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Comparison · 3 models · Updated Nov 2, 2026

Gemma 3n E4B IT vs o3-deep-research vs ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B

o3-deep-research comes out ahead, 49 to 25 and 21 on our weighted score, though ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B is 129× cheaper per token.

  1. Google

    Gemma 3n E4B IT

    Released Jun 26, 2025

    21/100
    • ECI—
    • Price—
    • Context33K
  2. Our pick

    OpenAI

    o3-deep-research

    Released Jun 26, 2025

    49/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$9.00 / $36.00
    • Context200K
  3. Baidu

    ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B

    Released Jun 30, 2025

    25/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$0.07 / $0.28
    • Context131K
01 — Verdict

o3-deep-research is our pick

o3-deep-research is the better all-round choice, scoring 49/100 against ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B (25) and Gemma 3n E4B IT (21). It leads on inputs & features and context window. The score weighs inputs & features 60%, context window 40%. 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 · o3-deep-research $15.75 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend) · Gemma 3n E4B IT unpriced
  • Longest contexto3-deep-researcho3-deep-research 200,000 · ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B 131,072 · Gemma 3n E4B IT 32,768 tokens
  • Widest inputsGemma 3n E4B ITGemma 3n E4B IT: Text, Images, Audio · o3-deep-research: Text, Images · ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B: Text
  • Self-hostingGemma 3n E4B IT and ERNIE 4.5 21B A3BPublishes downloadable weights (Gemma Terms of Use and Apache-2.0)
How the score is built
MeasureWeightGemma 3n E4B ITo3-deep-researchERNIE 4.5 21B A3B
Inputs & features60%356025
Context window40%03225
Overall100%21/10049/10025/100

Left out because at least one model lacks the data: capability and price. 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.

Gemma 3n E4B IT vs o3-deep-research vs ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B specifications side by side
SpecificationGemma 3n E4B ITGoogleo3-deep-researchOpenAIERNIE 4.5 21B A3BBaidu
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)———
ECI rank———
Price per million tokens
Input—$9.00$0.07 (best)
Output—$36.00$0.28 (best)
Cached input———
Blended (3:1)—$15.75$0.122 (best)
Long-context rate—Same rateSame rate
Price source—Median of 1 providersMedian of 1 providers
Limits
Context window32,768 tokens200,000 tokens (best)131,072 tokens
Max output32,768 tokens100,000 tokens (best)8,000 tokens
Inputs and features
TextYesYesYes
ImagesYesYesNo
PDFsNoNoNo
AudioYesNoNo
VideoNoNoNo
ReasoningNoYesNo
Tool callingNoYesYes
Structured outputNoNoNo
Availability
WeightsOpenGemma Terms of UseProprietaryOpenApache-2.0
API model ID———
API providers—11
ReleasedJun 26, 2025Jun 26, 2025Jun 30, 2025
Knowledge cutoffJun 2024May 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.

  • Gemma 3n E4B IT—
  • o3-deep-research$162.00
  • ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B$1.26
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: Gemma 3n E4B IT, o3-deep-research or ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B?

o3-deep-research is the better all-round choice, scoring 49/100 against ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B (25) and Gemma 3n E4B IT (21). It leads on inputs & features and context window. The score weighs inputs & features 60%, context window 40%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.

Which is cheaper, Gemma 3n E4B IT, o3-deep-research or ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B?

ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B is cheaper at $0.07 input / $0.28 output per million tokens (median across 1 API provider). o3-deep-research costs $9.00 input / $36.00 output per million tokens (median across 1 API provider). 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 $15.75 for o3-deep-research (129× as much). Gemma 3n E4B IT has no published per-token price.

Which scores higher on benchmarks?

There is no independent benchmark that covers all three models yet. Gemma 3n E4B IT has not been scored yet, o3-deep-research has not been scored yet and ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B has not been scored yet.

Which is better for coding?

There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Gemma 3n E4B IT, o3-deep-research and ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B yet, so there is no like-for-like coding score. Test both on a sample of your own tasks. Note that Gemma 3n E4B IT does not support tool calling, which most coding agents need.

Which has the bigger context window?

o3-deep-research has the largest context window at 200,000 tokens, against 131,072 for ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B and 32,768 for Gemma 3n E4B IT. Maximum output per response: Gemma 3n E4B IT up to 32,768, o3-deep-research up to 100,000, ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B up to 8,000 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

Gemma 3n E4B IT accepts text, images and audio; o3-deep-research accepts text and images; ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B accepts text. Gemma 3n E4B IT handles the widest range of inputs.

Are any of these open source?

Gemma 3n E4B IT and ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B publishes its weights (Gemma Terms of Use and Apache-2.0) and can be self-hosted; o3-deep-research is proprietary.

Which is newer?

ERNIE 4.5 21B A3B is the newest, released Jun 30, 2025. Gemma 3n E4B IT came out Jun 26, 2025; o3-deep-research came out Jun 26, 2025. Knowledge cutoff: Gemma 3n E4B IT Jun 2024, o3-deep-research May 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.