Google DeepMind is shipping two generative media models today that together cover the full image-to-video pipeline: Nano Banana 2 Lite, the fastest and cheapest image model in the Nano Banana family, and Gemini Omni Flash, which brings conversational video generation and editing to the Gemini API for the first time. The two models are designed to be chained together, and the release marks a meaningful step in making high-throughput multimedia pipelines practical at scale.
The fastest image model Google has shipped
Nano Banana 2 Lite (gemini-3.1-flash-lite-image) is designed for rapid ideation and high-velocity developer pipelines where speed and cost are the primary constraints. The headline number is hard to ignore: it delivers text-to-image outputs in 4 seconds, making it the fastest model in the family. At $0.034 per 1,000-resolution image, it is also the cheapest.
It is Google's recommended replacement for developers currently using the first version of Nano Banana (gemini-2.5-flash-image), and you can swap it out now for immediate benefits across key performance dimensions. Despite the speed focus, the model retains reliable prompt adherence, strong character consistency, and legible in-image text rendering.
To understand where Nano Banana 2 Lite fits, it helps to see the full family:
- Nano Banana 2 Lite (Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Image): Built for speed. Optimized for near-real-time, high-volume workflows where ultra-low latency is critical.
- Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image): The generalist workhorse. Best balance of performance and cost.
- Nano Banana Pro (Gemini 3 Pro Image): Optimized for complex, professional use cases where accuracy matters more than speed.
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