Model Comparison

Phi 4 vs Phi 4 MiniWhich is better in 2026?

Phi 4 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Verdict: Phi 4 vs Phi 4 Mini — which is better?

Phi 4 (by Microsoft) 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.

Phi 4 outperforms in 6 benchmarks (Arena Hard, GPQA, MATH, MGSM, MMLU, MMLU-Pro), while Phi 4 Mini is better at 0 benchmarks. Phi 4 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Choose Phi 4 if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 6 of 6 shared benchmarks

Choose Phi 4 Mini if…

  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Feb 2025

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

6 benchmarks

Phi 4 outperforms in 6 benchmarks (Arena Hard, GPQA, MATH, MGSM, MMLU, MMLU-Pro), while Phi 4 Mini is better at 0 benchmarks.

Phi 4 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Tue Jul 14 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

10.9B diff

Phi 4 has 10.9B more parameters than Phi 4 Mini, making it 282.8% larger.

Microsoft
Phi 4
14.7Bparameters
Microsoft
Phi 4 Mini
3.8Bparameters
14.7B
Phi 4
3.8B
Phi 4 Mini

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Only Phi 4 specifies input context (16,000 tokens). Only Phi 4 specifies output context (16,000 tokens).

Microsoft
Phi 4
Input16,000 tokens
Output16,000 tokens
Microsoft
Phi 4 Mini
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
Tue Jul 14 2026 • llm-stats.com

License

Usage and distribution terms

Both models are licensed under MIT.

Both models share the same licensing terms, providing consistent usage rights.

Phi 4

MIT

Open weights

Phi 4 Mini

MIT

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Phi 4 was released on 2024-12-12, while Phi 4 Mini was released on 2025-02-01.

Phi 4 Mini is 2 months newer than Phi 4.

Phi 4

Dec 12, 2024

1.6 years ago

Phi 4 Mini

Feb 1, 2025

1.4 years ago

1mo newer

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.

Phi 4

Jun 2024

Phi 4 Mini

Jun 2024

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Microsoft
Larger context window (16,000 tokens)
Higher Arena Hard score (75.4% vs 32.8%)
Higher GPQA score (56.1% vs 25.2%)
Higher MATH score (80.4% vs 64.0%)
Higher MGSM score (80.6% vs 63.9%)
Higher MMLU score (84.8% vs 67.3%)
Higher MMLU-Pro score (70.4% vs 52.8%)
Microsoft

No standout differentiators in the data we have for this pair.

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

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

Phi 4
✓ Preferred
Phi 4 Mini
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Microsoft
Phi 4
Microsoft
Phi 4 Mini

FAQ

Common questions about Phi 4 vs Phi 4 Mini.

Which is better, Phi 4 or Phi 4 Mini?

Phi 4 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Phi 4 is made by Microsoft 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 Phi 4 compare to Phi 4 Mini in benchmarks?

Phi 4 scores MMLU: 84.8%, HumanEval+: 82.8%, HumanEval: 82.6%, MGSM: 80.6%, MATH: 80.4%. Phi 4 Mini scores GSM8k: 88.6%, ARC-C: 83.7%, BoolQ: 81.2%, OpenBookQA: 79.2%, PIQA: 77.6%.

What are the context window sizes for Phi 4 and Phi 4 Mini?

Phi 4 supports 16K tokens and Phi 4 Mini supports an unknown number of tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

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