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Tech · Texas Instruments · 2004

TI-89 Titanium

A computer algebra system in a 2004 body. Allowed on the SAT and AP Calculus, banned on the ACT.

Graphing calculators to buy used, by exam — #5

Overall

7.2

out of 10

Axis scores

Strongest on Durability (8.2), weakest on Ease of use (6.2), a 2.0-point spread. The 7.2 overall is the plain average of all 5 Tech axes, with no weighting.

TI-89 Titanium — axis scores out of 10Horizontal bar chart of editorial scores out of 10 across 5 axes. Bars run from a shared zero baseline; longer is better. TI-89 Titanium: Performance 8.0, Value 7.2, Durability 8.2, Ease of use 6.2, Design 6.2.PerformanceTI-89 Titanium — Performance 8.0 out of 108.0ValueTI-89 Titanium — Value 7.2 out of 107.2DurabilityTI-89 Titanium — Durability 8.2 out of 108.2Ease of useTI-89 Titanium — Ease of use 6.2 out of 106.2DesignTI-89 Titanium — Design 6.2 out of 106.2Editorial score out of 10 — higher is better
  • Performance — How well it does the core job
  • Value — What the same money buys elsewhere
  • Durability — Failure and fade reports past the one-year mark
  • Ease of use — Setup, daily operation, cleaning, maintenance
  • Design — Build quality and how it sits in a room

Specs

Display
Monochrome, 160×100
Power
4 AAA batteries plus a backup cell
Algebra
Computer algebra system (symbolic solve, derivatives, integrals)
Connectivity
Mini-USB and link port

As published by the manufacturer. We didn't measure these ourselves.

Is it for you

Buy it if

  • You're in college calculus, differential equations, or engineering and want symbolic answers you can check work against
  • Your exam is the SAT or AP Calculus, where CAS is allowed
  • You want a CAS that runs on AAA batteries

Skip it if

  • You're sitting the ACT, whose calculator policy prohibits it by name
  • You're an IB student, since the IB does not allow CAS calculators in its math exams

The TI-89 solves equations symbolically. Ask it to factor, differentiate, or integrate, and it returns an expression, not a decimal. That’s a real advantage on the exams that allow it, and the reason the ones that don’t allow it name it outright.

The keyboard is dense, with three shift layers and a few letters crammed onto the number keys. Students coming from a TI-84 lose a week relearning where things are.

Pre-Titanium TI-89 units from the late 1990s also show up on eBay. They have less memory and no USB port, linking only through TI’s older cable. “Titanium” is printed on the faceplate.

Last updated . The scoring method is on how we rank.