Nano Banana 2 Lite
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Google DeepMind's fastest, cheapest image model is out.
Google DeepMind announced Nano Banana 2 Lite, a distilled version of Nano Banana 2 optimized for speed and cost. It costs $0.034/image and generates images in roughly half the time of Nano Banana 1 ($0.039/image). The model maintains good text rendering and character consistency but cannot programmatically force aspect ratios in some APIs, though Vertex AI supports them. Google likely uses it for free image generation in the Gemini app. Comparisons show it loses to ChatGPT Image 2 in aesthetic quality and to Grok in cost ($0.02/image).
What commenters are saying
Commenters split into two camps: those impressed by the speed and cost reduction for bulk workflows, and those noting it falls short of competitors on quality. Several users praised ChatGPT Image 2 for superior aesthetics and instruction-following, though noted its slow latency. A commenter with early access confirmed the model behaves like a distilled NB2 with good text rendering but cannot programmatically force aspect ratios, though Vertex AI supports them. One commenter found the omitted ChatGPT comparison telling, while Grok was noted as cheaper and competitive on benchmarks.