Gemma 4 12B IT vs Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B
Gemma 4 12B IT (2026) and Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B (2026) are frontier reasoning models from Google DeepMind and Microsoft Research. Gemma 4 12B IT ships a 256k-token context window, while Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B ships a not-yet-sourced context window. This comparison covers specs, pricing, API access, capabilities, benchmarks, input and output token costs, and production fit for coding and agent workloads.
Gemma 4 12B IT is safer overall; choose Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B when provider fit matters.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Gemma 4 12B IT | Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | reasoning-heavy apps, multimodal apps, and tool-calling agents | multimodal apps |
| Decision fit | Coding, RAG, and Agents | Vision |
| Context window | 256k | — |
| Cheapest output | - | - |
| Provider routes | 2 tracked | 0 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 rows | 0 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- Gemma 4 12B IT has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Gemma 4 12B IT has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Gemma 4 12B IT uniquely exposes Vision, Reasoning, and Function calling in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Gemma 4 12B IT for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
- Local decision data tags Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B for Vision.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
Gemma 4 12B IT
Unavailable
No complete token price in local provider data
Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B
Unavailable
No complete token price in local provider data
Cost delta unavailable until both models have sourced input and output token prices.
Switch friction
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Gemma 4 12B IT and Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Check replacement coverage for Vision, Reasoning, and Function calling before moving production traffic.
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B and Gemma 4 12B IT; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Gemma 4 12B IT adds Vision, Reasoning, and Function calling in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2026-06-03 | 2026-03-12 |
| Context window | 256k | — |
| Parameters | 11.9B | 15B |
| Architecture | encoder free unified multimodal | - |
| License | Apache 2.0 | Microsoft Research |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2025-01 | 2025-03 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Gemma 4 12B IT | Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | - | - |
| Output price | - | - |
| Providers | - |
Pricing not yet sourced for either model.
Capabilities
| Capability | Gemma 4 12B IT | Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Yes | No |
| Multimodal | Yes | Yes |
| Reasoning | Yes | No |
| Function calling | Yes | No |
| Tool use | Yes | No |
| Structured outputs | Yes | No |
| Code execution | No | No |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
No shared benchmark rows are currently sourced for this pair.
Deep dive
The capability footprint differs most on vision: Gemma 4 12B IT, reasoning mode: Gemma 4 12B IT, function calling: Gemma 4 12B IT, tool use: Gemma 4 12B IT, and structured outputs: Gemma 4 12B IT. Both models share multimodal input, so the practical split is not just feature count. Use those differences to decide whether the page is about raw model quality, agentic coding support, multimodal ingestion, or predictable structured API behavior.
Pricing coverage is uneven: Gemma 4 12B IT has no token price sourced yet and Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B has no token price sourced yet. Provider availability is 2 tracked routes versus 0. Treat unknown pricing as an integration gap, then verify the route you will actually call before estimating production spend.
Choose Gemma 4 12B IT when reasoning depth and broader provider choice are central to the workload. Choose Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B when provider fit are more important. For production, rerun your own prompts through the exact provider, region, and tool stack you plan to ship. This keeps the decision grounded in measurable tradeoffs instead of brand-level assumptions.
FAQ
Is Gemma 4 12B IT or Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B open source?
Gemma 4 12B IT is listed under Apache 2.0. Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B is listed under Microsoft Research. License labels affect whether you can self-host, redistribute weights, or rely only on hosted APIs, so confirm the upstream license before deployment.
Which is better for vision, Gemma 4 12B IT or Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B?
Gemma 4 12B IT has the clearer documented vision signal in this comparison. If vision is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Which is better for multimodal input, Gemma 4 12B IT or Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B?
Both Gemma 4 12B IT and Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B expose multimodal input. The better choice depends on benchmark fit, context budget, pricing, and whether your provider route exposes the same capability surface.
Which is better for reasoning mode, Gemma 4 12B IT or Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B?
Gemma 4 12B IT has the clearer documented reasoning mode signal in this comparison. If reasoning mode is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Which is better for function calling, Gemma 4 12B IT or Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B?
Gemma 4 12B IT has the clearer documented function calling signal in this comparison. If function calling is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Where can I run Gemma 4 12B IT and Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B?
Gemma 4 12B IT is available on Hugging Face Inference Endpoints and Kaggle Models. Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B is available on the tracked providers still being sourced. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-06-03. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.