Nano Banana 2: How Much of an Improvement Is Google's New AI Image Model?

It’s been three whole months since Google dropped its latest AI image model, so given the breakneck pace of AI development, we were overdue. Google delivered, with Nano Banana 2, released in late February. 

At first glance, not much had changed from Google’s previous models. Google said the second-generation model would have the speed of the original model but the benefit of the pro’s (and Gemini 3’s) world knowledge for more realistic outputs. As CNET’s creative AI expert, I had to put the new model through its paces. Nano Banana Pro, after all, is our best overall pick among a crowded field of AI image tools — even if it did make me wonder if AI tools have gotten too good. 

After my testing, I found that Google was mostly right. Nano Banana 2 was a speedy companion and reminded me why Google is still one of the biggest beasts in the AI game. But I did find cracks in its performance, proving there’s still room for improvement.

This is how Nano Banana 2 fared against the original…