TL;DR Google launched Nano Banana 2 Lite, an image model that generates in four seconds for under four cents per thousand images.
Google on Tuesday released Nano Banana 2 Lite, the fastest and cheapest model in its Nano Banana family of AI image generators. The model produces images in four seconds and costs under four cents per thousand images, making it the company’s most aggressive play yet for developers who need to generate visuals at scale. It is available immediately in Google AI Studio, the Gemini API, and the Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform.
Nano Banana 2 Lite is built for speed, not quality. Google positions it as the model for “rapid ideation and high-velocity developer pipelines” where latency and cost matter more than fine detail. The company’s existing Nano Banana 2, launched in February, remains the recommended model for work that demands higher fidelity, while Nano Banana Pro handles complex professional use cases.
The new model replaces the original Nano Banana, which Google now calls its “legacy model.” Despite prioritizing speed, Nano Banana 2 Lite retains what Google describes as reliable prompt adherence, strong character consistency, and legible text rendering inside images. It is also rolling out to consumer surfaces including AI Mode in Search, the Gemini app, NotebookLM, Google Photos, Stitch, Google Flow, and Google Ads.
