MiniCPM5-1B vs Qwen3.5 397B
Head-to-head comparison across 3benchmark categories. Overall scores shown here use BenchLM's provisional ranking lane.
Verdict
Qwen3.5 397B leads for most workloads.
Based on BenchLM composite scores, July 2026.
MiniCPM5-1B
36
Qwen3.5 397B
60
Verified leaderboard positions: MiniCPM5-1B unranked · Qwen3.5 397B #23
Pick Qwen3.5 397B if you want the stronger benchmark profile. MiniCPM5-1B only becomes the better choice if you need the larger 131K context window or you want the stronger reasoning-first profile.
Category Radar
Head-to-Head by Category
Category Breakdown
| Benchmark | MiniCPM5-1B | Δ | Qwen3.5 397B |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math | 33.1 | → 57.5 | 90.6 |
| Inst. Following | 58.5 | → 34.1 | 92.6 |
| Knowledge | 44.1 | → 12.8 | 56.9 |
| Agentic | — | — | 56.5 |
| Coding | — | — | 60.3 |
| Reasoning | — | — | 63.2 |
| Multilingual | — | — | 84.7 |
| Multimodal | — | — | 79.6 |
Operational Comparison
MiniCPM5-1B
Qwen3.5 397B
N/A
$0.6 / $3.6
N/A
96 t/s
N/A
2.44s
131K
128K
Quick Verdict
Pick Qwen3.5 397B if you want the stronger benchmark profile. MiniCPM5-1B only becomes the better choice if you need the larger 131K context window or you want the stronger reasoning-first profile.
Qwen3.5 397B is clearly ahead on the provisional aggregate, 60 to 36. The gap is large enough that you do not need to squint at the spreadsheet to see the difference.
Qwen3.5 397B's sharpest advantage is in mathematics, where it averages 90.6 against 33.1. The single biggest benchmark swing on the page is HMMT Feb 2026, 25.8% to 87.9%.
MiniCPM5-1B is the reasoning model in the pair, while Qwen3.5 397B is not. That usually helps on harder chain-of-thought-heavy tests, but it can also mean more latency and more token spend in real use. MiniCPM5-1B gives you the larger context window at 131K, compared with 128K for Qwen3.5 397B.
Benchmark Deep Dive
Frequently Asked Questions (4)
Which is better, MiniCPM5-1B or Qwen3.5 397B?
Qwen3.5 397B is ahead on BenchLM's provisional leaderboard, 60 to 36. The biggest single separator in this matchup is HMMT Feb 2026, where the scores are 25.8% and 87.9%.
Which is better for knowledge tasks, MiniCPM5-1B or Qwen3.5 397B?
Qwen3.5 397B has the edge for knowledge tasks in this comparison, averaging 56.9 versus 44.1. Inside this category, SuperGPQA is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
Which is better for math, MiniCPM5-1B or Qwen3.5 397B?
Qwen3.5 397B has the edge for math in this comparison, averaging 90.6 versus 33.1. Inside this category, HMMT Feb 2026 is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
Which is better for instruction following, MiniCPM5-1B or Qwen3.5 397B?
Qwen3.5 397B has the edge for instruction following in this comparison, averaging 92.6 versus 58.5. Inside this category, IFEval is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
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