Nova Lite 1.0 vs Phi 4
Nova Lite 1.0 leads Phi 4 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, 6.7 to 5.9, and Phi 4 costs 1.7x less per output token ($0.14 vs $0.24 per million). Updated October 21, 2026; 39 benchmarks have a result for both.
Nova Lite 1.0 or Phi 4: which to pick
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding.
Pick Nova Lite 1.0 for a larger context window (300K against 16K tokens) and work measured by LiveCodeBench (Artificial Analysis run) or Terminal-Bench Hard (Artificial Analysis run), where it leads.
- Shared results
- 39
- Nova Lite 1.0 only
- 2
- Phi 4 only
- 6
- Like-for-like categories
- 7 of 9
Only benchmarks that tested both models count toward a pick; a result only one model has is shown but not compared.
Which one for your work
Each card is decided by one number both models carry. Where only one has it, the card says so and makes no call.
Coding
Vibe Coding Index, six public coding benchmarks
No call
Neither has a coding score yet.
One side not measured
Intelligence
AA Intelligence Index
Nova Lite 1.0
Nova Lite 1.0 leads, 6.7 against 5.9.
Same board, both measured
Long documents
Listed context window
Nova Lite 1.0
Nova Lite 1.0 takes 300K tokens against 16K.
Listed by OpenRouter
Everyday cost
1K input + 500 output tokens
Phi 4
Nova Lite 1.0 $0.0002, Phi 4 $0.0001 per turn.
List prices
At a glance
- Coding index
- Nova Lite 1.0 not benchmarked, Phi 4 not benchmarked.
- Widest category
- Agentic work, 17.5 points apart on average over 1 shared benchmark.
- Widest single gap
- Long context reasoning (AA-LCR): Nova Lite 1.0 19.0% against Phi 4 0.0%, 19.0 points apart on a 0 to 100 scale.
- Output price
- Nova Lite 1.0 $0.24 against Phi 4 $0.14 per million output tokens, 1.7x apart.
- Context window
- Nova Lite 1.0 takes 300K tokens, Phi 4 16K.
Benchmark by benchmark
First the score: boards each model leads, per category, where both have a result. Then every board, a category to a fold; bars are each result on a 0 to 100 scale, so compare the two in a row, not one row with another.
| Category | Nova Lite 1.0 | Bars | Phi 4 | Ties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coding | 2 | 2 | ||
| Intelligence | 1 | 0 | ||
| Agentic work | 1 | 0 | ||
| Reasoning | 2 | 3 | ||
| Math | 0 | 4 | ||
| Knowledge | 3 | 3 | ||
| General | 15 | 3 | ||
| All shared boards | 24 | 15 |
CodingLike-for-likeSix of these boards feed the Vibe Coding Index22
| Benchmark | Nova Lite 1.0 | Phi 4 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| LiveCodeBench (Artificial Analysis run) | 16.7% | 23.1% | Phi 4 |
| Terminal-Bench Hard (Artificial Analysis run) | 0.8% | 3.8% | Phi 4 |
| LMArena Text: coding | 1239 | 1231 | Nova Lite 1.0 |
| LMArena Text: software and IT | 1241 | 1228 | Nova Lite 1.0 |
| Neither model has a result on the other 34 boards here | |||
IntelligenceLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index10
| Benchmark | Nova Lite 1.0 | Phi 4 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Intelligence Index | 6.7 | 5.9 | Nova Lite 1.0 |
| Epoch Capabilities Index | Not measured | 130.5 | Only Phi 4 measured |
Agentic workLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index10
| Benchmark | Nova Lite 1.0 | Phi 4 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| τ²-Bench Telecom | 17.5% | 0.0% | Nova Lite 1.0 |
| BALROG | Not measured | 11.6% | Only Phi 4 measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 37 boards here | |||
ReasoningLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index23
| Benchmark | Nova Lite 1.0 | Phi 4 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPQA Diamond (Artificial Analysis run) | 43.3% | 57.5% | Phi 4 |
| Humanity's Last Exam (Artificial Analysis run) | 4.3% | 3.8% | Nova Lite 1.0 |
| GPQA Diamond (Epoch AI run) | Not measured | 56.1% | Only Phi 4 measured |
| LMArena Text: hard prompts | 1220 | 1220 | Nova Lite 1.0 |
| LMArena Text: expert | 1201 | 1203 | Phi 4 |
| LMArena Text: hard prompts in English | 1226 | 1230 | Phi 4 |
| Neither model has a result on the other 15 boards here | |||
MathLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index04
| Benchmark | Nova Lite 1.0 | Phi 4 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Math Index | 7.0 | 18.0 | Phi 4 |
| AIME 2025 (Artificial Analysis run) | 7.0% | 18.0% | Phi 4 |
| OTIS Mock AIME | Not measured | 13.8% | Only Phi 4 measured |
| MATH level 5 | Not measured | 64.9% | Only Phi 4 measured |
| LMArena Text: math | 1227 | 1246 | Phi 4 |
| LMArena Text: mathematical work | 1235 | 1254 | Phi 4 |
| Neither model has a result on the other 7 boards here | |||
KnowledgeLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index33
| Benchmark | Nova Lite 1.0 | Phi 4 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| MMLU Pro (Artificial Analysis run) | 59.0% | 71.4% | Phi 4 |
| MMLU | 77.0% | 84.8% | Phi 4 |
| LMArena Text: science | 1232 | 1206 | Nova Lite 1.0 |
| LMArena Text: medicine and healthcare | 1213 | 1202 | Nova Lite 1.0 |
| LMArena Text: legal and government | 1238 | 1241 | Phi 4 |
| LMArena Text: business and finance | 1219 | 1199 | Nova Lite 1.0 |
| Neither model has a result on the other 11 boards here | |||
Web designNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Nova Lite 1.0 | Phi 4 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 9 boards here | |||
GeneralLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index153
| Benchmark | Nova Lite 1.0 | Phi 4 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| IFBench | 34.1% | 23.5% | Nova Lite 1.0 |
| Long context reasoning (AA-LCR) | 19.0% | 0.0% | Nova Lite 1.0 |
| Creative writing (Lech Mazur) | Not measured | 62.6% | Only Phi 4 measured |
| LMArena Text | 1229 | 1217 | Nova Lite 1.0 |
| LMArena Text: instruction following | 1205 | 1201 | Nova Lite 1.0 |
| LMArena Text: creative writing | 1197 | 1181 | Nova Lite 1.0 |
| LMArena Vision | 990 | Not measured | Only Nova Lite 1.0 measured |
| LMArena Text: English | 1243 | 1231 | Nova Lite 1.0 |
| LMArena Text: non-English | 1208 | 1197 | Nova Lite 1.0 |
| LMArena Text: Chinese | 1225 | 1212 | Nova Lite 1.0 |
| LMArena Text: German | 1229 | 1222 | Nova Lite 1.0 |
| LMArena Text: Japanese | 1153 | 1158 | Phi 4 |
| LMArena Text: Korean | 1153 | 1151 | Nova Lite 1.0 |
| LMArena Text: French | 1238 | 1224 | Nova Lite 1.0 |
| LMArena Text: Spanish | 1226 | 1234 | Phi 4 |
| LMArena Text: Russian | 1216 | 1209 | Nova Lite 1.0 |
| LMArena Text: multi-turn | 1199 | 1206 | Phi 4 |
| LMArena Text: longer queries | 1234 | 1217 | Nova Lite 1.0 |
| LMArena Text: writing and language | 1211 | 1198 | Nova Lite 1.0 |
| LMArena Text: entertainment and media | 1176 | 1162 | Nova Lite 1.0 |
| LMArena Vision: English | 999 | Not measured | Only Nova Lite 1.0 measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 25 boards here | |||
Image generationNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Nova Lite 1.0 | Phi 4 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 5 boards here | |||
What each workload costs
Three fixed token mixes at each model's listed price, so per-token rates become a bill.
Chat turn
1K input + 500 output tokens
Phi 4 costs less
Repository review
50K input + 3K output tokens
Nova Lite 1.0 costs less
Agent loop
200K input + 10K output tokens
Nova Lite 1.0 costs less
Listed OpenRouter rates, without cache or batch discounts. A workload that does not fit a model's context window would need splitting.
Specification differences
The leading value in a row is marked; a row with a missing value names no leader. Our two rows are marked in red.
| Specification | Amazon Nova Lite 1.0 | Microsoft Phi 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | Amazon | Microsoft |
| Weights | No public weights listed | Open weights |
| Released | December 5, 2024 | January 10, 2025 |
| Context window | 300K | 16K |
| Input $/Mtok | $0.06 | $0.07 |
| Output $/Mtok | $0.24 | $0.14 |
| Coding index | Not benchmarked | Not benchmarked |
| Independent measurements behind it | 0 | 0 |
| Cost per solved task | Not computable | Not computable |
| Source | OpenRouter listing | OpenRouter listing |
Questions
Is Nova Lite 1.0 better than Phi 4 for coding?
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding. Pick Nova Lite 1.0 for a larger context window (300K against 16K tokens) and work measured by LiveCodeBench (Artificial Analysis run) or Terminal-Bench Hard (Artificial Analysis run), where it leads.
Which is cheaper, Nova Lite 1.0 or Phi 4?
Nova Lite 1.0 costs $0.06 per million input tokens and $0.24 per million output tokens; Phi 4 costs $0.07 and $0.14. Cost per solved task is known for neither of them.
Which has the bigger context window, Nova Lite 1.0 or Phi 4?
Nova Lite 1.0, with 300K tokens against 16K.
How many benchmarks is the Nova Lite 1.0 vs Phi 4 comparison based on?
39 benchmarks have a result for both models as of October 21, 2026. Nova Lite 1.0's coding index rests on 0 independent benchmarks and Phi 4's on 0. Where only one model has a result, the page says so instead of naming a winner.