Google’s Nano Banana image model recently won a AITrendInsights Technical Excellence award. It stood out because it could create and edit images better than most other AI tools. Now Google has released Nano Banana Pro, which promises faster performance, better control, and improved results. But is it really better than the original, and is it worth paying for? Let’s break it down.
Nano Banana vs. Nano Banana Pro: What’s New?
“Nano Banana” is not an official technical name. It’s Google’s nickname for the image creation and editing features inside Gemini. The original Nano Banana runs on Gemini 2.5, while Nano Banana Pro uses the newer Gemini 3 model.
Both versions can generate images and edit existing ones. The original Nano Banana became popular because it could blend images well and keep edits consistent. Nano Banana Pro builds on that by offering more editing options, better text inside images, and the ability to combine more images at once.
While Nano Banana Pro is clearly the most advanced version so far, the original Nano Banana can still deliver great results if used carefully.
How to Use Nano Banana Pro
You can access Nano Banana through the Gemini app, the Gemini website, or Google Search’s AI mode. Nano Banana Pro is limited to paid users in Google Search, but inside Gemini, both free and paid users can use it.
That said, paid users get priority access. Google limits how many images you can create with Nano Banana Pro. Once you reach that limit, it switches you back to the original Nano Banana.
Inside Gemini, you can select the model easily:
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Fast mode uses the original Nano Banana
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Thinking or Pro mode uses Nano Banana Pro
After that, all you need to do is write a prompt and upload images if needed. You can write prompts in normal language. For example, if a photo has a hand covering part of the image, you can simply say, “Remove the hand,” and the model will try to fix it.
Why Nano Banana Pro Feels Impressive
Nano Banana Pro is very good at image creation and editing. To test it, I focused on three main areas Google highlights: image blending, editing control, and text quality.
First, I gave both models an image of a tree and asked them to turn it into an infographic. Both versions used the same information, but the difference was clear. The original Nano Banana had text errors and messy letters. Nano Banana Pro showed clean, readable text with no mistakes. This is a big deal, since AI tools often struggle with text in images.
Next, I uploaded photos of four video game characters along with a photo of myself and asked both models to create a group image. Nano Banana Pro handled it well and included everyone correctly. The original Nano Banana struggled—it messed up some characters and left one out completely.
I also tested changing image size. When asked to convert a vertical image into a 16:9 format, Nano Banana Pro adjusted smoothly. The original model often went back to the old layout. This shows that Nano Banana Pro really does offer better control.
Another clear upgrade is image quality. The original Nano Banana usually created images around 720p. Nano Banana Pro often produces images closer to 2K resolution. This makes images look sharper and more detailed, with less blur.
Where Nano Banana Pro Still Has Problems
Even with these improvements, Nano Banana Pro is not perfect.
For example, I tried replacing furniture in a photo of my living room using product images from Amazon. Instead of replacing my furniture with the new items, the model did the opposite. Even after changing file names and being very clear in my instructions, the issue remained.
In another test, when combining people and characters, Nano Banana Pro sometimes mixed two people into one image. I had to rewrite my prompt and clearly tell it to keep everyone separate. Small wording changes made a big difference, which can be frustrating.
I also noticed that image quality isn’t always consistent. Even though Pro images are higher resolution, a few looked slightly blurry. This didn’t happen often, so it may be a bug, but it’s still noticeable. Google also claims the model can generate 4K images, but I couldn’t get that to work.
AI Watermarks and Trust
As AI images become more realistic, misuse becomes a real concern. To deal with this, Google uses a system called SynthID. This is an invisible watermark that people can’t see, but computers can detect.
Even if you remove the visible Gemini logo from an image, SynthID remains embedded. In tests, images still showed SynthID even after running them through watermark removal tools. That’s reassuring, though it’s likely these tools will improve over time.
For now, SynthID seems to be doing its job well.
Is Nano Banana Pro Worth Trying?
Nano Banana Pro is a real upgrade over the original Nano Banana. That’s refreshing, especially when some recent AI updates from other companies have been underwhelming.
If you work with images often—especially if you need clean text inside images or better editing control—Nano Banana Pro is very appealing. However, for most casual users, paying a monthly fee just for AI image generation may not be worth it.
That said, if you’re a designer, writer, creator, or someone who likes turning ideas into visuals, Nano Banana Pro is absolutely worth trying.
