HP Prime - video review and initial impressions

HP Prime is Hewlett Packard's most recent (as of Sept. 2013) graphing calculator. It sports a backlit, color touchscreen; a li-ion rechargeable battery; USB Micro A port; and super-fast graphing. I have only had the calculator for a day, and in this video I share the few cool things I have figured out about the calculator. I will do a full review with comparisons to other comparable graphing calculators once I figure out more about the HP Prime.

[@rs1n]

Regarding the bug fixing on the Prime -- the developers are actually very active in many user forums and have been very receptive to users' requests, comments, criticisms, etc. I am confident that they are continuing to provide new features, bug fixes, and maintain their new calculator.

[@rs1n]

Feel free to suggest topics for future videos. :-)

[@christophersmith2165]

I have had an HP 20 S scientific calculator for many years and just love it. I just bought an HP Prime recently and it is great too. One of the features about HP that sold me completely is the firmness and precision of the keys. There is no slop. Some calculators have their keys wiggle around in the slots. They just feel so crudely made. But the HPs are brilliant. It is a little different to my HP 20s but I will get used to that. The only thing I don't like about it is the slide on cover. I prefer the vinyl cover of the HP 20s. Only a minor issue though.

[@C_L_Thomas]

Hey - I just wanted to say thanks for the videos. I just got my HP Prime today. I love your videos and I hope you do a LOT more - because I can learn a lot more from watching your videos than from reading a 549 page .pdf of a User's Guide. Keep up the good work!

[@rickideemus]

Very cool. And it looks like it'll be very easy to upgrade the Prime. I watched the Q&A video from the 2013 HHC meeting. Fascinating!

[@edoardosaccani9542]

Great review, thank you very much sir!

[@imagine9033]

Thanks a lot! Great review! Helps a lot to make up my mind.

[@rs1n]

In CAS mode, the introduction of any decimal value is considered as an explicit switch into approximation mode. If you type 5pi/2 instead of 2.5pi, then you will get the exact value. Another option is to use the [a b/c] key (switches between approx. and exact). In the home view, the result is not exactly 0 due to roundoff in the value of pi.

[@Clavote]

Thanks very much for you reply, I appreciate it as well as the great videos.

[@mjlorton]

Thanks for posting.

[@kelwinstorek8000]

Great graphic calculator

[@mcmh9523]

This calculator looks so better than my TI-Nspire CX II CAS. It looks much more high quality, and provides some really useful built-in programs. Of course the TI can do the same with the help of third-party apps, but I'd rather press a button than to spend an hour in some obscure forum looking for an app with the function I want. And the built-in trackpad on my calculator is kinda wonky.

[@thema1998]

Today was the *6* year anniversary of when you uploaded this video. 🤓 EDIT- 11:26 P.M.: *finishes video 24 minutes later* The HP Prime looks nice but my high school would've allowed me to get one.

[@rs1n]

And thank you for the comment!

[@YumiV]

This is so cool

[@rs1n]

Not that I am aware of -- there is still a lot about this calculator that I am not familiar with and am still learning, though.

[@ivanchavez4036]

hey how do change the screen color because mine came with the the screen back

[@NipkowDisk]

I was looking at these earlier today and pondering the thought of getting one; unfortunately, it appears that NONE of my legacy HP48SX/GX/50G RPL programs will run on it. That stinks something fierce as I've written a ton of programs for them in the 24-plus years since I got my first RPN calculator, the 48SX...

[@rs1n]

They can currently be purchased at many online outlets (Amazon.com for example -- although you may find better prices elsewhere). Some users have mentioned that Office Depot has started to carry them now as well.

[@MrWaalkman]

You can still get them in 2023 over at Amazon. Be sure to do your research and order the (cheaper) "G2" (part# 2AP18AA) instead of the older "G1".

[@jo0o0oke3e3er]

i have the same calculator but i have seen that for the differential equation you cannot insert the initial condition, and many time the solution is not comprensible, i mean that the solution is not compact... i have also choose the option "maximum semplification" but doesnt change anything. same problem with the differential equation (derivate) you know something about that? thx

[@natez831]

How do you convert feet to metic etc?

[@thackythac]

How do you have it calculate a min or max in graph mode? The nspires can do it, the classpads can do it and I cant figure out how to do it on this.

[@cadmiumbop]

bruuh when I realised the calculator was touch screen 4:10

[@TizedesCsaba]

I have started to use HP calculators since 17 year before and I think that the Prime is a toy. But when you show the program editor I feel I must to grab one of this. Is it not so plastic-feel? In the beginning of your video when you put it on the desk the sound too "plastic-like". The key clicks are the physical sound or beeper? The keyboard colouring not so sharp like on earlier calcs - it is not so confusing?!

[@tudorsor91]

Hi, the HP Prime has the function "step-by-step solution"? thanks in advance :)

[@stefos6431]

RSN... I'm wanting to buy an HP prime but was told to get the most recent build firmware wise and hardware wise...Where can I get the most recent version of both? Thank you, Stefos

[@Jenab7]

If you buy an HP Prime with ROM for a language other than English, can you make the screen labels display in English anyway? I mistakenly bought an #ABM (Spanish) version, and I'd like to make it show English on the screen.

[@MiserableBullsFan]

Hey does anybody know how I can do ipart( on the hp prime I know how I can do it on my ti 84 but no clue on the hp prime.. Much appreciated for any help!

[@rs1n]

integer part? use IP()

[@oracleofottawa]

Cheaper than most all math software...and when you are a professional and you are all over an HP advanced calculator, it really impresses the boss and the clients! Of course lesser competition will be less than impressed.

[@definitelynotch0122]

where can you get this one???

[@edwalkcow8214]

can u pinch zoom on this?? hp says u can

[@DAREALPLUG999]

Hello man , I have the same calculator as you but in mine in the option CAS I don’t have the calculate part . How can I have it ?

[@rickideemus]

Wow! I guess I'll have to get one. You say there's no beeping feature. Do you mean to say there's no sound function at all in the calculator? No speaker?? Also, could you tell me the largest factorial it can do in exact mode, and how long it takes? For example, I think on the HP 50g it takes some 20 seconds to get ALL digits of 1000! Suppose you wanted the square root of 2 to 5,000 digits. Any way to do that without a massive programming effort? Thanks again for posting.

[@Clavote]

Hello, thanks for the very informative videos, I have found them very helpful. I've had my HP prime for about a month and your videos have been very helpful. I do have one problem I am hoping you can help me with, my prime calculator returns an unexpected error when calculating 3sin(pi2.5-pi/2). Instead of 0 I get a very small number. Moreover, the same equation returns another result in the CAS mode. I have reset the calculator and am doing the work in radian mode. Any help is appreciated. Thx

[@tehcooler]

In home mode it´s aproximetly 1.24e-12 but in CAS mode it results -6.46e-14.

[@stardaggerrihannsu2363]

What does "write on paper" mean?

[@hauhua94]

I really like this calculator, but I have a concern about the graphing function, it doesn't have 3D graphing like the TI Nspire CX CAS, isn't it?

[@rs1n]

There is no speaker of any sort -- so no sound function at all. The largest factorial is 946! as far as I can tell. Through a user-created program which simply does p:=p*j; where j is looped from 1 to 946, the result appears instantly! (There is some odd behavior with the built-in ! however, though I imagine this will be fixed in the next update.) I have not tested the square root of 2 to 5,000 digits -- a special program/library would be need to support "infinite" precision floating values.

[@tiagosousa807]

is there any cax calculator with internet access?

[@rs1n]

+Tiago Sousa I assume you meant to type "CAS" -- but the answer is "highly unlikely" since most typical calculators are designed so that they may be used in standardized tests (e.g. AP exams, SAT, etc.) and this usually precludes wifi (in the everyday sense; the Prime for example has its own specialized wifi that does not connect to the internet).

[@sliderulelover]

I want to see a video showing the HP Prime analyzing a graph. For instance, finding the area under the curve, or the area between 2 curves. You know, like any other graphing calculator does. How about it finding the arc length between two points on the graph. How about doing what all other graphing calculators can do.

[@SignatureCha0s]

The CPU should have been a 1 GHz dual core one along with 512 mb of RAM.

[@CopperheadSysop]

The only issue is power consumption and then it would be overkill, wouldn't it?

[@adafrost6276]

The CPU is already downclocked as it is on the Prime and a lot of RAM isn't necessary. Raw processing is what you need for a single task calculating machine.

[@frederickschulze8014]

You are thinking computers....this is a calculator. The HP Prime already has a super fast processor for a calculator (0.266/0.4 ghz).

[@rickideemus]

Aw. Not quite as good as Maxima (free PCprog) then. But there's something about the UI on this one. The CAS/approx toggle is working for me. Disappointed about the sound. I wrote a machine language program way back in '83 for a pocket computer that was only supposed to beep. Had it doing the piccolo part from the Star Spangled Banner. Knocked people out. ;-D hp 50g will have to come down in price because of this. I'm afraid they'll drag their feet on bug fixes for the Prime on account of that.

[@jg97873]

Could someone please tell me what exactly the "Integer" option in Home Settings does? You can select between bases, but i don't understand what it does to the calculations

[@abodalashkar5686]

it got faster with the update

[@wimmaes7445]

I use the android app of this calculator 1/9*9 = 0.99999999999 ??

[@rs1n]

There are two modes: CAS and non-CAS (Home). The CAS view allows you to work with exact values whereas the non-CAS (Home) view will truncate and/or round off numerical values. Try the same calculation in CAS view and you will get exactly 1 as your answer.

[@DeltaAccel]

If I ever got this I'd hold it on to my death

[@IO23777]

Its a lovely piece of kit to be sure - But why wouldn't the engineer (for who else would need one?) not take a Laptop or a tablet device to the job rather than invest in this?

[@austininflorida]

You can't use those for tests, and this is a bit more portable. In fact, engineers and scientists often do use software instead of these calculators.

[@jfresh2054]

+austininflorida it depends, my professor allows it. some do some don't

[@barneyr.471]

+Josh H I think Austin means standardised testing in which computers are banned.

[@delphinalbatros6149]

Hi !I´m Bleuette,girl from Germany ,and I am a pupil. First thank`s a lot for all your very nice videos! One of my passions: I´m crazy about calculators and I don´t want missing that. I´ve got Casio fx-Cg 20 and Class Pad two fx-CP 400 and TI-Nspire CX Cas.Now I´m eager to get HP Prime. But in German Forum people having HP prime got very angry about it `cause founding so many bugs in it and complicated to handle it.. e.g. :not intuitiv..second funktion every time when using a very often operation. So please master, what´s matter with this newcomer HP Prime in your opinion?. How is Hp Prime going on comparing with Casio Class Pad 400 or fx-CG 20. If you have one!?And how do you like TI-Nspire CX CAS. comparing.! If You have one? I feel the pressing need to get it..if money comes! Do you recommend HP Prime in this version? Or better waiting till Hp has switched off all bugs? Dear "rs1n" I would be very very happy to get a answer from you, `cauce you are competend and I trust YOU! Herzallerliebst! deine Bleuette

[@rs1n]

If you really enjoy calculators, then I think that the HP Prime would be a great calculator to have. The first firmware release has fixed many issues, and the developers are constantly interacting with users to get feedback and suggestions. If you like programming, then the HP Prime provides an extremely fast programming environment. In comparison with the Nspire, I find that the touchscreen on the HP Prime much easier to use than the touchpad on the Nspire (which is very unresponsive). I think the Prime's graphing ability outshines the Nspire. Even a user-created 3D graphing program on the HP Prime makes a more appealing 3D graph. As for the complaints that you may have heard from the German forums -- the HP Prime has two different operating modes (CAS and non-CAS) and sometimes it can be cumbersome switching between the two (or trying to get them to work together). I believe their are plans to make the interaction between the two much more seamless. I originally had a hard time adjusting because I had very different expectations; now, it's not an issue anymore after having spent some time with the calculator.

[@TimmieTennis]

Will this thing do my taxes?

[@pcuimac]

I have a MAcBook Pro with Mathematica 8. Why would anyone buy of these calcs these days? Would it not be better to build a decent app for iPad? btw.there are hp49 and 50 emulators. Maybe HP should stop building their own hardware? But I can still feel the fascination of these calcs. ;)

[@rs1n]

I'm sure your MacBook Pro with Mathematica is a wonderful computing platform. (I, too, have the same setup.) However, how many exams have you taken that allows you to bring in your own laptop? Even if one had a mini-tablet, it would likely not be as good due to the lack physical feedback on the button-presses. Sound-based button touch would be a distraction in an exam setting. And since all such tablets would likely come with wifi, that's another issue that calculators do not have to deal with. So yeah, calculators are pretty much here to stay as they are much cheaper than comparable alternatives and can be used in classroom settings.

[@Glosz1]

Because... we can't bring in MacBooks and iPads into exams and iPad App Scientific Calculators aren't as advanced as the real calculators. They don't have full functionality.

[@CopperheadSysop]

And you can't put your lappy in the pocket

[@pcuimac]

Iñigo No need to hit me with more comments! I already converted. I used the 2013 winter solstice special offer and got one for 103,35- €. It´s an impressive machine. :) But it would have been more convenient to make an HP iPad APP out of it. Maybe in the near future.

[@simonecerica9126]

pcuimac The cas of Prime is Xcas and there are versions for Mac iPad iPhone: www-fourier.ujf-grenoble.fr/~parisse/giac.html pocketcas.com/ github.com/xcaspad/ios_xcaspad

[@IExSet]

HP done fake TI Nspire againts all HP traditions, and have not released any SDK for it. Piece of crap against HP 50g.

[@dhruvanaidu9738]

bruh u need to be nspired

[@johnbatchler8551]

Not impressed with hp prime quality stank