Google moves free Gemini to Flash-Lite and launches Nano Banana 2.1

Free Gemini users now get only Flash-Lite, while AI Plus subscribers lose access to the Pro model. Google also released Nano Banana 2.1, an image model built on Gemini 3.6 Flash, priced at $0.0336 per 1K image in the API.

• Free Gemini accounts move to Flash-Lite only, AI Plus loses Pro
• Nano Banana 2.1 is built on Gemini 3.6 Flash and replaces Nano Banana 2
• API pricing: $0.0336 per 1K image, $0.113 per 4K, no free tier
• AI Pro and AI Ultra keep all three models and gain Deep Think