Mixtral 8x22B v0.1 vs Phi-3 Mini 128K
Mixtral 8x22B v0.1 (2024) and Phi-3 Mini 128K (2024) are compact production models from MistralAI and Microsoft Research. Mixtral 8x22B v0.1 ships a 64K-token context window, while Phi-3 Mini 128K ships a 128K-token context window. On Google-Proof Q&A, Mixtral 8x22B v0.1 leads by 9.3 pts. On pricing, Phi-3 Mini 128K costs $0.05/1M input tokens versus $0.3/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit.
Phi-3 Mini 128K is ~500% cheaper at $0.05/1M; pay for Mixtral 8x22B v0.1 only for provider fit.
Specs
| Released | 2024-04-17 | 2024-04-23 |
| Context window | 64K | 128K |
| Parameters | 8x22B | 3.8B |
| Architecture | mixture of experts | decoder only |
| License | Apache 2.0 | Open Source |
| Knowledge cutoff | - | - |
Pricing and availability
| Mixtral 8x22B v0.1 | Phi-3 Mini 128K | |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.3/1M tokens | $0.05/1M tokens |
| Output price | $0.9/1M tokens | $0.25/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Mixtral 8x22B v0.1 | Phi-3 Mini 128K | |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | ||
| Multimodal | ||
| Reasoning | ||
| Function calling | ||
| Tool use | ||
| Structured outputs | ||
| Code execution |
Benchmarks
| Benchmark | Mixtral 8x22B v0.1 | Phi-3 Mini 128K |
|---|---|---|
| Google-Proof Q&A | 60.1 | 50.8 |
| HumanEval | 86.2 | 75.9 |
| Massive Multitask Language Understanding | 84.5 | 76.5 |
| HellaSwag | 93.8 | 90.2 |
Deep dive
On shared benchmark coverage, Google-Proof Q&A has Mixtral 8x22B v0.1 at 60.1 and Phi-3 Mini 128K at 50.8, with Mixtral 8x22B v0.1 ahead by 9.3 points; HumanEval has Mixtral 8x22B v0.1 at 86.2 and Phi-3 Mini 128K at 75.9, with Mixtral 8x22B v0.1 ahead by 10.3 points; Massive Multitask Language Understanding has Mixtral 8x22B v0.1 at 84.5 and Phi-3 Mini 128K at 76.5, with Mixtral 8x22B v0.1 ahead by 8 points. The largest visible gap is 10.3 points on HumanEval, which matters most when that benchmark mirrors your workload. Treat isolated benchmark wins as directional, because provider routing, prompt style, and tool access can move real application results.
The capability footprint is close: both models cover the core production surface. That makes context budget, benchmark fit, and provider maturity more important than a simple checklist. If your application depends on one integration detail, verify it against the provider route you plan to use, not just the base model listing.
For cost, Mixtral 8x22B v0.1 lists $0.3/1M input and $0.9/1M output tokens, while Phi-3 Mini 128K lists $0.05/1M input and $0.25/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Phi-3 Mini 128K lower by about $0.37 per million blended tokens. Availability is 8 providers versus 5, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Mixtral 8x22B v0.1 when provider fit and broader provider choice are central to the workload. Choose Phi-3 Mini 128K when long-context analysis, larger context windows, and lower input-token cost are more important. For production, rerun your own prompts through the exact provider, region, and tool stack you plan to ship.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, Mixtral 8x22B v0.1 or Phi-3 Mini 128K?
Phi-3 Mini 128K supports 128K tokens, while Mixtral 8x22B v0.1 supports 64K tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible.
Which is cheaper, Mixtral 8x22B v0.1 or Phi-3 Mini 128K?
Phi-3 Mini 128K is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Mixtral 8x22B v0.1 costs $0.3/1M input and $0.9/1M output tokens. Phi-3 Mini 128K costs $0.05/1M input and $0.25/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Mixtral 8x22B v0.1 or Phi-3 Mini 128K open source?
Mixtral 8x22B v0.1 is listed under Apache 2.0. Phi-3 Mini 128K is listed under Open Source. License labels affect whether you can self-host, redistribute weights, or rely only on hosted APIs, so confirm the upstream license before deployment.
Where can I run Mixtral 8x22B v0.1 and Phi-3 Mini 128K?
Mixtral 8x22B v0.1 is available on NVIDIA NIM, OctoAI API, Fireworks AI, DeepInfra, and Baseten API. Phi-3 Mini 128K is available on NVIDIA NIM, Baseten API, Microsoft Foundry, Fireworks AI, and Replicate API. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
When should I pick Mixtral 8x22B v0.1 over Phi-3 Mini 128K?
Phi-3 Mini 128K is ~500% cheaper at $0.05/1M; pay for Mixtral 8x22B v0.1 only for provider fit. If your workload also depends on provider fit, start with Mixtral 8x22B v0.1; if it depends on long-context analysis, run the same evaluation with Phi-3 Mini 128K.
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Last reviewed: 2026-04-24. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.