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite) on June 30, 2026 — the fastest, most cost-efficient member of the Nano Banana image family, built for speed and scale.
What is Nano Banana 2 Lite?
It's a lightweight version of Google's Nano Banana 2 image model, tuned for high throughput. If Nano Banana Pro is the quality flagship, Lite is the "fast and cheap" option for drafts, iterations, and high-volume generation.
Key specs
- Speed: generates an image in about 4 seconds.
- Cost: roughly $0.034 per image at 1K resolution.
- Quality: a Text-to-Image arena Elo of ~1251 — ahead of the original Nano Banana (1151) and even edging out the pricier Nano Banana Pro (~1245).
- Resolution: 1K only (unlike NB2 / NB Pro, which scale to 2K and 4K).
- Strengths: upgraded world knowledge for rough data visualizations and layouts, better character consistency across a stream of images, and improved localized text rendering.
When to use Lite vs Pro
- Pick Lite for fast iteration, thumbnails, social drafts, and generating many variations cheaply — anywhere 1K is enough.
- Pick Pro / NB2 when you need 2K/4K output or maximum fidelity for a final, print-grade asset.
Availability
Nano Banana 2 Lite is available via Google AI Studio, the Gemini API, and Gemini Enterprise, and is rolling out across Google consumer surfaces (AI Mode in Search, the Gemini app, and more). It also pairs with Gemini Omni Flash: generate a still with Lite, then animate it into a video.
Try fast AI image generation in SeeAny
Want to compare fast image models without juggling APIs? SeeAny gives you Nano Banana, GPT Image, Seedream, FLUX and more behind one prompt box. Start in the AI image generator, and turn a still into a clip in the video workspace.