FP8 quantized variant of Black Forest Labs' FLUX.1 [schnell] model, offering ~2x faster inference with reduced precision while maintaining high-quality image generation in 4 steps
Settled by community votes across 3 shared challenges, with an AI judge weighing in on each.
FLUX.1 [schnell] FP8
17.8
arena score
#36 of 44 in Text-to-Image
Skill signature
Not enough comparable category data
The chart appears once both models have ratings across at least three shared arena categories.
Nano Banana 2
29.0
arena score
#1 of 44 in Text-to-Image
Best Text-to-Image right now
Top 2 in Image Editing
Vote tally
Where the votes landed
FLUX.1 [schnell] FP8
0.0%
win rate
Ties
0.0%
Nano Banana 2
100.0%
win rate
0.0%
0.0% ties
100.0%
Shared challenges
3
Challenge by challenge
The strongest take from each model on every shared challenge, with the AI judge's read.
Chalkboard Menu
Text-to-Image“Handwritten-style chalkboard menu in a cozy café, all text rendered in the exact same realistic chalk handwriting style with natural variations in letter size, slight slant, and chalk texture — no printed or digital fonts anywhere on the board. Title at the top in elegant cursive chalk handwriting: ‘TODAY’S SPECIALS – APRIL 30, 2026’. Below it, three menu items also in the same handwritten chalk style: ‘Truffle Mushroom Risotto – $24’, ‘Grilled Octopus with Lemon & Herbs – $28’, ‘Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies – $9’. At the very bottom, smaller text in the identical handwritten chalk style (slightly smaller but still clearly legible with the same handwriting characteristics): ‘All items made fresh daily • Ask about our gluten-free options’. Warm ambient café lighting, visible chalk dust and smudges, realistic handwriting imperfections, no clean printed text anywhere.”
FLUX.1 [schnell] FP8
Nano Banana 2
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.1 [schnell] FP8
- + Excellent chalk texture on the 'TODAY SPECIALS' header
- + Realistic framing and lighting on the chalkboard surface
- − Significant spelling errors and repetitive lines of garbled text
- − Failed to render prices and item names correctly
- − Did not use elegant cursive as requested
Nano Banana 2
- + Perfect text rendering with zero spelling errors across all menu items
- + High fidelity chalk handwriting style that looks natural and hand-drawn
- + Successfully completed the 'Brown But...' truncated prompt into a logical item
- − The 'elegant cursive' for the title is more of a script-font style than traditional cursive
- − The background cafe scene is slightly generic
Verdict: Nano Banana 2 is the clear winner as it followed every instruction perfectly, including rendering complex menu text without a single spelling error and logically completing the truncated item as 'Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies'. FLUX.1 [schnell] FP8 struggled significantly with text coherence, producing repetitive and misspelled words like 'Octemon' and 'cokies'.
The Reversed Rodeo
Text-to-Image“Horse riding astronaut in space — horse on top, not vice versa. Surreal, highly detailed, cinematic.”
FLUX.1 [schnell] FP8
Nano Banana 2
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.1 [schnell] FP8
- + Excellent high-contrast lighting and cinematic depth
- + Very sharp textures on the horse hair and planetary surface
- − Fails the primary prompt instruction by merging the horse and astronaut into a weird hybrid rather than one riding the other
- − Anatomical glitches including a two-headed horse and extra limbs
Nano Banana 2
- + Perfectly follows the specific role-reversal instruction with the horse riding the astronaut
- + Rich, vibrant colors and balanced layout
- + Fine details on the astronaut suit and horse tack
- − The horse's hoof appears to float slightly above the helmet rather than resting on it
Verdict: Nano Banana 2 successfully followed the difficult role-reversal prompt, depicting a horse riding an astronaut with clear composition and high detail. FLUX.1 [schnell] FP8 failed the core instruction, creating a surreal but messy anatomical hybrid that didn't depict the horse 'on top' in the requested manner.
The Halloween Invitation
Text-to-Image“Vintage gothic Halloween party invitation. Dark parchment poster, spooky border with webs and thorns, central glowing jack-o-lantern, bats, twisted trees, moody night sky. Add elegant gothic title text saying "Halloween Party Invitation", a small scroll banner saying "You are invited to a night of frights", and event details at the bottom: Date: 30.10.2026 Time: 7pm Location: The Arches, NYC Spooky but polished, cinematic lighting, square format.”
FLUX.1 [schnell] FP8
Nano Banana 2
0% wins
0% ties
100% wins
AI Judge Analysis
FLUX.1 [schnell] FP8
- + Clean layout with a central focus on the jack-o-lantern.
- + Captures the dark, moody night sky atmosphere well.
- − Numerous spelling errors in the banner and event details.
- − The border appears more like ragged fabric than a gothic thorn/web design.
- − The aesthetic feels slightly generic and digitally flat.
Nano Banana 2
- + Outstanding text rendering with perfect spelling and elegant gothic typography.
- + Rich, detailed illustration featuring spiders, webs, skulls, and a gothic archway.
- + Excellent source preservation of the 'parchment' aesthetic and border requirements.
- − The composition is quite busy, which might make it feel a bit crowded for an invitation.
Verdict: Nano Banana 2 is the clear winner as it perfectly executed all text requirements, including specific dates and locations, which FLUX.1 [schnell] FP8 failed to spell correctly. Additionally, Nano Banana 2 provided a much more intricate and thematic 'vintage gothic' illustration that matched the prompt's request for thorns, webs, and twisted trees with greater artistic flair.
Next steps
Explore each model
Gemini 3.1 Flash with image generation capabilities. High-efficiency image generation model with support for text rendering, reference images, search grounding, and thinking mode. The efficient counterpart to Gemini 3 Pro Image.