The HP 10bII+ calculator was recently released and is an update to the now venerable HP 10bII financial calculator. While the HP 10bII+ is classified as a financial calculator it’s certainly not limited in its uses to only business students and professionals. It has a robust set of statistical, algebraic and trigonometry functions built-in that will certainly provide enough functionality for non-science and engineering majors in college. Once you get into the heavy calculus and physics equations a more expensive and robust programmable calculator such as the HP 50g or TI 83 would be needed.
The HP 10bII+ takes everything that was great about the HP 10bII and then simply extends on the functionality. The cost of the 10bII+ is $29.99 via the HP Home and Home Office store right now, making it the same price as the original HP 10bII, so you’re now getting more features for the dollar with the improvements the 10bII+ has over the 10bII. Before we go over those improvements, here is a run down of the exact specs of the 10bII+:
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The HP 10bII+ offers two types of input, Algebraic and Chain Algebraic, that’s an improvement over just the Algebraic input offered by the 10bII. However, RPN (Reverse Polish Notation) input favored by some is not offered for all operations on the HP 10bII+, if you want that functionality you can look to the more expensive ($69.99) HP 12c calculator. I’m guessing that most people will be totally comfortable with the standard Algebraic input offered by the HP 10bII+ and indeed RPN will be foreign to many finance students, for a rundown of different types of calculator input you can read this article.
The number of built-in functions has increased from around 100 on the older 10bII to over 170 on the 10bII+, quite a jump! To get an idea of the available functions take a look at the handy diagram below:
Frankly, I find that the number of built-in functions makes the presentation on the key-pad rather busy and the learning curve for getting used to the calculator will probably be more steep for new users. However, once you get over that hump you’ll appreciate the extra functions you’ll have on the 10bII+ over the 10bII for such things as trigonometry, hyperbolics, permutations/combinations, depreciation, bonds, breakeven, algebraic hierarchy, random numbers, date calculations, and probability distribution. The use of the orange and blue color coding to switch key functions is effective, the arrows on the orange and blue function keys indicate to the user to look either above or below the button to find the functionality it will toggle on for a key. The most common financial and statistical functions of course have dedicated keys while the less common functions require the use of the blue or orange function key. Worth noting, the HP 10bII+ is the first calculator in its class to offer probability distribution functions, something that will come in handy for students taking introductory stats classes.
View of HP 10bII+ with sleeve |
 Back view of HP 10bII+ calculator |
The HP 10bII+ is made of plastic and has a metal finish around the screen at the top. The metallic finish at the top is a nice design touch and probably helps protect that screen area a bit more. The calculator feels very light in the hand, weighing just 3 ounces, but it does not feel cheap. While I can’t possibly test the long term durability of a calculator after only using it for a week, I’m confident based on the feel and sturdiness of the body it would survive the rigors of being carried around in a backpack for several years on a college campus. The calculator comes with a faux leather sleeve to help protect it when not in use, the HP 10bII+ fits snugly inside this case and makes sure your errant pens and pencils don’t scratch up the body and screen.
For those high school students wondering if the 10bII+ will be acceptable on the many standardized tests you have to take, here’s a list of the tests approving use of this calculator already:
- SAT
- PSAT/NMSQT
- College Board AP Tests
Overall, I find that the HP 10bII+ is a very strong and capable calculator for its class and may even make current owners of the older 10bII consider an upgrade. You get a lot more functions, more memory registers and more flexibility than what the HP 10bII offers. The HP 10bII+ is certainly going to be adequate for 75% of college students out there, those students that need graphing, calculus and programming functionality from a calculator will of course have to take the step up to something more robust and expensive. If you’re a business student though and now in the market for a new calculator, this is the one to get and I’m sure will be replacing the HP 10bII as the most popular calculator in finance classes on campuses across the country.
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Related Downloads
Below are links to the related guides for the HP 10bII+ in case you should lose the documents that come bundled with the calculator when you purchase. The user guide is very extensive while the quick start guide is a great way to hit the ground running and learn about the most frequently used features of the HP 10bII+:
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