Model comparison
Gemma 4 12B vs Gemma 4 E2B
Head-to-head evidence from 14 shared benchmark results across 6 categories. Overall scores shown here use the public BenchAlign v5 ranking lane.
Sibling matchup inside the Gemma 4 family.
Public leaderboard positions: Gemma 4 12B #137 (Estimated); Gemma 4 E2B #162 (Estimated). Intervals and evidence labels describe ranking uncertainty, not a guarantee for a specific workload.
Evidence parity. Gemma 4 12B and Gemma 4 E2B share 14 comparable benchmark results. 1 of 8 categories are comparable. 9 results are unique to Gemma 4 12B; 0 to Gemma 4 E2B.
Updated July 23, 2026- Shared results
- 14
- Gemma 4 12B only
- 9
- Gemma 4 E2B only
- 0
- Comparable categories
- 1 / 8
Gemma 4 12B makes more sense if knowledge is the priority or you need the larger 256K context window, while Gemma 4 E2B is the cleaner fit if its score, price, or context tradeoffs line up better with your workload.
Confidence note. This is a partial-evidence comparison with 14 shared benchmark results across 6 evidence categories; 1 of 8 categories currently have scoreable aggregates for both models. Treat the verdict as directional until coverage is more balanced.
Why this result
Gemma 4 12B and Gemma 4 E2B sit in the same Gemma 4 family. This page is less about two unrelated model lineages and more about how the siblings trade off on benchmark shape, token costs, and practical limits like context window.
Gemma 4 12B is clearly ahead on the BenchAlign aggregate, 47.29 to 41.82. The gap is large enough that you do not need to squint at the spreadsheet to see the difference.
Gemma 4 12B's sharpest advantage is in knowledge, where it averages 77.5 against 56.9. The single biggest benchmark swing on the page is GPQA, 78.8% to 43.4%.
Gemma 4 12B gives you the larger context window at 256K, compared with 128K for Gemma 4 E2B.
Category breakdown
Exact category averages are shown below. Not measured means BenchLM does not have enough sourced public coverage for that model and category.
| Category | Gemma 4 12B | Δ | Gemma 4 E2B |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knowledge | Gemma 4 12B77.5 | Margin← 20.6 | Gemma 4 E2B56.9 |
| Reasoning | Gemma 4 12B43.4 | MarginNo overlap | Gemma 4 E2BNot measured |
| Math | Gemma 4 12B77.5 | MarginNo overlap | Gemma 4 E2BNot measured |
| Multimodal | Gemma 4 12B69.1 | MarginNo overlap | Gemma 4 E2BNot measured |
Decisive benchmark drivers
The largest measured benchmark gaps in this matchup, with exact reported values.
More
- Source ↗
GPQA
KnowledgeA 78.8%B 43.4%Winner: Gemma 4 12BΔ 35.4GPQA: Gemma 4 12B scored 78.8%; Gemma 4 E2B scored 43.4%. Gemma 4 12B wins this benchmark. - Source ↗
MMLU-Pro
KnowledgeA 77.2%B 60%Winner: Gemma 4 12BΔ 17.2MMLU-Pro: Gemma 4 12B scored 77.2%; Gemma 4 E2B scored 60%. Gemma 4 12B wins this benchmark.
Operational comparison
Runtime and commercial metrics are compared only when both models have a complete sourced value.
| Metric | Gemma 4 12B | Gemma 4 E2B | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input / output priceUSD per 1M tokens | Gemma 4 12BNot available | Gemma 4 E2B$0 input / $0 output | A complete price comparison is not available. |
| Generation speedtokens per second | Gemma 4 12BNot available | Gemma 4 E2BNot available | A complete speed comparison is not available. |
| First-answer latencyseconds to first token | Gemma 4 12BNot available | Gemma 4 E2BNot available | A complete latency comparison is not available. |
| Context windowmaximum listed tokens | Gemma 4 12B256K | Gemma 4 E2B128K | Gemma 4 12B lists the larger context window. |
Benchmark Deep Dive
Agentic1 benchmarks
| Benchmark | Gemma 4 12B | Gemma 4 E2B | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| τ²-bench resultsSource | 36.3% | 20.8% | Gemma 4 12B leads |
Coding1 benchmarks
| Benchmark | Gemma 4 12B | Gemma 4 E2B | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA-SciCodeSource | 38.2% | 20.9% | Gemma 4 12B leads |
Reasoning4 benchmarks
KnowledgeGemma 4 12B wins11 benchmarks
| Benchmark | Gemma 4 12B | Gemma 4 E2B | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPQASource | 78.8% | 43.4% | Gemma 4 12B leads |
| GPQA-DSource | 78.8% | — | Not comparable |
| MMLU-ProSource | 77.2% | 60% | Gemma 4 12B leads |
| HLE w/o toolsSource | 5.2% | — | Not comparable |
| MMMLUSource | 83.4% | — | Not comparable |
| Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexSource | 22.0% | 9.3% | Gemma 4 12B leads |
| AA-GPQA DiamondSource | 75.3% | 37.5% | Gemma 4 12B leads |
| AA-HLESource | 14.8% | 4.8% | Gemma 4 12B leads |
| AA-Omniscience IndexSource | -51.9% | -24.0% | Gemma 4 E2B leads |
| AA-Omniscience AccuracySource | 16.0% | 6.7% | Gemma 4 12B leads |
| AA-Omniscience Hallucination RateSource | 80.8% | 32.9% | Gemma 4 E2B leads |
Math1 benchmarks
| Benchmark | Gemma 4 12B | Gemma 4 E2B | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIME26Source | 77.5% | — | Not comparable |
Multimodal4 benchmarks
Inst. Following1 benchmarks
| Benchmark | Gemma 4 12B | Gemma 4 E2B | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA-IFBenchSource | 73.5% | 35.1% | Gemma 4 12B leads |
Frequently Asked Questions (2)
Which is better, Gemma 4 12B or Gemma 4 E2B?
Gemma 4 12B and Gemma 4 E2B are sibling variants in the Gemma 4 family, so the right pick depends on whether you value the better benchmark line, cheaper tokens, or the larger context window. Gemma 4 12B is ahead on BenchLM's BenchAlign leaderboard 47.29 to 41.82.
Which is better for knowledge tasks, Gemma 4 12B or Gemma 4 E2B?
Gemma 4 12B has the edge for knowledge tasks in this comparison, averaging 77.5 versus 56.9. Inside this category, AA-Omniscience Hallucination Rate is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
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