Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B vs Phi-4 Mini Reasoning
Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B (2026) and Phi-4 Mini Reasoning (2026) are frontier reasoning models from NVIDIA AI and Microsoft Research. Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B ships a 1.05m-token context window, while Phi-4 Mini Reasoning ships a 128k-token context window. On Google-Proof Q&A, Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B leads by 28 pts. This comparison covers specs, pricing, API access, capabilities, benchmarks, input and output token costs, and production fit for coding and agent workloads.
Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B fits 8x more tokens; pick it for long-context work and Phi-4 Mini Reasoning for tighter calls.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B | Phi-4 Mini Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | long-context analysis and provider-routed production | reasoning-heavy apps |
| Decision fit | RAG, Long context, and Classification | Long context |
| Context window | 1.05m | 128k |
| Cheapest output | $0.45/1M tokens | - |
| Provider routes | 6 tracked | 0 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | Google-Proof Q&A leader | 1 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B leads the largest shared benchmark signal on Google-Proof Q&A by 28 points.
- Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B uniquely exposes Structured outputs in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B for RAG, Long context, and Classification.
- Phi-4 Mini Reasoning uniquely exposes Reasoning in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Phi-4 Mini Reasoning for Long context.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B
$185
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Phi-4 Mini Reasoning
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 Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B and Phi-4 Mini Reasoning; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Check replacement coverage for Structured outputs before moving production traffic.
- Phi-4 Mini Reasoning adds Reasoning in local capability data.
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Phi-4 Mini Reasoning and Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Check replacement coverage for Reasoning before moving production traffic.
- Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B adds Structured outputs in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2026-03-11 | 2026-05-16 |
| Context window | 1.05m | 128k |
| Parameters | 120B | 3.8B |
| Architecture | decoder only | - |
| License | Unknown | Proprietary |
| Knowledge cutoff | - | 2025-02 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B | Phi-4 Mini Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.09/1M tokens | - |
| Output price | $0.45/1M tokens | - |
| Providers | - |
Capabilities
| Capability | Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B | Phi-4 Mini Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | No |
| Multimodal | No | No |
| Reasoning | No | Yes |
| Function calling | No | No |
| Tool use | No | No |
| Structured outputs | Yes | No |
| Code execution | No | No |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
| Benchmark | Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B | Phi-4 Mini Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Google-Proof Q&A | 80.0 | 52.0 |
Deep dive
On shared benchmark coverage, Google-Proof Q&A has Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B at 80 and Phi-4 Mini Reasoning at 52, with Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B ahead by 28 points. The largest visible gap is 28 points on Google-Proof Q&A, 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 differs most on reasoning mode: Phi-4 Mini Reasoning and structured outputs: Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B. Both models share the core language-model surface, 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: Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B has $0.09/1M input tokens and Phi-4 Mini Reasoning has no token price sourced yet. Provider availability is 6 tracked routes versus 0. Treat unknown pricing as an integration gap, then verify the route you will actually call before estimating production spend.
Choose Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B when long-context analysis, larger context windows, and broader provider choice are central to the workload. Choose Phi-4 Mini Reasoning when reasoning depth 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, Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B or Phi-4 Mini Reasoning?
Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B supports 1.05m tokens, while Phi-4 Mini Reasoning supports 128k tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible.
Is Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B or Phi-4 Mini Reasoning open source?
Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B is listed under Unknown. Phi-4 Mini Reasoning is listed under Proprietary. 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 reasoning mode, Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B or Phi-4 Mini Reasoning?
Phi-4 Mini Reasoning 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 structured outputs, Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B or Phi-4 Mini Reasoning?
Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B has the clearer documented structured outputs signal in this comparison. If structured outputs is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Where can I run Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B and Phi-4 Mini Reasoning?
Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B is available on Cloudflare Workers AI, DeepInfra, NVIDIA NIM, OpenRouter, and Fireworks AI. Phi-4 Mini Reasoning is available on the tracked providers still being sourced. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
When should I pick Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B over Phi-4 Mini Reasoning?
Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B fits 8x more tokens; pick it for long-context work and Phi-4 Mini Reasoning for tighter calls. If your workload also depends on long-context analysis, start with Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B; if it depends on reasoning depth, run the same evaluation with Phi-4 Mini Reasoning.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-06-01. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.