Model Comparison

Grok-1.5 vs Phi 4 MiniWhich is better in 2026?

Grok-1.5 has a slight edge in benchmark performance.

Verdict: Grok-1.5 vs Phi 4 Mini — which is better?

Grok-1.5 (by xAI) 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.

Grok-1.5 outperforms in 3 benchmarks (GPQA, GSM8k, MMLU), while Phi 4 Mini is better at 2 benchmarks (MATH, MMLU-Pro). Grok-1.5 has a slight edge in benchmark performance.

Choose Grok-1.5 if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 3 of 5 shared benchmarks

Choose Phi 4 Mini if…

  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Feb 2025
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

5 benchmarks

Grok-1.5 outperforms in 3 benchmarks (GPQA, GSM8k, MMLU), while Phi 4 Mini is better at 2 benchmarks (MATH, MMLU-Pro).

Grok-1.5 has a slight edge in benchmark performance.

Sun Aug 02 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

License

Usage and distribution terms

Grok-1.5 is licensed under a proprietary license, while Phi 4 Mini uses MIT.

License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.

Grok-1.5

Proprietary

Closed source

Phi 4 Mini

MIT

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Grok-1.5 was released on 2024-03-28, while Phi 4 Mini was released on 2025-02-01.

Phi 4 Mini is 10 months newer than Grok-1.5.

Grok-1.5

Mar 28, 2024

2.3 years ago

Phi 4 Mini

Feb 1, 2025

1.5 years ago

10mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Phi 4 Mini has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-06-01, while Grok-1.5'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 Grok-1.5's cutoff date.

Grok-1.5

—

Phi 4 Mini

Jun 2024

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

xAI
Higher GPQA score (35.9% vs 25.2%)
Higher GSM8k score (90.0% vs 88.6%)
Higher MMLU score (81.3% vs 67.3%)
Microsoft
Has open weights
Higher MATH score (64.0% vs 50.6%)
Higher MMLU-Pro score (52.8% vs 51.0%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Grok-1.5 and Phi 4 Mini side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Grok-1.5
✓ Preferred
Phi 4 Mini
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
xAI
Grok-1.5
Microsoft
Phi 4 Mini

FAQ

Common questions about Grok-1.5 vs Phi 4 Mini.

Which is better, Grok-1.5 or Phi 4 Mini?

Grok-1.5 has a slight edge in benchmark performance. Grok-1.5 is made by xAI and Phi 4 Mini is made by Microsoft. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Grok-1.5 compare to Phi 4 Mini in benchmarks?

Grok-1.5 scores GSM8k: 90.0%, DocVQA: 85.6%, MMLU: 81.3%, HumanEval: 74.1%, MMMU: 53.6%. Phi 4 Mini scores GSM8k: 88.6%, ARC-C: 83.7%, BoolQ: 81.2%, OpenBookQA: 79.2%, PIQA: 77.6%.

What are the main differences between Grok-1.5 and Phi 4 Mini?

Key differences include licensing (Proprietary vs MIT). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Grok-1.5 and Phi 4 Mini?

Grok-1.5 is developed by xAI and Phi 4 Mini is developed by Microsoft.

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