Google Drops Nano Banana 2: The New King of AI Image Generation?
Decrypt
by Jose Antonio LanzFebruary 26, 2026
AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary
Google has introduced its latest AI image generation model, Nano Banana 2, marking a significant leap in speed and capabilities for visual creation. Built on Gemini 3.1 Flash, this upgraded version replaces the previous Nano Banana Pro as the default across Google's ecosystem, offering faster edits and iterations while maintaining access to Pro features through specific settings. A key innovation is its ability to pull from real-time web search during image generation, ensuring accurate depictions of subjects like logos, landmarks, and recent events.
Nano Banana 2 also boasts enhanced text rendering, producing legible and contextually appropriate text within images. This includes in-image translation, allowing for localized campaigns without rebuilding visuals. The model excels at subject consistency, maintaining character resemblance across up to five subjects and preserving visual fidelity for up to 14 objects. It supports high-resolution outputs from 512px up to 4K and a range of aspect ratios, with improved instruction following that delivers more precise results.
Google's expansion of SynthID watermarking and C2PA Content Credentials further empowers creators to verify AI-generated media, a feature already used over 20 million times. These tools are particularly valuable for businesses and platforms looking to authenticate and manage digital content effectively.
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Originally published on Decrypt on 2/26/2026