Nano Banana is not a random artificial intelligence art tool, but it is constructed using official technology at Google: the Gemini API. The documentation of Google indicates that the Gemini API is capable of generating images based on a text prompt as well as editing images, i.e. the API is able to generate images with a text prompt or edit images.

Google states in that documentation that there are two applicable models: "Gemini 2.5-flash-image" and "Gemini 3 Pro Image". The original Nano Banana is driven by the first model. The newer models are Nano Banana 2 and Nano Banana Pro, and these are based on Gemini 3 Pro Image, which is more sophisticated.

In the official site of Nano Banana, it is mentioned that the basic version (with Gemini 2.5-flash-image) provides standard image generation. Those who require higher quality are 2 and Pro which advertise additional features - higher quality output, finer control over details (such as lighting or camera angle), consistent rendering (such as having the same character appear in more than one generated image), and finer text in case the image has writing on it.

At last, on June 1, 2025, as Google released Nano Banana Pro to the public, they made it known that the issues had been resolved: better text resolution, increased options in editing, such as lighting, color, perspective and the ability to produce either 2K or 4K, as well as a watermark and embedded SynthID to prove that the image was a product of the AI.

Nano Banana, Nano Banana 2 & Nano Banana Pro: What they claim

The original idea of Nano Banana is straightforward: offer users high-quality generation of images with the help of natural-language prompts with different degrees of fidelity. V1, 2 and Pro have a difference as they represent various user requirements:

• Original Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5) can be used by users who require a fast, cheap, simple image production - useful in mockup, informal projects, and experimenting.

• With Gemini 3 Pro Image, Nano Banana 2 / Pro have gone a long way higher: studio quality, higher resolution, finer treatment of intricate scenes, better text-in-image support (poster creation, user interfaces, advertising), and greater control over image composition (lighting, angle, style).

• Pro can also assert "character consistency" to up to 5 characters in images, that is, the same character/people may be consistently present in the image without visual drift (a major requirement in storytelling, branding, comics, etc.).

These improvements are particularly important to professionals such as designers, marketers, content creators, who require the consistency and image coherence of multiple images. Pro-level tools are proceeding towards stable asset creation, rather than AI-generated images being a one-off, as an element of real workflow.

Nano Banana, Nano Banana 2 & Nano Banana Pro: What remains unclear 

Although the official documentation and public announcements are present, the open questions and limitations are present. Users report some of them themselves. For example:

• The inconsistencies are reported by many users (in Reddit and other forums): at times, Nano Banana Pro cannot produce meaningful images, loses character consistency, or is giving errors/timeouts.

• Others observe that in the process of using API-based access (e.g. through Google AI Studio), paid usage or credit-based billing is needed. Free-tier seems to have quotas or limitations.

• Although it boasts of 4K support and claims of studio quality results, in practice, timely quality, proper workflow, and at times mere chance - as with any generative model can be crucial. Official code samples are generated at a lower resolution on default, and 2K / 4K display is optional, and more expensive.

• As it is a new release, not much long-term testing or peer-reviewed assessment of the quality of artifacts, reproducibility, and reliability at the various workloads can be done.

Although the technology is factual and most of the features as are advertised are supported, real world performances are uneven. Outputs should be viewed as promising and experimental by prospective users - particularly when they are used in commercial or production level work.

Nano Banana, Nano Banana 2 & Nano Banana Pro: Which one is the best?

The original Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5) is a good solution in that case you need some pictures to work on casual projects, concept testing, social-media posts, quick mockups and experimentation. It is quick, probably less expensive and adequate to simple visual requirements.

In the case of a designer, or content production, or marketing, or visual creation that requires some refinement but is not of full professional quality, then Nano Banana 2 ( Gemini 3 Pro Image ) would give a good balance. The higher quality of rendering, text manipulation, and increased amount of detail make it suitable for more fine-tuned social media, product image and concept art.

When you need repeatable, reliable outputs - branding, storyboarding, marketing campaigns, UI/UX mockups, or any other case where consistency, control of composition, and high-resolution output is a major concern Nano Banana Pro is the best choice. However, it has drawbacks: it is more expensive, may be slower to generate, requires close prompts and editing.

In every case: anticipate some trial, immediate-tuning, and perhaps required manual cleaning up, AI image generation is not magic.

Final thoughts

Nano Banana (and its successors) is a practical publicly accessible development in AI-assisted image generation. With Google Gemini image models, the user is now presented with a level of access: fast and easy generation, or access to high-quality tools with finer control. It is a valid platform, well documented and already owned by a large number of users across the globe.