According to Neowin, Google just announced Gemini 3 Pro Image, codenamed Nano Banana Pro, as its new state-of-the-art image generation and editing model. This follows the earlier Gemini 2.5 Flash Image model that launched a few months ago. The new model can blend up to 14 images while maintaining consistency of up to 5 people and generates text in multiple languages within images. For developers, pricing starts at $0.134 per image for 1K/2K resolution using 1120 tokens, while 4K resolution with 2000 tokens costs $0.24 per image. The model is rolling out globally to the Gemini app with free users getting limited generations and paid subscribers receiving more. It’s also available in NotebookLM for subscribers and AI Mode in Search in the US, with plans to expand to Google Ads, Slides, Vids, and other Google products.
What makes this different
So what’s actually new here? Google‘s basically claiming this model uses Gemini’s reasoning capabilities to create more accurate images than ever before. Here’s the thing – they’re integrating Google Search to pull real-time information, meaning you could theoretically generate images based on current weather, sports scores, or breaking news. That’s a pretty clever integration if it works reliably.
The text rendering improvements are probably the most practical upgrade. Anyone who’s used AI image generators knows they typically struggle with readable text. Google says Nano Banana Pro can handle a wider variety of fonts, textures, and calligraphy – and in multiple languages. That could actually make it useful for creating mockups or posters without needing additional design software.
The developer cost question
Now let’s talk about that pricing. At $0.134 to $0.24 per image, this isn’t exactly cheap for developers building applications. Compare that to some competing services and you start to see why this might be aimed more at enterprise users than hobbyists. But is the quality improvement worth the premium? That’s the million-dollar question.
Google seems to be positioning this as a premium offering from the start. The tiered access – limited for free users, more for paid subscribers – suggests they’re serious about monetizing their AI investments. And honestly, can you blame them? The compute costs for these models must be astronomical.
Where you’ll find it
The rollout strategy is interesting too. They’re starting with the Gemini app globally, NotebookLM for subscribers, and Search in the US. But the planned expansion to Google Ads, Slides, Vids, and even their new Antigravity IDE shows they’re thinking about creative professionals and enterprise users. Imagine being able to generate custom marketing images directly in Google Ads – that’s potentially huge for small businesses.
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The bigger picture
Look, Google’s clearly playing catch-up in the AI image generation space. They’re up against some established players, and Nano Banana Pro feels like their attempt to leapfrog the competition with better text handling and real-time data integration. But will it be enough to win over creators who are already comfortable with other tools?
The consistency features are impressive on paper – blending multiple images while keeping people recognizable is notoriously difficult for AI. If they’ve actually solved that, it could be a game-changer for professional workflows. But we’ll have to wait and see how it performs in the wild. After all, AI demos always look perfect – the real test is what happens when regular users get their hands on it.
