Nano Banana Lite Image Gen/Editing

Google’s fastest, most efficient image model Nano Banana 2 Lite (gemini-3.1-flash-lite-image) - ~4s per image, ~2.7x faster than Nano Banana 2, focused on the 1K canvas + 14 aspect ratios. APIYI token-based averages ~$0.018/call in practice (40$0.025.

Overview

Nano Banana 2 Lite (shortened to Nano Banana Lite in this section) is a Google image model released on June 30, 2026, with model ID gemini-3.1-flash-lite-image. It is the lightweight, economical version of Nano Banana 2 (gemini-3.1-flash-image), focused on speed and cost: ~4s per image, ~2.7x faster than Nano Banana 2, making it the fastest and cheapest tier of the Nano Banana series.

🍌 Released June 30, 2026: Nano Banana 2 Lite is live! ~4s per image, ~2.7x faster than Nano Banana 2, focused on the 1K canvas + 14 aspect ratios, with a built-in SynthID invisible watermark. APIYI brought it online immediately — token-based averages ~$0.018/call in practice (40% of Google’s rate), per-call $0.025 — built for high concurrency, low cost, and rapid iteration.

Provisional pricing: The model just launched and the current price is provisional; the final price may be adjusted later. We’ll announce any change — please refer to the live price on the platform.

All image APIs are synchronous — there is no task ID to poll, and if your client disconnects the result is lost while the request is still billed. Set a generous timeout for this model; see Image API Essentials & Best Practices.

Text-to-Image API

Generate images from text prompts. Includes an interactive playground for online testing.

Image Editing API

Upload an image + edit instructions to generate new images. Includes an interactive playground.

Let an AI Agent Do the Integration

Copy this prompt and paste it into Codex / Claude Code / Cursor

It first fetches the plain-text version of this page (append .md to any docs URL), then writes code in your project's own stack — timeout, defensive parts parsing, upload compression and the fact that Lite is 1K-only are already baked into the requirements.

Integrate / troubleshoot Nano Banana Lite (gemini-3.1-flash-lite-image) text-to-image and image editing in this project.

Read the docs before you touch code: fetch https://docs.apiyi.com/en/api-capabilities/nano-banana-lite-image/overview.md for the plain-text version of this page. For finer parameter detail, append …

1. Timeout: call the Gemini-native format at POST https://api.apiyi.com/v1beta/models/gemini-3.1-flash-lite-image:generateContent and set the client tim …

7 requirements in total. Use the button below to copy the full prompt.

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What this prompt saves you from

Requirement	Pitfall it prevents
imageSize set to 1K only	Lite has a single tier; porting from Nano Banana 2 and leaving 2K / 4K in place errors out
Never hardcode a parts index	Length and order are not guaranteed, so a fixed index fails intermittently. See Nano Banana Developer Guide
Timeout still set to 300s	A 4-second typical latency tempts you into a tiny timeout, which then fires spuriously under peak congestion — and a disconnected request is still billed. See Image API Essentials & Best Practices
Compress before upload	Base64 encoding inflates payloads by roughly a third, so raw phone photos slow every request. See Image Compression & Output Resolution
Auto-retry on IMAGE_SAFETY	A moderation block returns 200 with no image and is not billed; an identical retry often passes. See Gemini Image Error Handling

Why APIYI’s Nano Banana Lite?

Nano Banana Pro / 2 is the #1 model by usage volume on APIYI — stable, reliable, and fast. The Lite tier pushes “fast” and “cheap” to a new level, ideal for high-throughput scenarios. APIYI deeply optimizes the experience across reliability, cost, and integration:

Official Channel · Same as Gemini

100% compatible with Google’s native Gemini API (/v1beta/models/.../generateContent) and the OpenAI SDK pattern — same request body, response fields, and error codes. Zero-code migration.

No Concurrency Limits

Not bound by Google AI Studio’s RPM/RPD ceilings. Enterprise-scale batch generation and peak traffic scale linearly without quota interruptions.

Token-based ~$0.018/call

Token-based averages ~$0.018/call in practice (40% of Google’s rate: input $0.10 / output $12 per 1M tokens), cheaper than per-call $0.025/image (vs Google ~$0.034). Stack with top-up bonuses for even lower cost.

Global Zero-Barrier Access

No overseas server or proxy required — connect directly to api.apiyi.com from mainland data centers, residential networks, or overseas nodes. Stable latency, no cross-border re-architecture.

Full Model Lineup

Same series covers Nano Banana Pro (ultimate quality), Nano Banana 2 (quality + speed), and Nano Banana 2 Lite (fastest, cheapest) — mix and match per scenario.

Professional Enterprise Support

Our team specializes in production image-generation deployments, with deep experience in model selection, tuning, and integration — end-to-end support from PoC to production.

Core Features

~4s per Image

~4s per image, ~2.7x faster than Nano Banana 2 — built for high concurrency and rapid iteration

Low Cost

Token-based averages ~$0.018/call in practice (40% of Google’s rate), cheaper than per-call $0.025 — ideal for cost-sensitive per-image workloads

14 Aspect Ratios

Covers 14 ratios including 1:1, 4:1, 1:4, 16:9, 9:16 — fits many layouts

SynthID Watermark

Output carries a SynthID invisible digital watermark — invisible to the naked eye, doesn’t affect usage

Version Comparison

Feature	Nano Banana 2 Lite	Nano Banana 2.1	Nano Banana 2	Nano Banana Pro
Model ID	gemini-3.1-flash-lite-image	gemini-nano-banana-2.1	gemini-3.1-flash-image	gemini-3-pro-image
Positioning	Fastest / cheapest	Quality + speed (newer)	Quality + speed	Ultimate quality
Quality	⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Better	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pro-level	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Highest
Speed	🚀 ~4s	⚡ Fast	⚡ Fast	🐢 Slower
Max Resolution	1K	4K	4K	4K
Aspect Ratios	14	14	14	10
APIYI Pricing	$0.025/image	$0.045/image	$0.055/image	$0.09/image

Selection Guide:

• ⚡ Best value / fast batch generation → Nano Banana 2 Lite (~4s per image, $0.025 per-call)
• 🔥 Need 2K/4K HD or stronger quality → Nano Banana 2 (Pro-level quality + Flash-tier speed)
• 🎨 Ultimate quality → Nano Banana Pro (highest fidelity)

Pricing

Billing Mode Selection: Nano Banana 2 Lite supports two billing modes, selected via the “Billing model” setting when creating your API token:

• Select Pay-as-you-go or Pay-as-you-go Priority → Token-based billing
• Select Pay-per-request or Pay-per-request Priority → Per-call billing
• ⚠️ Do NOT select Hybrid billing

Token-based Billing (Recommended · 40％ of Google’s Rate)

Billing Item	Google Official	APIYI	Discount
Input	$0.25/M tokens	$0.10/M tokens	40%
Output	$30.00/M tokens	$12.00/M tokens	40%

Predictable real-world unit price: under token-based (per-token) billing, a 1K image averages ~$0.018/call in practice (typical range ~$0.016–$0.019, driven by output tokens). That’s cheaper than the flat per-call $0.025/image, with a stable, predictable unit price.

Per-call Billing

Model	APIYI Pricing	Google Official	Note
Nano Banana 2 Lite gemini-3.1-flash-lite-image	$0.025/image	~$0.034/image	Flat rate; may be lowered later but unchanged for now

💰 Which billing mode? Prefer Pay-as-you-go Priority. Token-based (per-token) billing runs ~$0.018/call in practice — cheaper than per-call $0.025 with a predictable unit price; and with the token’s billing model set to Pay-as-you-go Priority, one token also covers Nano Banana Pro / 2’s per-call billing — run the whole series with one token. The per-call $0.025/image is a flat rate that may be lowered later but is unchanged for now — refer to the live price on the platform. Combined with top-up bonuses, actual costs are even lower.

The model just launched and the current price is provisional; the final price may be adjusted later (the per-call $0.025/image may be lowered later). We’ll announce any change — please refer to the live price on the platform.

Group Setup

Nano Banana 2 Lite works on APIYI’s default channel — no dedicated group required:

Group	Rate	When to use
Default	1.0x	Base lane, matches the price table; recommended default

Recommended Billing model: pick Pay-as-you-go Priority by default. Three reasons: ① token-based (per-token) billing runs ~$0.018/call in practice, cheaper than per-call $0.025; ② the unit price is stable and predictable; ③ one token covers Lite / Nano Banana 2 token-based billing AND Nano Banana Pro per-call billing — run the whole series with one token.

Supported Resolutions & Aspect Ratios

Output Resolutions

Resolution	Description	Recommended Use
1K	The only tier (no 2K/4K)	Social images, thumbnails, draft previews, web display

Nano Banana 2 Lite is focused on the 1K canvas and does not support 2K/4K. For higher resolution or stronger quality, switch to Nano Banana 2 (up to 4K) or Nano Banana Pro.

Supported Aspect Ratios (14 total)

1:1, 1:4, 4:1, 1:8, 8:1, 2:3, 3:2, 3:4, 4:3, 4:5, 5:4, 9:16, 16:9, 21:9

Output Dimensions per Aspect Ratio (1K, pixels)

In your request, set aspectRatio for the ratio and keep imageSize at 1K:

Aspect Ratio	1K Output
1:1	1024×1024
1:4	512×2048
1:8	384×3072
2:3	848×1264
3:2	1264×848
3:4	896×1200
4:1	2048×512
4:3	1200×896
4:5	928×1152
5:4	1152×928
8:1	3072×384
9:16	768×1376
16:9	1376×768
21:9	1584×672

FAQ

What's the difference between Nano Banana 2 Lite and Nano Banana 2?

Both are based on Google’s Gemini 3.1 Flash series; Lite is the lightweight, economical version:

• ✅ Speed: Lite generates in ~4s, ~2.7x faster than Nano Banana 2
• ✅ Price: Lite token-based averages ~$0.018/call in practice (40% of Google’s rate), per-call $0.025 — better for volume
• ⚠️ Resolution: Lite supports 1K only; Nano Banana 2 goes up to 4K
• ⚠️ Quality ceiling: for ultimate quality, Nano Banana 2 / Pro are better

Migrating from Nano Banana 2 just needs a model-name change (note Lite is 1K only): swap gemini-3.1-flash-image for gemini-3.1-flash-lite-image.

Should I choose Lite or Nano Banana 2?

• Best value / fast batch generation / 1K is enough → choose Lite (~4s, $0.025 per-call)
• Need 2K/4K HD, or higher quality → choose Nano Banana 2 (up to 4K, Pro-level quality)

The code is identical between the two — only the model name differs, so you can switch and test anytime.

How long does it take to generate an image?

Nano Banana 2 Lite is built for speed — ~4s at 1K resolution. Still, set a longer client timeout (e.g. 300 seconds) to handle occasional delays and peak congestion.

Is there a concurrency limit?

The API has no concurrency limit and does not process serially. You can safely fire concurrent requests yourself — requests don’t queue or block each other. Unlike Google AI Studio, the APIYI channel has no hard RPM/RPD limits, so enterprise batch generation and peak traffic scale linearly.

What actually matters is the timeout — though Lite is fast, a single request can still slow down during peak congestion, so set your client timeout to 300 seconds.

What input image formats are supported?

For image editing, image/png and image/jpeg are supported via base64 encoding. See the Image Editing API Reference.

Do output images have watermarks?

All output images carry SynthID invisible digital watermarks (Google’s AI-generated content identification technology) — invisible to the naked eye and doesn’t affect usage.

Related Documentation

• Nano Banana 2 Image Generation - Quality + speed tier, up to 4K
• Nano Banana Pro Image Generation - Ultimate-quality flagship
• Image Generation Comparison Testing
• API Usage Manual

Nano Banana 2 Lite just launched. Features and pricing may be adjusted. Please follow documentation updates for the latest information.