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Comparison · 2 models · Updated Nov 2, 2026

ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B vs Phi-4-mini

Too close to call on our weighted score (ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B 57, Phi-4-mini 56). The right pick depends on what you value most.

  1. Baidu

    ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B

    Released Jun 30, 2025

    57/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$0.07 / $0.28
    • Context131K
    Full specs Remove ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B

  2. Microsoft

    Phi-4-mini

    Released Feb 26, 2025

    56/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$0.075 / $0.30
    • Context128K
    Full specs Remove Phi-4-mini

  3. Add a model

    Make it a three-way comparison.

01 — Verdict

Too close to call

It is close. Our weighted score puts them within a point (ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B 57/100, Phi-4-mini 56/100), so choose by what matters most for your work: ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B on price and ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B for long inputs. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.

  • CapabilityNot enough dataNo independent benchmark covers every model here yet
  • Lowest priceERNIE 4.5 21B A3BERNIE 4.5 21B A3B $0.122 · Phi-4-mini $0.131 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
  • Longest contextERNIE 4.5 21B A3BERNIE 4.5 21B A3B 131,072 · Phi-4-mini 128,000 tokens
  • Widest inputsSame inputsERNIE 4.5 21B A3B: Text · Phi-4-mini: Text
  • Self-hostingAll open weightsEvery model here can be downloaded and run on your own hardware
How the score is built
MeasureWeightERNIE 4.5 21B A3BPhi-4-mini
Price50%8988
Inputs & features30%2525
Context window20%2524
Overall100%57/10056/100

Left out because at least one model lacks the data: capability. The remaining weights were rescaled.

02 — Side by side

Every spec in one table

Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.

ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B vs Phi-4-mini specifications side by side
SpecificationERNIE 4.5 21B A3BBaiduPhi-4-miniMicrosoft
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)——
ECI rank——
Price per million tokens
Input$0.07 (best)$0.075
Output$0.28 (best)$0.30
Cached input——
Blended (3:1)$0.122 (best)$0.131
Long-context rateSame rateSame rate
Price sourceMedian of 1 providersOfficial Azure API
Limits
Context window131,072 tokens (best)128,000 tokens
Max output8,000 tokens (best)4,096 tokens
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesNoNo
PDFsNoNo
AudioNoNo
VideoNoNo
ReasoningNoNo
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputNoNo
Availability
WeightsOpenApache-2.0Open
API model ID—phi-4-mini
API providers12 (best)
ReleasedJun 30, 2025Feb 26, 2025
Knowledge cutoff—Jun 2024
03 — Cost

What would a month cost?

Enter your expected volume in millions of tokens. List prices only; caching and batch discounts would lower these.

  • ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B$1.26
  • Phi-4-mini$1.35
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B or Phi-4-mini?

It is close. Our weighted score puts them within a point (ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B 57/100, Phi-4-mini 56/100), so choose by what matters most for your work: ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B on price and ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B for long inputs. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.

Which is cheaper, ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B or Phi-4-mini?

ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B is cheaper at $0.07 input / $0.28 output per million tokens (median across 1 API provider). Phi-4-mini costs $0.075 input / $0.30 output per million tokens (official Azure API price). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $0.122 per million tokens for ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B versus $0.131 for Phi-4-mini (1.1× as much).

Which scores higher on benchmarks?

There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B has not been scored yet and Phi-4-mini has not been scored yet.

Which is better for coding?

There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B and Phi-4-mini yet, so there is no like-for-like coding score. Test both on a sample of your own tasks. Both support tool calling for agent workflows.

Which has the bigger context window?

ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B has the largest context window at 131,072 tokens, against 128,000 for Phi-4-mini. Maximum output per response: ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B up to 8,000, Phi-4-mini up to 4,096 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B accepts text; Phi-4-mini accepts text. They handle the same number of input types.

Are any of these open source?

Yes, both publish their weights (Apache-2.0), so you can self-host them.

Which is newer?

ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B is the newest, released Jun 30, 2025. Phi-4-mini came out Feb 26, 2025. Knowledge cutoff: Phi-4-mini Jun 2024.

How do you decide the winner?

Each model gets a 0–100 score on capability (50%, independent benchmark results); price (25%, blended price per million tokens (3 input : 1 output), log scale); inputs & features (15%, image, PDF, audio and video input, tool calling, structured output and reasoning); context window (10%, maximum tokens per request, log scale). Dimensions missing for any model are dropped and the remaining weights rescaled, so every model is judged on the same evidence. Specs and prices come from public model listings and the labs’ own API pages; capability scores come from independent benchmark runs. Data updated Nov 2, 2026.

05 — Keep comparing

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