Model Comparison
Gemma 3n E4B Instructed vs Phi-4-multimodal-instructWhich is better in 2026?
Comparing Gemma 3n E4B Instructed and Phi-4-multimodal-instruct across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.
Verdict: Gemma 3n E4B Instructed vs Phi-4-multimodal-instruct — which is better?
Gemma 3n E4B Instructed (by Google) and Phi-4-multimodal-instruct (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.
On price, Phi-4-multimodal-instruct is roughly 400.0x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Phi-4-multimodal-instruct also accepts a larger context window (128,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose Gemma 3n E4B Instructed if…
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jun 2025
Choose Phi-4-multimodal-instruct if…
- cost matters — it's about 400.0x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 128,000 token context window
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Gemma 3n E4B Instructed and Phi-4-multimodal-instruct don't have any common benchmark datasets to compare. They may have been evaluated on different testing suites.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Gemma 3n E4B Instructed ($20.00/1M tokens) is 400.0x more expensive than Phi-4-multimodal-instruct ($0.05/1M tokens).
For output processing, Gemma 3n E4B Instructed ($40.00/1M tokens) is 400.0x more expensive than Phi-4-multimodal-instruct ($0.10/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Gemma 3n E4B Instructed is more expensive than Phi-4-multimodal-instruct.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
Gemma 3n E4B Instructed has 2.4B more parameters than Phi-4-multimodal-instruct, making it 42.9% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Phi-4-multimodal-instruct accepts 128,000 input tokens compared to Gemma 3n E4B Instructed's 32,000 tokens. Phi-4-multimodal-instruct can generate longer responses up to 128,000 tokens, while Gemma 3n E4B Instructed is limited to 32,000 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Both Gemma 3n E4B Instructed and Phi-4-multimodal-instruct support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Gemma 3n E4B Instructed
Phi-4-multimodal-instruct
License
Usage and distribution terms
Gemma 3n E4B Instructed is licensed under a proprietary license, while Phi-4-multimodal-instruct uses MIT.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Proprietary
Closed source
MIT
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Gemma 3n E4B Instructed was released on 2025-06-26, while Phi-4-multimodal-instruct was released on 2025-02-01.
Gemma 3n E4B Instructed is 5 months newer than Phi-4-multimodal-instruct.
Jun 26, 2025
11 months ago
4mo newerFeb 1, 2025
1.3 years ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Both models have the same knowledge cutoff date of 2024-06-01.
They should have similar awareness of historical events and information up to this date.
Jun 2024
Jun 2024
Provider Availability
Gemma 3n E4B Instructed is available from Together. Phi-4-multimodal-instruct is available from DeepInfra.
Gemma 3n E4B Instructed
Phi-4-multimodal-instruct
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
No standout differentiators in the data we have for this pair.
Detailed Comparison
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FAQ
Common questions about Gemma 3n E4B Instructed vs Phi-4-multimodal-instruct.