Published 6 October 2026
Nano Banana 2.1
Model Cards are intended to provide essential information on Gemini models, including known limitations, mitigation approaches, and safety performance. Model cards may be updated from time to time; for example, to include updated evaluations as the model is improved or revised.
Published: October 2026
Model Information
Description
Nano Banana 2.1 is a member of the Gemini 3 series of models, a suite of highly-capable, natively multimodal reasoning models. Nano Banana 2.1 can comprehend input from different information sources, including text and images. Image and text output is generated in the response.
Model dependencies
Nano Banana 2.1 is based on Gemini 3.6 Flash.
Inputs
Text strings (e.g., a prompt, document(s)) and images, with a token context window of up to 1M.
Outputs
Image, with a 4K token output and text, with a 64K token output.
Architecture
Nano Banana 2.1 is based on Gemini 3.6 Flash. For more information about the model architecture for Gemini 3.6 Flash, see the Gemini 3.6 Flash model card.
Model Data
Training Dataset
Nano Banana 2.1 is based on Gemini 3.6 Flash. For more information about the training dataset for Gemini 3.6 Flash, see the Gemini 3.6 Flash model card.
Training Data Processing
For more information about the training data processing for Nano Banana 2.1, see the Gemini 3.6 Flash model card.
Implementation and Sustainability
Hardware
Nano Banana 2.1 is based on Gemini 3.6 Flash. For more information about the hardware for Nano Banana 2.1 and our continued commitment to operate sustainably, see the Gemini 3.6 Flash model card.
Software
Nano Banana 2.1 is based on Gemini 3.6 Flash. For more information about the software for Gemini 3.6 Flash, see the Gemini 3.6 Flash model card.
Distribution
Nano Banana 2.1 is distributed in the following channels; respective documentation shared in line:
Our models are available to downstream providers via an application program interface (API) and subject to relevant terms of use. There is no required hardware or software to use the model. For AI Studio and Gemini API, see the Gemini API Additional Terms of Service; for Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform, see Google Cloud Platform Terms of Service. For more information, see Gemini Model API instructions and Gemini API quickstart.
Evaluation
Approach
Nano Banana 2.1 was evaluated using the methodology below:
- Capabilities / Benchmarks cover several different quality aspects of image generation, which are in two broad categories:
- Capability sets: diverse Text-to-Image (T2I) and editing public benchmarks, and internal evals are used, covering a wide range of capabilities.
- T2I: General Text-to-Image, i18n Text Rendering, Factuality (world knowledge, EDU, etc), Tool-Use, Visual Design.
- Editing: General Image Editing, Stylization, Character Editing, Object/Environment Editing, Ink (doodle) based Editing, Multi-Image (Multi-Product Recontextualization, Multi-Character, etc.),
- Multi-Turn: Covers both static and dynamic conversations.
- Regression sets: popular use cases observed on Gemini 2.5 Flash Image, and Gemini 3 Pro Image, to ensure Nano Banana 2.1 does not show any noticeable regressions.
- Capability sets: diverse Text-to-Image (T2I) and editing public benchmarks, and internal evals are used, covering a wide range of capabilities.
- Eval Methodology
- SxS human eval to get Elo across diverse T2I, Editing on overall preference, design quality, etc.
- Single sided AutoRater on factuality.
Results
Results as of October, 2026 are listed below:
Capabilities: Text-to-Image
| Capability Benchmark | Nano Banana 2.1 (Thinking) | Nano Banana 2.1 (No Thinking) | Gemini 3.1 Flash Image (“Nano Banana 2” Thinking) | Gemini 3 Pro Image (“Nano Banana Pro”) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Preference | 1050 +/- 14 | 1015 +/- 13 | 990 +/- 7 | 935 +/- 8 |
| Infographic Design | 1048 +/ 17 | 1001 +/- 17 | 961 +/- 12 | 912 +/- 12 |
| Infographic Factuality | 0.521 | 0.328 | 0.179 | 0.265 |
Capabilities: Editing
| Capability Benchmark | Nano Banana 2.1 (Thinking) | Nano Banana 2.1 (No Thinking) | Gemini 3.1 Flash Image (“Nano Banana 2” Thinking) | Gemini 3 Pro Image (“Nano Banana Pro”) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Editing | 1026 +/- 12 | 980 +/- 15 | 938 +/- 11 | 939 +/- 10 |
| Single-Character Consistency | 1028 +/- 14 | 1021 +/- 14 | 981 +/- 10 | 991 +/- 9 |
| Multi-Character Consistency | 1106 +/- 14 | 1068 +/- 14 | 978 +/- 10 | 1011 +/- 10 |
| Mask/Ink-Based Editing | 1049 +/- 15 | 1042 +/- 16 | 965 +/- 12 | 927 +/- 12 |
| Product Consistency | 1024 +/- 18 | 981 +/- 18 | 955 +/- 22 | 965 +/- 14 |
| Stylization | 1062 +/- 20 | 1036 +/- 17 | 991 +/- 12 | 990 +/- 12 |
| Multi-Reference Editing | 1066 +/- 22 | 1041 +/- 20 | 988 +/- 13 | 989 +/- 12 |
Intended Usage and Limitations
Benefit and Intended Usage
Nano Banana 2.1 is capable of using Gemini’s real-world knowledge to deliver precise results and reflect the world around you, from complex infographics to historically accurate scenes. It is well-suited for applications that require:
- creation and editing of images with professional levels of precision and control and multiple, quick iterations
- generation of clear text for posters and intricate diagrams
- long context real-world knowledge
- localized text rendering across several languages
Known Limitations
Nano Banana 2.1 may exhibit some of the general limitations of foundation models, such as hallucinations. There may also be occasional slowness or timeout issues.
Nano Banana 2.1 still has room for several quality improvements:
- Poor text rendering in small text (often blurry in 1k model), long paragraphs, page length
- Character consistency is not always perfect between input images and generated output image
- Partial instruction following and ink persistence in masked/doodle based editing
- During image editing, we observe rare instances of persistent subject pose, where structural alignment from the input image is retained in the generated output image
- Occasional confusion around spatial localisation (e.g. left/right etc.)
- Still limited in advanced capabilities with world knowledge, 3D reasoning and factuality
In addition to this, we are continually working to improve jailbreak resistance and have recently strengthened the mitigations across Frontier Safety.
The knowledge cutoff date for Gemini 3.6 Flash is March 2026 – users can expect updated information for some domains while in others they may experience the model’s knowledge is limited to January 2025 (in line with the Gemini 3 Model Family). For more information about known limitations, see the Gemini 3.6 Flash model card.
Acceptable Usage
For more information about the acceptable usage for Nano Banana 2.1, see the Gemini 3.6 Flash model card.
Ethics and Content Safety
Evaluation Approach
For more information about the evaluation approach for Nano Banana 2.1, see the Gemini 3.6 Flash model card.
Safety Policies
For more information about the safety policies for Nano Banana 2.1, see the Gemini 3.6 Flash model card.
Human Red Teaming Results
We conduct manual red teaming by specialist teams who sit outside of the model development team. High-level findings are fed back to the model team. For child safety evaluations, Nano Banana 2.1 satisfied required launch thresholds, which were developed by expert teams to protect children online and meet Google’s commitments to child safety across our models and Google products. For content safety policies generally, including child safety, we saw similar or improved safety performance compared to Gemini 3 Flash. Additionally, the scope of red teaming covered potential issues outside of our strict policies, compared performance to Gemini 3.1 Pro, and found no egregious concerns.
Frontier Safety Assessment
Nano Banana 2.1 is part of the Gemini 3 family of models. To assess Nano Banana 2.1 for frontier safety, we rely on our evaluations of Gemini 3.1 Pro and Gemini 3.7 Flash as outlined in our Frontier Safety Framework. We found that Gemini 3.1 Pro and Gemini 3.7 Flash did not reach any Tracked or Critical Capability Levels (T/CCLs). Our assessments have shown that Nano Banana 2.1 does not have meaningful new capabilities or material increases in performance compared to Gemini 3.1 Pro or Gemini 3.7 Flash, therefore based on these results, we are confident that Nano Banana 2.1 is also unlikely to reach any T/CCLs.
For more information on our Frontier Safety Assessment, read the Gemini 3.1 Pro Model Card and Gemini 3.7 Flash Model Card.
Risks and Mitigations
For more information about the risks and mitigations for the Gemini 3 series, including Nano Banana 2.1, see the Gemini 3.1 Pro model card.