Phi-3 Mini 4k vs Qwen3.5-397B-A17B
Phi-3 Mini 4k (2024) and Qwen3.5-397B-A17B (2026) are frontier reasoning models from Microsoft Research and Alibaba. Phi-3 Mini 4k ships a 4k-token context window, while Qwen3.5-397B-A17B ships a 262k-token context window. On MMLU PRO, Qwen3.5-397B-A17B leads by 42.1 pts. On pricing, Phi-3 Mini 4k costs $0.05/1M input tokens versus $0.39/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, API access, capabilities, benchmarks, input and output token costs, and production fit for coding and agent workloads.
Phi-3 Mini 4k is ~680% cheaper at $0.05/1M; pay for Qwen3.5-397B-A17B only for reasoning depth.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Phi-3 Mini 4k | Qwen3.5-397B-A17B |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | provider-routed production | reasoning-heavy apps, multimodal apps, and tool-calling agents |
| Decision fit | Coding and Classification | Coding, RAG, and Agents |
| Context window | 4k | 262k |
| Cheapest output | $0.25/1M tokens | $2.34/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 4 tracked | 4 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 3 rows | MMLU PRO leader |
Decision tradeoffs
- Phi-3 Mini 4k has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $0.25/1M tokens.
- Local decision data tags Phi-3 Mini 4k for Coding and Classification.
- Qwen3.5-397B-A17B holds a shared-benchmark lead on MMLU PRO, ahead by 42.1 points.
- Qwen3.5-397B-A17B has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Qwen3.5-397B-A17B uniquely exposes Vision, Multimodal, and Reasoning in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Qwen3.5-397B-A17B for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
Phi-3 Mini 4k
$103
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Replicate API
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B
$897
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Estimated monthly gap: $795. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Phi-3 Mini 4k and Qwen3.5-397B-A17B; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is $2.09/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Qwen3.5-397B-A17B adds Vision, Multimodal, and Reasoning in local capability data.
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Qwen3.5-397B-A17B and Phi-3 Mini 4k; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Phi-3 Mini 4k is $2.09/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Vision, Multimodal, and Reasoning before moving production traffic.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2024-04-23 | 2026-02-16 |
| Context window | 4k | 262k |
| Parameters | 3.8B | 397B |
| Architecture | decoder only | MoE |
| License | MIT(OSI) | Apache 2.0(OSI) |
| Openness | Open source | Open source |
| Commercial use | Commercial use allowed | Commercial use allowed |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2023-10 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Phi-3 Mini 4k | Qwen3.5-397B-A17B |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.05/1M tokens | $0.39/1M tokens |
| Output price | $0.25/1M tokens | $2.34/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Phi-3 Mini 4k | Qwen3.5-397B-A17B |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | Yes |
| Multimodal | No | Yes |
| Reasoning | No | Yes |
| Function calling | No | Yes |
| Tool use | No | Yes |
| Structured outputs | No | Yes |
| Code execution | No | No |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
| Benchmark | Phi-3 Mini 4k | Qwen3.5-397B-A17B |
|---|---|---|
| MMLU PRO | 45.7 | 87.8 |
| Google-Proof Q&A | 40.9 | 89.3 |
| Instruction-Following Evaluation | 45.0 | 92.6 |
Deep dive
On shared benchmark coverage, MMLU PRO has Phi-3 Mini 4k at 45.7 and Qwen3.5-397B-A17B at 87.8, with Qwen3.5-397B-A17B ahead by 42.1 points; Google-Proof Q&A has Phi-3 Mini 4k at 40.9 and Qwen3.5-397B-A17B at 89.3, with Qwen3.5-397B-A17B ahead by 48.4 points; Instruction-Following Evaluation has Phi-3 Mini 4k at 45.0 and Qwen3.5-397B-A17B at 92.6, with Qwen3.5-397B-A17B ahead by 47.6 points. The largest visible gap is 48.4 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 vision: Qwen3.5-397B-A17B, multimodal input: Qwen3.5-397B-A17B, reasoning mode: Qwen3.5-397B-A17B, function calling: Qwen3.5-397B-A17B, tool use: Qwen3.5-397B-A17B, and structured outputs: Qwen3.5-397B-A17B. 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.
For cost, Phi-3 Mini 4k lists $0.05/1M input and $0.25/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider, while Qwen3.5-397B-A17B lists $0.39/1M input and $2.34/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Phi-3 Mini 4k lower by about $0.86 per million blended tokens. Availability is 4 providers versus 4, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Phi-3 Mini 4k when provider fit and lower input-token cost are central to the workload. Choose Qwen3.5-397B-A17B when reasoning depth and larger context windows 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, Phi-3 Mini 4k or Qwen3.5-397B-A17B?
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B supports 262k tokens, while Phi-3 Mini 4k supports 4k tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible.
Which is cheaper, Phi-3 Mini 4k or Qwen3.5-397B-A17B?
Phi-3 Mini 4k is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Phi-3 Mini 4k costs $0.05/1M input and $0.25/1M output tokens. Qwen3.5-397B-A17B costs $0.39/1M input and $2.34/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Phi-3 Mini 4k or Qwen3.5-397B-A17B open source?
Phi-3 Mini 4k is listed under MIT. Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is listed under Apache 2.0. 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, Phi-3 Mini 4k or Qwen3.5-397B-A17B?
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B 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. Use this as a quick comparison signal, then confirm the provider-specific limits before committing to production.
Which is better for multimodal input, Phi-3 Mini 4k or Qwen3.5-397B-A17B?
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B has the clearer documented multimodal input signal in this comparison. If multimodal input is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Where can I run Phi-3 Mini 4k and Qwen3.5-397B-A17B?
Phi-3 Mini 4k is available on Microsoft Foundry, NVIDIA NIM, Baseten API, and Replicate API. Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is available on OpenRouter, Together AI, Alibaba Cloud PAI-EAS, and Novita AI. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
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Last reviewed: 2026-06-04. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.