Model Comparison
DeepSeek-V3.2-Exp vs Phi 4 MiniWhich is better in 2026?
DeepSeek-V3.2-Exp significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Verdict: DeepSeek-V3.2-Exp vs Phi 4 Mini — which is better?
DeepSeek-V3.2-Exp (by DeepSeek) and Phi 4 Mini (by Microsoft) are two of the AI models people compare most. Here is how they stack up on benchmarks, price and capabilities, and which one to pick in 2026.
DeepSeek-V3.2-Exp outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MMLU-Pro), while Phi 4 Mini is better at 0 benchmarks. DeepSeek-V3.2-Exp significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Choose DeepSeek-V3.2-Exp if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 2 shared benchmarks
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Sep 2025
Choose Phi 4 Mini if…
- you are already invested in the Microsoft ecosystem
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
DeepSeek-V3.2-Exp outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MMLU-Pro), while Phi 4 Mini is better at 0 benchmarks.
DeepSeek-V3.2-Exp significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
DeepSeek-V3.2-Exp has 681.2B more parameters than Phi 4 Mini, making it 17738.5% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Only DeepSeek-V3.2-Exp specifies input context (163,840 tokens). Only DeepSeek-V3.2-Exp specifies output context (65,536 tokens).
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-V3.2-Exp was released on 2025-09-29, while Phi 4 Mini was released on 2025-02-01.
DeepSeek-V3.2-Exp is 8 months newer than Phi 4 Mini.
Sep 29, 2025
9 months ago
8mo newerFeb 1, 2025
1.4 years ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Phi 4 Mini has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-06-01, while DeepSeek-V3.2-Exp's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm Phi 4 Mini's training data extends to 2024-06-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without DeepSeek-V3.2-Exp's cutoff date.
—
Jun 2024
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
DeepSeek-V3.2-Exp
View detailsDeepSeek
Phi 4 Mini
View detailsMicrosoft
No standout differentiators in the data we have for this pair.
Detailed Comparison
Interactive Arena
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against DeepSeek-V3.2-Exp and Phi 4 Mini side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
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FAQ
Common questions about DeepSeek-V3.2-Exp vs Phi 4 Mini.