How do AVI and 3GPcompare? Here's everything you need to know to choose the right format — and how to convert between them.
Audio Video Interleave
AVI is one of the oldest and most recognized video formats. While it has been largely superseded by MP4 and MKV, AVI files are still commonly found in legacy video libraries and older applications.
3rd Generation Partnership Project
3GP is a video format designed for 3G mobile phones. While modern smartphones use MP4, 3GP is still used in feature phones and developing markets where bandwidth and storage are limited.
| Specification | AVI | 3GP |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Audio Video Interleave | 3rd Generation Partnership Project |
| Extension | .avi | .3gp |
| MIME type | video/x-msvideo | video/3gpp |
| Category | Video | Video |
| Developer | Microsoft | 3rd Generation Partnership Project |
| Year introduced | 1992 | 2003 |
AVI and 3GP target different use cases. AVI is ideal for legacy video archives, while 3GP works best for feature phone video playback.
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