Texas Instruments TI-Nspire CX II CAS Color Graphing Calculator with Student Software (PC/Mac)

I’m a math major in college and if you’re planning on going into any math-based field, this is the only calculator that’s a reasonable price and does EVERYTHING. My review for math people: I used this starting in calc ii. For calc ii, it does improper integrals, double integrals, indefinite integrals (the TI-84 doesn’t do indefinite or improper). Pretty sure it can do some infinite series and sequences (but I think only problems that don’t evaluate to a number?). In physics, I loved using an inspire because it will solve systems of equations (mainly useful for when I did kinematics). For calc iii this calculator will graph in 3D and you can plug and chug any formula. For diff eq, this calculator will solve them and systems of differential equations and it will give you exact answers, which most calculators won’t do. For linear algebra, there’s nothing better. It’s super easy to select matrix size and do literally anything. The UI on this model is nicer than the previous model, but other than that there’s no difference (I was using the previous model before getting this one). For non-math people: I’ve seen a lot of high schoolers (or high school parents) buying these. DON’T buy this calculator if you’re in high school. I pretty much guarantee you won’t be able to use it because it comes with CAS (computer algebra system). No teacher in their right mind would allow their math student to use one of these in class—it’s just cheating. If you want something that’s better than the TI-84 and have money to burn, get this without the CAS. Also, you won’t be able to use any TI-nspire on standardized tests with college board (except I think AP Stats?). You can use the one without CAS on the ACT, but not this one. If you are planning on doing college math (beyond calculus—this isn’t really useful until at least multi variable calculus), it might be worth the investment. There is a little bit of a learning curve, but Google will be your friend. It’s really not as complicated as it seems. I found it way more intuitive than the TI-84.

With the price point of new TI Graphing calculators being so close, from the standpoint of cost alone it makes sense to get one of these rather than a new TI-83 Plus, TI-84 Color, or TI-89 Titanium, since this calculator can do so much more than any of those other models. The user interface (in terms of buttons and what is on-screen) of the nspire series of calculators strays fairly drastically from the traditional TI graphing calculators, so if you are buying this calculator for school, you should plan to spend some time out of class getting used to how to do things on it. You dont want to be struggling through calculations when in a time crunch of a test, for example. I recommended this calculator for all serious math and engineering students. Im so glad I bought one.

You can use this on the SAT! It’s so nice, and it works really well! It can help you solve so many problems way easier, and overall it’s such a unique and cool calculator to just have! The touch pad blows peoples minds!

Took a while to learn the interface and all the features, but it is a great calculator and saved my life in calc. The notes feature is very helpful and the quality is great!

I am going back to school. From my previous college days, I was using a TI 82. This is much better. The screen is easier to see and it give answers in easy to use format instead of just giving a decimal answer. This has, however, caused me some issues on several math tests. If the majority of the problems you are working on will require a decimal answer, change the setting to approximate instead of exact. If you dont change that setting, you can still get a decimal answer by hitting [ctrl] [enter] instead of just [enter]. If you do hit [enter] then try to view the decimal answer by hitting [ctrl] [enter] be sure to check the screen to see what it calculated. Sometimes it repeats the last calculation on the formula you are using so instead of a numerator divided by a denominator it gives you the numerator divided by the denominator divided by the denominator. You just have to verify what it calculated. I am still trying to figure out the Documents feature but overall, I am extremely happy with this calculator. If there is a drawback with this unit, it is in the documentation. They could have provided more examples of how to use the features. I am using YouTube videos to cover what I still need to learn.

This thing is awesome. When calculating something like cos(pi/4), it automatically gives you sqrt2/2 instead of some long decimal. It also finds the derivative function rather than just the derivative at a point. Additionally, it will store an entire funtion, so you dont have to retype some long complicated funtion over and over, you can just hit (A), which the calculator knows is that function. These are things other calculators cant do. Some say that its hard to figure out, but its relatively easy to learn. I will note that a lot of this extra stuff is only with the CAS model of the nspire, so make sure you get that CAS version. Either way, this is a pretty awesome calculator. Plus, its approved for AP Calc tests!

Works perfect for our needs

This calculator has a million mathematical functions built in. Each day I learn a new feature that makes me appreciate this calculator more. It does factoring of polynomials, double and triple integrals all symbolic and numerical. No need for a separate financial calculator. This calculator has many financial functions built in. Also the built-in financial solver is beautiful. Overall, a great cal

This is the best calculator I ever purchased. The battery life is top-notch as I have used it for weeks on end without worrying about charging (keep in mind I dont use it everyday/ all day). The ability to learn how it functions is relatively easy. Operational videos on 3rd party sites will definitely provide you with the necessary insight. Lastly, the interface is okay as it can be overwhelming for someone new to the TI Calculator series.

The TI-Nspire CX II CAS is a fast and powerful calculator with a CAS that, like the TI-89 Titanium, is fully integrated into the Scratchpad and Calculator app. Aside from CAS-specific functions, the user interface and menu trees are nearly identical to the TI-Nspire CX II. See my review of that model for more information.