# Phi 3 Mini 128k Instruct vs Step 2 16k Exp 202412

> Step 2 16k Exp 202412 is the stronger model overall, scoring 38.6 to 29.1 on the Noometry Index.

- Canonical page: https://noometry.com/compare/phi-3-mini-128k-instruct-vs-step-2-16k-exp-202412
- Last updated: 2026-10-10
- Shared benchmarks: 12

## Summary

- They share 12 benchmarks with published results for both. Phi 3 Mini 128k Instruct scores higher in 0 categories and Step 2 16k Exp 202412 in 8 categories; 8 gaps are clear of the uncertainty.
- The widest gap is in writing & preference, where Step 2 16k Exp 202412 leads 52.5 to 27.3.
- Phi 3 Mini 128k Instruct has downloadable open weights; the other is API-only.

## Snapshot

| | Phi 3 Mini 128k Instruct | Step 2 16k Exp 202412 |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Microsoft | StepFun |
| Noometry Index | 29.1 | 38.6 |
| Rank | 303 | 173 |
| Context | — | — |
| Input $/M | — | — |
| Output $/M | — | — |
| Weights | Open | Proprietary |

## Coding

- Phi 3 Mini 128k Instruct: 28.3 (#307)
- Step 2 16k Exp 202412: 37.9 (#170)

| Benchmark | Phi 3 Mini 128k Instruct | Step 2 16k Exp 202412 |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Coding | 1040 | 1316 |
| BigCodeBench Instruct | 29.6% | — |
| BigCodeBench Complete | 40.6% | — |

## Reasoning

- Phi 3 Mini 128k Instruct: 18.7 (#254)
- Step 2 16k Exp 202412: 24.8 (#140)

| Benchmark | Phi 3 Mini 128k Instruct | Step 2 16k Exp 202412 |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Hard Prompts | 1028 | 1299 |

## Math

- Phi 3 Mini 128k Instruct: 29.2 (#220)
- Step 2 16k Exp 202412: 33.6 (#171)

| Benchmark | Phi 3 Mini 128k Instruct | Step 2 16k Exp 202412 |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Math | 1089 | 1305 |

## Knowledge

- Phi 3 Mini 128k Instruct: 26.3 (#251)
- Step 2 16k Exp 202412: 34.6 (#187)

| Benchmark | Phi 3 Mini 128k Instruct | Step 2 16k Exp 202412 |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Expert | 984 | 1279 |

## Multilingual

- Phi 3 Mini 128k Instruct: 25.4 (#280)
- Step 2 16k Exp 202412: 43.9 (#176)

| Benchmark | Phi 3 Mini 128k Instruct | Step 2 16k Exp 202412 |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Non-English | 1000 | 1290 |
| LMArena Chinese | 1016 | 1331 |
| LMArena Russian | 1004 | 1324 |
| LMArena French | 1038 | — |
| LMArena German | 1006 | — |
| LMArena Japanese | 899 | — |
| LMArena Korean | 856 | — |
| LMArena Spanish | 1058 | — |

## Instruction Following

- Phi 3 Mini 128k Instruct: 52.1 (#289)
- Step 2 16k Exp 202412: 68.1 (#187)

| Benchmark | Phi 3 Mini 128k Instruct | Step 2 16k Exp 202412 |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Instruction Following | 1023 | 1287 |

## Long Context

- Phi 3 Mini 128k Instruct: 30.3 (#284)
- Step 2 16k Exp 202412: 39.7 (#165)

| Benchmark | Phi 3 Mini 128k Instruct | Step 2 16k Exp 202412 |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Longer Query | 996 | 1307 |

## Writing & Preference

- Phi 3 Mini 128k Instruct: 27.3 (#296)
- Step 2 16k Exp 202412: 52.5 (#168)

| Benchmark | Phi 3 Mini 128k Instruct | Step 2 16k Exp 202412 |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Text | 1050 | 1321 |
| LMArena Creative Writing | 1024 | 1328 |
| LMArena Multi-Turn | 989 | 1292 |

## FAQ

### Is Phi 3 Mini 128k Instruct better than Step 2 16k Exp 202412?

Step 2 16k Exp 202412 is the stronger model overall, scoring 38.6 to 29.1 on the Noometry Index.

### Is Phi 3 Mini 128k Instruct or Step 2 16k Exp 202412 better for coding?

Step 2 16k Exp 202412 scores higher on coding benchmarks: 37.9 versus 28.3 in the Noometry coding category.

### How many benchmarks do Phi 3 Mini 128k Instruct and Step 2 16k Exp 202412 share?

12 benchmarks have published results for both models. Phi 3 Mini 128k Instruct has 19 scored results on Noometry and Step 2 16k Exp 202412 has 12.