innFactory AI Consulting from Rosenheim advises companies in the DACH region on GDPR-compliant integration of image generation AI. Google’s Nano Banana family consists of Gemini models with native image output. Gemini 3 Pro Image (“Nano Banana Pro”, gemini-3-pro-image) has been GA since 28 May 2026 and delivers image quality up to 4K. Since 6 October 2026, Gemini Nano Banana 2.1 has also been GA and succeeds Nano Banana 2. On the Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform, Pro, 2.1 and 2 Lite run in the global region only per their model pages; Nano Banana 2 is the only current model that additionally lists an EU multi-region endpoint. As of October 2026.
Current models at a glance
| Model | API ID | Status | Resolution | Agent Platform: regions | Price per 1K image (Gemini API) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nano Banana 2.1 | gemini-nano-banana-2.1 | GA since 6 October 2026 | 1K, 2K, 4K | global only | USD 0.0336 |
| Nano Banana Pro (Gemini 3 Pro Image) | gemini-3-pro-image | GA since 28 May 2026 | 1K, 2K, 4K | global only | USD 0.134 |
| Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image) | gemini-3.1-flash-image | GA; Gemini API: deprecated | 0.5K to 4K | global, multi-region eu and us | USD 0.067 |
| Nano Banana 2 Lite (Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Image) | gemini-3.1-flash-lite-image | GA since June 2026 | 1K | global only | USD 0.0336 |
| Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) | gemini-2.5-flash-image | deprecated, retirement 15 March 2027 | – | global, EU single regions | USD 0.039 per image |
The original Nano Banana is described on the Gemini 2.5 Flash Image page.
Nano Banana Pro (Gemini 3 Pro Image)
Gemini 3 Pro Image is the family’s image model for demanding quality requirements: image generation and conversational editing up to 4K, up to 14 input images per prompt, input formats PNG, JPEG, WEBP, HEIC and HEIF, up to 7 MB inline and up to 30 MB via Cloud Storage. An input image consumes 560 tokens, an output image 1,120 tokens (1K and 2K) or 2,000 tokens (4K). The model is available only from Google (Gemini API, Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform); no EU region is listed.
Nano Banana 2.1
Gemini Nano Banana 2.1 is, per Google, an update of Nano Banana 2 with Flash speed and cost efficiency but better image quality, prompt adherence, multi-turn character consistency, text rendering and additional panoramic aspect ratios (1:4, 4:1, 1:8, 8:1) at 1K, 2K and 4K. It supports Google Search and Image Search grounding and up to 14 input images; function calling and code execution are not supported. An input image consumes 1,120 tokens, an output image 1,120 (1K), 1,680 (2K) or 3,780 tokens (4K). On the Agent Platform 2.1 is GA and available in global only.
Nano Banana 2 and Nano Banana 2 Lite
Nano Banana 2 (gemini-3.1-flash-image) offers resolutions from 0.5K to 4K and is the only current model of the family with an EU multi-region endpoint. It is deprecated in the Gemini API, with Nano Banana 2.1 as the replacement. Nano Banana 2 Lite (gemini-3.1-flash-lite-image) is the low-cost variant for high volume but outputs 1K only.
Pricing
Per the Gemini API pricing page (standard tier, per 1M tokens):
| Model | Input | Image output | Per image |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nano Banana 2.1 | USD 1.50 | USD 30 | USD 0.0336 (1K), USD 0.0504 (2K), USD 0.113 (4K) |
| Nano Banana Pro | USD 2.00 | USD 120 | USD 0.134 (1K/2K), USD 0.24 (4K) |
| Nano Banana 2 | USD 0.50 | USD 60 | USD 0.045 (0.5K), USD 0.067 (1K), USD 0.101 (2K), USD 0.151 (4K) |
| Nano Banana 2 Lite | USD 0.25 | USD 30 | USD 0.0336 (1K) |
In batch mode the pricing page lists roughly half the price in each case. In addition, Google charges USD 14 per 1,000 requests for grounding with Google Search after 5,000 free requests per month.
EU availability and GDPR
| Model | Access route | Regions per model page |
|---|---|---|
| Nano Banana Pro | Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform | global only |
| Nano Banana 2.1 | Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform | global only |
| Nano Banana 2 | Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform | global; multi-region eu and us |
| Nano Banana 2 Lite | Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform | global only |
The global endpoint offers high availability but no commitment on data residency. For GDPR-relevant workloads that require EU residency, among the current Nano Banana models only Nano Banana 2 via the EU multi-region endpoint qualifies per the model pages, keeping its deprecation in the Gemini API in mind. The labelling of synthetic media under the EU AI Act applies regardless of the model.
Migration and breaking changes
- Preview endpoints:
gemini-3-pro-image-previewandgemini-3.1-flash-image-previewhave been shut down since 25 June 2026; the replacements aregemini-3-pro-imageandgemini-nano-banana-2.1respectively. - Nano Banana 2 to 2.1: Google recommends moving
gemini-3.1-flash-imagetogemini-nano-banana-2.1. The EU multi-region option is lost because 2.1 is listed on the Agent Platform inglobalonly. - Nano Banana (2.5) to 2 Lite: see Gemini 2.5 Flash Image.
Model lifecycle
| Model | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|
gemini-nano-banana-2.1 | GA | released 6 October 2026, no retirement announced |
gemini-3-pro-image | GA | released 28 May 2026; Agent Platform: retirement no earlier than 28 May 2027; Gemini API: no shutdown date |
gemini-3.1-flash-image | GA; Gemini API: deprecated | released 28 May 2026; Agent Platform: retirement no earlier than 28 May 2027; Gemini API: no shutdown date |
gemini-3.1-flash-lite-image | GA | Agent Platform: retirement no earlier than 28 June 2027 |
gemini-3-pro-image-preview, gemini-3.1-flash-image-preview | shut down | 25 June 2026 |
gemini-2.5-flash-image | deprecated | 15 March 2027 |
Integration with CompanyGPT
In CompanyGPT, image models can be provided for marketing, product and presentation visuals. Because Pro and 2.1 run on the Agent Platform in global only, we connect them for workflows without mandatory EU residency; for use cases with an EU residency requirement we review Nano Banana 2 via the EU multi-region endpoint or other models together with you. The innFactory AI Gateway adds budgets and access control across several image models.
Our recommendation
- Default model for most image tasks: Nano Banana 2.1, a good balance of quality, resolution up to 4K and price.
- High quality requirements (campaigns, product photography): Nano Banana Pro, provided EU data residency is not required.
- High volume at low cost: Nano Banana 2 Lite, 1K resolution only.
- EU residency mandatory: Nano Banana 2 via the EU multi-region endpoint, keeping its deprecation in the Gemini API and the retirement date on the Agent Platform in mind, or alternatives such as FLUX.2 or Stable Diffusion 3 if self-hosting is needed.
- Existing integrations on Nano Banana (2.5): migrate before 15 March 2027, see Gemini 2.5 Flash Image.
For individual advice on the right image generation solution, contact us.