Nano Banana 2 vs Nano Banana 2.1: text layout or product fidelity?
Our tests split by task: choose Nano Banana 2 for exact multilingual text layout and closer adherence to advertising headline placement. Choose Nano Banana 2.1 for more coherent product photography, counting and attribute binding, and narrow gains in preserving object arrangements, garments and product proportions during edits. Structured UI graphics, in-image text replacement, relighting and outpainting tied, as did the anatomy test, where both struggled with fully visible fingers.
Side-by-side facts
| Feature | Nano Banana 2 | Nano Banana 2.1 |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | ||
| Availability on Banana Pie | Available now | Available now |
| Credits from | 40 credits | 25 credits |
| Max resolution | 4K | 4K |
| Reference images | Up to 8 | Up to 8 |
Scenario by scenario
Same prompt. Two models. Judge the difference in the published images below.
Product material and lighting
Better here: Nano Banana 2.1Right wins because its single bottle and grounded reflection form a more physically coherent product photograph. Left’s detached upright bottle-shaped duplicate is the decisive flaw.
- Single transparent rectangular bottle, no text, logo, or extra objects: Both have one main transparent rectangular perfume bottle with no text or logo. Right does better because its scene is clean, while Left includes a faint upright bottle-shaped duplicate on the stone to the right.
- Halfway filled with amber liquid: Both are comparably successful. Each has a distinct amber liquid surface around the middle of the bottle’s usable interior, with clear glass above.
- Physically coherent refraction and reflection: Right does better. Its reflection extends downward from the bottle’s base, with amber color and glass edges appropriately mirrored and softened by the wet stone. Left has convincing bright glass edges, but the detached upright bottle-shaped image to the right is inconsistent with a reflection on the horizontal surface.
- Upper-left lighting and contact shadow: Both show upper-left illumination through bright top and left edges, with dark contact areas beneath their bases. Right has a restrained, plausible warm light patch to the lower right; Left has a stronger rightward shadow and amber caustics that also follow the lighting direction.
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
A premium product photograph of exactly one transparent rectangular perfume bottle, half filled with amber liquid, standing upright on wet black stone. Light comes from the upper left, creating coherent refraction, a contact shadow, and one subtle reflection. No text, logo, plants, or extra objects.
Multilingual typography
Better here: Nano Banana 2LEFT wins because it preserves the required four-line layout and exact text on each line. RIGHT splits the title into two lines, producing five lines.
- Line count and centering: LEFT does better. It has exactly four centered text lines with no additional text. RIGHT has five centered lines because the title wraps onto two lines.
- Exact wording and order: LEFT does better. Its lines read "MOONLIGHT MARKET", "月光市集", "18 OCT", and "RIVER HALL". RIGHT reads "MOONLIGHT", "MARKET", "月光市集", "18 OCT", and "RIVER HALL"; the wording is correct, but the required first line is split.
- Text colors: Both are even. Each renders "月光市集" in red and all the English text and the date in black.
- Legibility, spacing, and alignment: Both are close. All characters are legible and the lines share a clear central alignment. LEFT has a noticeably larger gap below its title than between its lower lines; RIGHT also varies the spacing between its title, Chinese text, date, and venue.
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
Design a clean cream-colored vertical event poster. Show exactly four centered text lines and no other text: "MOONLIGHT MARKET", "月光市集", "18 OCT", and "RIVER HALL". Render "月光市集" in red and all other lines in black.
Human anatomy and contact
Depends on the taskTie. Both clearly depict pottery shaping, but neither cleanly shows five distinct, fully visible fingers on each hand.
- Exactly two fully visible hands are present, with no extra hands or people: Both show two hands belonging to one potter, with no extra people or hands. Both keep the hands within the frame, but the bowl and overlapping fingers conceal parts of them, so neither fully satisfies the visibility requirement.
- Each hand has exactly five distinct, naturally formed fingers: Neither clearly presents five distinct fingers on each hand. LEFT has overlapping digits on the exterior hand and partially concealed digits inside the bowl. RIGHT shows four fingers clearly on the interior hand, with its thumb concealed; the exterior hand's fingers overlap along the bowl. The two are even on this shortcoming.
- The fingers, joints, and contact with the clay are anatomically plausible: Both depict plausible opposing pressure inside and outside the bowl. RIGHT has clearer joints and fingertip contact on the interior hand, while LEFT has more readable individual fingers on the exterior hand. Neither has a decisive overall advantage.
- The clay bowl, spinning wheel, and shaping action are clearly recognizable: Both satisfy this criterion. Each shows a recognizable clay bowl, concentric wheel streaks suggesting rotation, and hands shaping the inner and outer walls. RIGHT gives a closer view into the bowl, while LEFT shows more of the potter and wheel assembly.
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
A photorealistic close-up of an adult potter shaping a clay bowl on a spinning wheel. Both hands are fully visible, each with five natural fingers touching the clay. No other people or hands. Soft window light.
Counting and attribute binding
Better here: Nano Banana 2.1RIGHT wins because it preserves the requested counts, materials, and handle direction while avoiding LEFT's extra background plant.
- Object counts and placement: Both sides satisfy this criterion. Each shows exactly three red cubes in a row on the left, two blue spheres on the right, and one yellow mug centered behind them.
- Colors, shapes, and materials: Both sides correctly bind the requested attributes. The red cubes show wood grain, the blue spheres have transparent glass surfaces and reflections, and the yellow mugs have glazed ceramic surfaces.
- Mug handle direction: Both sides satisfy this criterion equally, with a clearly visible handle extending to the right.
- No additional objects or text: RIGHT does better. Its composition keeps attention on the six requested objects with no additional tabletop items or text. LEFT includes a visible blurred potted plant in the background. Neither image contains visible text.
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
On a matte gray table, exactly three red wooden cubes form a row on the left, exactly two blue glass spheres sit on the right, and one yellow ceramic mug stands centered behind them. The mug handle points right. No other objects or text.
Advertising composition
Better here: Nano Banana 2LEFT has the edge because its headline placement follows the requested layout more closely. Both add prohibited shoe branding and place the trail’s foreground entry toward the bottom-right.
- Exactly one silver shoe appears in the lower-right and an orange trail begins from the bottom-left: The two are roughly even. Each shows one silver shoe in the lower-right and an orange trail curving through the lower-left. In both, however, the trail enters the frame along the bottom-right rather than clearly beginning at the bottom-left.
- The only visible text is "RUN LIGHT" and "42 KM", both spelled correctly: Both fail the text restriction. Each correctly renders "RUN LIGHT" and "42 KM", but also adds "AERO" on the shoe. LEFT additionally shows letter "A" marks on the tongue and side.
- The top 15 percent remains visibly uncluttered, with the headline positioned directly below it: LEFT does better. Its empty sky band leads directly into the upper-left headline near the requested boundary. RIGHT leaves a much deeper empty area, pushing the headline well down the composition.
- All required elements are fully visible and form a clear visual hierarchy: The two are even. Both keep the entire shoe, headline, and round badge visible, with strong text contrast and an orange curve directing attention toward the product. LEFT uses a large headline above the shoe; RIGHT uses bright lettering and a glowing trail against a dark background.
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
Create a vertical social ad for a fictional running shoe named AERO. Keep the top 15 percent empty. Directly below it, place the headline "RUN LIGHT" in the upper-left. Show exactly one silver shoe in the lower-right, an orange trail curving from the bottom-left, and a round badge reading "42 KM". No other shoes or text.
Structured UI graphic
Depends on the taskTie. Both images satisfy all four criteria with correctly spelled text and consistent alignment. Their differences are stylistic: LEFT uses a divided table, while RIGHT uses bordered cards.
- Title and column labels: Both are even. LEFT and RIGHT each render the exact title "CHOOSE YOUR PLAN" above exactly three columns labeled "STARTER", "PRO", and "TEAM".
- Three aligned rows per column: Both are even. Each column in both images contains exactly "PROJECTS", "STORAGE", and "SUPPORT", in that order, with matching row heights across the columns. LEFT adds horizontal separators; RIGHT uses open spacing within bordered cards.
- One blue SELECT button per column: Both are even. Each image has exactly one blue button labeled "SELECT" beneath the rows in each column, and the three buttons align horizontally.
- Even alignment and no additional content: Both are even. LEFT uses evenly spaced column centers and vertical dividers; RIGHT uses three equal bordered cards with consistent gaps. Neither image adds columns or text.
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
Create a clean horizontal pricing comparison graphic titled "CHOOSE YOUR PLAN". Use exactly three equal columns labeled "STARTER", "PRO", and "TEAM". Under each column, show exactly three aligned rows labeled "PROJECTS", "STORAGE", and "SUPPORT", followed by one blue button labeled "SELECT". White background, dark navy text, no additional columns or text.
Six-reference object binding and edit
Better here: Nano Banana 2.1RIGHT has a narrow edge for preserving the base arrangement, particularly the napkin footprint and orange position. Both correctly bind all replacement objects and add exactly two lemons.
- Mug and napkin replacement: RIGHT is slightly closer overall. Both show the navy mug with a gold rim and right-facing handle from Reference 2, plus the green-and-white stripes from Reference 3. RIGHT keeps the napkin aligned with the original towel’s rectangular footprint; LEFT rotates it diagonally, though its layered folds more closely resemble Reference 3. Both mugs occupy the original foreground area.
- Orange and notebook replacement: RIGHT is slightly closer. Both replace the pear with exactly one leafy orange and the blue notebook with a mustard hardcover featuring the reference’s black elastic band. None of the four original objects remain. RIGHT’s orange sits closer to the pear’s original position, while LEFT’s is shifted slightly right; both notebooks retain the base notebook’s placement and orientation.
- Two lemons to the right of the mug: The two are even. Each shows exactly two yellow lemons to the mug’s right, with a leaf on the left lemon and a bare right lemon, matching Reference 6’s recognizable pairing. Neither adds extra fruit, duplicates an asset, or introduces other objects.
- Base scene preservation: RIGHT is slightly closer. Both retain the wooden tabletop, recognizable grain and knots, framing, upper-right background corner, and warm lighting of Reference 1. RIGHT better preserves the towel area’s alignment and the central fruit position. LEFT changes the napkin’s orientation and shifts the orange, while both alter the mug silhouette and associated shadows.
Reference images
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
Use Reference 1 as the base tabletop scene. Replace the red mug with the exact dark navy-blue mug from Reference 2 in the same position and orientation. Replace the folded white towel with the exact green-and-white striped napkin from Reference 3 in the same folded area. Replace the green pear with exactly one orange from Reference 4 in the same position. Replace the blue notebook with the exact mustard-yellow hardcover notebook from Reference 5 in the same position. Add exactly the two lemons from Reference 6 to the right of the mug. Preserve the wooden table, camera, framing, wood grain, lighting, shadows, and all other spatial relationships from Reference 1. Do not copy the white product backgrounds from References 2–6, duplicate any asset, or add other objects.
In-image text replacement
Depends on the taskTie. Both deliver the exact replacement text and closely preserve the original sign and storefront; the small lettering-texture difference does not create a clear overall advantage.
- Exact sign text and removal of old text: Both sides are even. LEFT and RIGHT each read exactly "NIGHT OWL", with no visible remnants of the reference's "MORNING BEAN".
- No additional or malformed characters: Both sides are even. Each sign has clean, recognizable uppercase letters and a clear space between the two words, with no extra characters.
- Original font character, spacing, and perspective: Both sides are essentially even. Both retain the reference's cream sans-serif capitals, broadly spaced lettering, and alignment with the receding sign. Their replacement lettering has nearly identical placement and proportions.
- Sign material, lighting, and surrounding scene: Both sides are essentially even. Both preserve the dark green wood grain, frame, lamp shadows, and surrounding storefront, including the window reflections, plants, bench, and pavement shadows. RIGHT's lettering has slightly more visible surface texture, but the difference is marginal.
Reference images
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
Replace only the sign text with exactly "NIGHT OWL". Preserve the original font style, spacing, perspective, sign material, lighting, and everything else.
Multi-reference identity and garment transfer
Better here: Nano Banana 2.1Right wins narrowly for garment fidelity: it avoids the added distressed marks visible on Left. Identity preservation and integration into the original scene are otherwise closely matched.
- Identity, expression, hair, pose, proportions, and framing: The two are even. Both closely retain Reference 1's facial features, closed-mouth expression, swept dark hair, forward-facing stance, and hands held together at the waist. The head placement and portrait crop are also closely matched.
- Jacket material, color, collar, buttons, pockets, and sleeve patch: Right does better. Both reproduce the light blue denim, cream fleece collar, metal buttons, pointed chest-pocket flaps, lower welt pockets, and red sleeve patch. Left adds conspicuous white distressed marks on the chest and pockets that are absent from Reference 2; Right preserves the clean denim more faithfully. Both collars are somewhat narrower than the reference collar.
- Full replacement without mannequin or product background: The two are even. Both fully replace the black blazer with denim and retain the gray wall and bright window edge from Reference 1, with no visible mannequin or white product backdrop.
- Physical coherence of hands, fit, occlusion, shadows, and lighting: The two are even. Both show plausible bent sleeves, cuffs surrounding the wrists, hands overlapping naturally in front of the garment, and hair falling over the shoulders. The soft light from the left and shading across the denim fit the original scene.
Reference images
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
Use the portrait in Reference 1 for the person and the isolated jacket in Reference 2 for the garment. Dress the person from Reference 1 in the exact jacket shown in Reference 2. Preserve the person's identity, face, expression, skin, hair, hands, pose, body proportions, background, framing, and lighting from Reference 1. Preserve the jacket's material, color, collar, buttons, pockets, and sleeve patch from Reference 2. Do not copy the ghost mannequin or white product background.
Coherent scene relighting
Depends on the taskTie. Both deliver a convincing golden-hour relight while preserving the room. RIGHT makes the plant’s cast shadow slightly clearer, but the overall difference is marginal.
- Warm golden-hour light clearly enters from the left window: Both sides satisfy this criterion. LEFT has a stronger amber glow across the sofa and floor; RIGHT shows warm window-shaped patches across the wall, sofa, and rug. Both clearly suggest low sunlight entering from the left.
- Highlights and shadow directions respond coherently to the new light source: Both are broadly coherent, with a slight edge to RIGHT. Both brighten the tabletop and cast long table shadows toward the lower right. RIGHT also places a distinct plant silhouette on the wall to the plant’s right, making the relationship between the window, plant, and shadow especially readable.
- The result is more than a uniform yellow color filter: Both sides satisfy this criterion equally. Each introduces localized direct sunlight, window-frame divisions, and elongated furniture shadows that are absent from Reference 1. Shaded areas remain visibly distinct from the golden sunlit surfaces.
- No furniture or decor is moved, added, removed, or redesigned: The two are even. Relative to Reference 1, both preserve the sofa and its cushions, rectangular wooden table, rug, potted plant, floor lamp, and window arrangement, with matching placement and recognizable shapes.
Reference images
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
Change the lighting to warm golden-hour sunlight entering from the left window. Do not move, add, remove, or redesign any object. Update highlights and shadows coherently.
Cross-ratio outpainting
Depends on the taskTie. Both preserve the centered original scene and extend the beach convincingly; Right's slightly subtler foreground does not create a decisive overall advantage.
- 16:9 output with natural new content on both sides: Both are even. Each presents a wide landscape with beach, ocean, and sky continuing on both sides of the centered cabin, with no letterboxing.
- Complete original centered without cropping or stretching: Both are even. The original square scene remains centered, retaining the sky above the roof and the foreground sand below the cabin, with the cabin's proportions matching the reference.
- Original cabin, shoreline, and internal composition unchanged: Both are even at the visible scale. Each retains the reference's weathered blue cabin, door hardware, supports, rightward shadow, level horizon, and shoreline placement.
- Extensions without seams, mirrored filler, or repeated objects: Both have smooth joins and continuous horizons, with no obvious mirrored objects. Right is slightly more natural in the foreground: its added sand maintains the reference's fine texture, while Left adds more conspicuous stones on the lower right and stronger tracks on the lower left. This is a small difference rather than a clear defect.
Reference images
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
Expand the canvas to a 16:9 landscape by naturally continuing the beach, ocean, and sky on both sides. Keep the complete original image centered without cropping, stretching, letterboxing, or modifying it.
Product preservation across scene change
Better here: Nano Banana 2.1RIGHT wins narrowly because it preserves the reference sneaker's camera angle and proportions more closely. Both deliver convincing wet courts at dusk and retain the geometric side mark.
- Wet outdoor basketball court at dusk: Both succeed. LEFT shows a hoop, fencing, court lines, puddles, and a warm purple sunset. RIGHT shows hoops, fencing, painted court areas, wet pavement, and a pale evening sky. RIGHT's painted surface makes the basketball-court setting slightly more explicit.
- Silhouette, sole geometry, stitching, materials, and camera angle: RIGHT is closer to Reference 1. It better retains the elevated three-quarter view, visible collar interior, rounded toe, and proportions of the textured front sole section. LEFT presents a flatter side view with a shallower-looking toe. Both preserve the main leather panels, lace arrangement, and stitching paths.
- Black geometric side mark: The two are essentially even. Both retain the reference's connected angular shape, short left arm, rising upper branch beneath the eyestay, and long diagonal lower-right branch. Both marks remain solid black and clearly readable.
- Contact shadow, wet-surface reflection, and dusk lighting: Both are convincing. LEFT has a clearer inverted reflection in a smoother puddle and warm-to-cool lighting that follows the sunset. RIGHT has a more fragmented reflection on rough wet paint, with dark contact beneath the sole and surrounding surface highlights. Neither has a decisive advantage.
Reference images
Prompt & settings used
Prompt
Place the sneaker on a wet outdoor basketball court at dusk. Preserve the exact sneaker shape, black geometric side mark, materials, stitching, sole geometry, and camera angle. Add physically coherent contact, reflections, and dusk lighting.
Cost & latency
Nano Banana 2 starts at 40 credits; Nano Banana 2.1 starts at 25 credits, leaving more room in the same credit budget for additional attempts. In the small latency sample from this fixed-prompt run, Nano Banana 2 took 57.1–122.7 seconds and Nano Banana 2.1 took 18.3–126.4 seconds. Nano Banana 2.1 finished sooner in most scenarios, though some edits took longer.
How we compared & disclosure
We used one fixed prompt per scenario and one run per model per scenario, with outputs published as generated. This reproducible fixed-prompt comparison connects each task to its visible results so you can choose for your workflow. Banana Pie sells paid access to both models.
Banana Pie sells paid access to this model alongside other models in one studio. Our verdicts come from tests run through the same pipeline our users get.