ChatGPT Images vs Google Nano Banana: 10 exact prompts, who makes better pics?

We put AI’s biggest image generators head-to-head with brutal precision tests. The results surprised us. The AI image generation wars have reached fever pitch. ChatGPT’s GPT Image 1.5 and Google’s Gemini Nano Banana Pro are both vying for supremacy, each promising photorealistic renders, artistic mastery, and creative superpowers. But when you strip away the marketing hype and pit them against identical prompts, which one actually delivers?

We ran 10 meticulously crafted tests designed to push both systems to their limits – from vintage poster typography to hyperrealistic macro photography, from character consistency to creative reimagining. No second chances, no cherry-picking. Just raw, head-to-head comparison. Here’s what we found.

Also read: OpenAI launches faster ChatGPT Images with GPT Image 1.5 to rival Gemini Nano Banana: How to use it

Test 1: Complex Typography & Retro-Futuristic Design

Prompt: “A vintage travel poster for ‘Neo-Tokyo 2050’. The main title ‘NEO-TOKYO’ should be in a bold, retro-futuristic chrome font at the top. At the bottom, in a smaller serif font, write ‘Where Tradition Meets Silicon’. In the center, a neon sign on a building must clearly read ‘OPEN 24/7’ in bright red. Ensure all text is spelled correctly and legible.”

ChatGPT nailed nearly every detail: the chrome retro-futuristic font, the explicit “2050” reference, the bright red “OPEN 24/7” neon sign with perfect legibility, and the aged travel poster aesthetic complete with pagodas, torii gates, flying cars, and futuristic skyscrapers. The composition screamed vintage poster while embracing cyberpunk energy.

Nano Banana Pro delivered the main title and subtitle correctly but used a glowing neon/blue font instead of chrome, completely omitted “2050,” and leaned toward a more modern illustrative style rather than the vintage poster aesthetic requested.

Winner: ChatGPT

Test 2: Artistic Style Accuracy (Impressionism)

Prompt: “A serene landscape in the style of Claude Monet’s Impressionism, featuring a wooden bridge over a lily pond, dappled sunlight, loose brushstrokes, vibrant purples and greens, oil painting texture visible.”

ChatGPT captured Monet’s signature warmth with vibrant greens in the foliage and bridge, vivid purple wisteria, pink lilies, and crucially, prominent dappled sunlight through yellow highlights filtering across leaves, bridge, and water. The loose brushstrokes and shimmering broken-color effect felt authentically Impressionist.

Nano Banana Pro’s version, while impressionistic with thick strokes, leaned too heavily into cooler blue-purple tones that overwhelmed the greens. The result was moodier and more diffused, with less distinct dappling, straying from the prompt’s emphasis on vibrant color balance and explicit dappled sunlight.

Winner: ChatGPT 

Test 3: Product Photography Minimalism

Prompt: “A red ceramic coffee mug on a wooden table. No logo, no text, no spoon, no steam. Neutral daylight, realistic shadows, product photography style 16:9.”

ChatGPT delivered a glossy, vibrant red mug with sharp highlights, subtle reflections, and a polished commercial finish. The neutral daylight from a window created soft, realistic shadows, while the blurred background kept focus strictly on the product – perfect for e-commerce or catalog use.

Nano Banana Pro’s mug had a matte, textured glaze with visible imperfections and a rustic, artisanal feel. While beautiful, it leaned artistic rather than the sleek, clean product photography aesthetic specified in the prompt.

Winner: ChatGPT 

Test 4: Optical Physics & Hyperrealism

Prompt: “A hyper-realistic close-up of a clear glass sphere sitting on a wooden table. Inside the glass sphere is a precise analog clock face showing exactly 10:10. Through the glass, the wooden table grain should be visible but optically distorted and inverted by the refraction. Soft morning sunlight hitting from the right.”

Nano Banana Pro finally broke through with a stunning render: a clear glass sphere with a precise 10:10 clock face (Roman numerals), prominent wooden grain visible through the glass with strong magnification, curved lines, and artistic inversion in the refracted view. The rendering included realistic reflections, caustics, and natural lighting.

ChatGPT’s version had the lighting correct (soft morning sunlight from the right) but the clock face filled nearly the entire sphere, leaving minimal clear glass area for the table grain to show through – missing the key optical distortion requirement.

Winner: Nano Banana Pro

Test 5: Image Modification & Consistency

Prompt: “Start with a photo of a quiet empty highway at sunrise. Then modify the image to add a single red sports car driving away from the camera without changing lighting or perspective.”

ChatGPT delivered a perfect side-by-side: the left showed the quiet empty highway at sunrise with misty atmosphere and warm orange glow, while the right showed the identical scene with a modern red sports car seamlessly added to the right lane. Same lighting, same fog, same perspective – a convincing, natural edit.

Nano Banana Pro generated an entirely different photograph: a winding desert road with hills, a classic Porsche-style car, purple-tinged sunset (not sunrise), and completely different environment and perspective. It was a new generation, not a modification.

Winner: ChatGPT 

Test 6: Character Consistency

Prompt: “Create a young male archaeologist with curly black hair, a short beard, and rectangular glasses, wearing a khaki field vest over a white shirt. Neutral expression, front facing, studio background.” to “The same character examining ancient artifacts in a museum, holding a magnifying glass, same facial features and outfit.”

Also read: Makop Ransomware targets India: What the new attack means and how to stay safe

Both maintained character consistency well, but ChatGPT’s initial generation included archaeological tools in the vest pockets, a subtle detail that added significant value and authenticity. Without those details, the character felt more generic, which was the case with Nano Banana Pro’s version.

Winner: ChatGPT

Test 7: Creative Reimagining (Personal Photo)

Prompt: “Recreate this person as a 1960s astronaut in a vintage NASA spacesuit, giving a thumbs up in front of a rocket on the launch pad.”

Nano Banana Pro excelled in facial accuracy, the face looked far closer to the original uploaded person, which is critical for faithful recreation. The silver Mercury-era spacesuit and matching Mercury rocket captured the quintessential “vintage 1960s NASA” aesthetic more authentically than ChatGPT’s white Apollo-era suit, which felt more late-60s/early-70s moon landing era.

Winner: Nano Banana Pro 

Test 8: Cultural Authenticity & Watercolor Style

Prompt: “A cyberpunk Pune skyline at night in a hand-painted watercolor style. Soft brush strokes, muted neon colors, dreamy atmosphere, no hard edges.”

Nano Banana Pro delivered superior cultural authenticity with prominent Devanagari script signs, exceptionally soft bleeding brush strokes, diffused muted neon pastels, vertical rain-like drips, and no hard edges. The abundant flying cars and glowing holographic billboards in local script blended high-tech dystopia with Indian heritage vividly.

ChatGPT’s version, while atmospheric with river reflections and an old bridge, used an English “PUNE” neon sign and felt less cyberpunk-intensive with fewer futuristic elements, more grounded than dreamy.

Winner: Nano Banana Pro

Test 9: Infographic Design & Educational Clarity

Prompt: “A clean, modern infographic illustration of a coffee bean’s lifecycle. Three distinct stages labeled clearly: 1. ‘Harvest’, 2. ‘Roast’, and 3. ‘Brew’. Connected by simple directional arrows. White background, vector art style.”

Nano Banana Pro created a more engaging infographic with detailed vector illustrations: a hand actively harvesting cherries, a professional roasting drum with visible heat waves, and a precise pour-over brewing setup. Dynamic curved arrows guided the eye smoothly, with clear bold labels enhancing educational clarity.

ChatGPT’s version was overly minimalist with flat icons (static cherries, plain beans, basic cup) and straight arrows – too simplistic and generic, lacking visual storytelling depth.

Winner: Nano Banana Pro

Test 10: Extreme Macro Photography & Detail

Prompt: “Macro photography of an elderly fisherman’s eye and upper cheek. Extreme detail on the weathered skin texture, sunspots, and deep crow’s feet wrinkles. The eye is bright blue, reflecting a calm ocean horizon. Individual eyelashes and pores must be visible. 85mm lens, f/1.8 aperture.”

Nano Banana Pro delivered a masterclass in macro photography: razor-sharp focus on a bright blue iris vividly reflecting a calm ocean horizon complete with low sun and serene water line (the key unique requirement), extreme detail on crow’s feet wrinkles, sun-damaged textured skin with visible pores and age spots, and individual eyelashes standing out crisply.

ChatGPT’s version was impressively detailed in weathered skin, pores, wrinkles, and eyelashes, but the reflection in the eye was faint and ambiguous (possibly a mast or light) – it failed to clearly depict the calm ocean horizon specified in the prompt.

Winner: Nano Banana Pro 

The Verdict

After 10 brutal tests, we ended in a dead tie, but the story behind the score reveals distinct strengths:

ChatGPT excels at:

• Typography and text rendering (critical for posters, infographics, branding)
• Artistic style accuracy (nailing specific art movements like Impressionism)
• Product photography polish (clean, commercial aesthetics)
• Image modification and consistency (seamlessly editing existing compositions)
• Attention to contextual details (archaeological tools, period-appropriate elements)

Nano Banana Pro shines at:

• Optical physics and hyperrealism (refraction, reflections, caustics)
• Facial accuracy in creative reimagining (maintaining identity across transformations)
• Cultural authenticity (Devanagari script, localized cyberpunk aesthetics)
• Educational infographics (engaging visual storytelling)
• Extreme macro photography and unique reflection requirements

The Bottom Line: Neither AI is definitively “better” – they’re different tools for different jobs. If you’re creating marketing materials, posters, or need pristine product shots, ChatGPT is your best bet. If you’re after photorealistic renders with complex physics, culturally authentic scenes, or educational visuals, Nano Banana Pro has the edge.

Also read: Did you know ‘air-gapped’ PCs and networks exist that never connect to the internet? Here’s why