Breaking

Google Launches Nano Banana 2 Lite at 4 Seconds and $0.034 per Image

June 30, 2026 at 11:03 EDT

Media Generation
Foundation Models

Google (Google DeepMind) on June 30, 2026 began offering the lightweight image-generation model "Nano Banana 2 Lite" (model ID: gemini-3.1-flash-lite-image) and the video-generation and conversational-editing model "Gemini Omni Flash" via the Gemini API and Google AI Studio. Nano Banana 2 Lite is already available in the Gemini app by selecting "Flash Lite" from the dropdown. Both models were unveiled together in the official announcement.

June 30, 2026 · Google Gemini

"Nano Banana 2 Lite" Spotted Live Inside the Gemini App

Google's most lightweight image model — built on Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite — has quietly begun rolling out under the app's "Flash Lite" option, ahead of any formal launch announcement. The pitch: Pro-level quality at Flash speed and price.

<5s

Reported generation time per image

Resolution cap on the Lite variant

Access points: Gemini app, AI Studio, Gemini API, Vertex AI

The Nano Banana lineage — getting lighter and faster

Nano Banana

on Gemini 2.5 Flash Image

Nano Banana 2

on Gemini 3.1 Flash Image

NB 2 Lite

on Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite

Block height ≈ relative model weight — each step trims size for ultra-fast, low-cost, high-volume generation.

What the Lite model carries over

Text & image input with conversational iteration
Subject consistency & precise instruction following
Style transfer and multi-image fusion
Invisible SynthID watermark on every output

Praised for

Sub-5-second output, quality on par with the Pro version, and practicality for high-frequency pipelines — ad creatives, video frames, UGC. Some tests even saw spatial logic beat Pro.

Watch for

Capped at 1K resolution, with possible gaps on fine detail or extremely complex prompts. Still likely a preview / early-access stage — official specs and pricing remain the next focus.

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