DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B vs Phi 4 Mini Reasoning
Phi 4 Mini Reasoning leads the LLM Stats Score 7.2 to -2.9.
DeepSeek · Microsoft · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Phi 4 Mini Reasoning leads the overall LLM Stats Score 7.2 to -2.9, ranking #287 overall.
In the 2 individual benchmarks reported for both models, Phi 4 Mini Reasoning wins 2; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B
- you are already invested in the DeepSeek ecosystem
Choose Phi 4 Mini Reasoning
- overall performance matters — it scores 7.2 and ranks #287 on LLM Stats
- your work emphasizes reasoning — it leads those capability indexes
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 2 of 2 exact shared results
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Apr 2025
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Individual benchmarks
4 reported for DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B · 3 for Phi 4 Mini Reasoning
DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Phi 4 Mini Reasoning is better at 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MATH-500).
Phi 4 Mini Reasoning significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
Phi 4 Mini Reasoning has 2.0B more parameters than DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B, making it 113.5% larger.
License
Usage and distribution terms
Both models are licensed under MIT.
Both models share the same licensing terms, providing consistent usage rights.
MIT
Open weights
MIT
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B was released on 2025-01-20, while Phi 4 Mini Reasoning was released on 2025-04-30.
Phi 4 Mini Reasoning is 3 months newer than DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B.
Jan 20, 2025
1.6 years ago
Apr 30, 2025
1.4 years ago
3mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Phi 4 Mini Reasoning has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2025-02-01, while DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm Phi 4 Mini Reasoning's training data extends to 2025-02-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B's cutoff date.
—
Feb 2025
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B and Phi 4 Mini Reasoning side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B vs Phi 4 Mini Reasoning.