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Tech · Texas Instruments · 2019

TI-Nspire CX II

Strongest non-CAS graphing calculator here, approved on the ACT. Make sure the listing isn't the CAS model.

Graphing calculators to buy used, by exam — #2

Overall

8.2

out of 10

Axis scores

Strongest on Performance (9.0), weakest on Value (7.6), a 1.4-point spread. The 8.2 overall is the plain average of all 5 Tech axes, with no weighting.

TI-Nspire CX II — 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-Nspire CX II: Performance 9.0, Value 7.6, Durability 8.2, Ease of use 7.6, Design 8.6.PerformanceTI-Nspire CX II — Performance 9.0 out of 109.0ValueTI-Nspire CX II — Value 7.6 out of 107.6DurabilityTI-Nspire CX II — Durability 8.2 out of 108.2Ease of useTI-Nspire CX II — Ease of use 7.6 out of 107.6DesignTI-Nspire CX II — Design 8.6 out of 108.6Editorial 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
Color, 320×240, backlit
Power
Rechargeable lithium-ion
Input
Touchpad plus full keyboard
Programming
TI-Basic, Lua, Python (OS 5.2 and later)
Exam mode
Press-to-Test

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

Is it for you

Buy it if

  • You are headed into calculus or engineering and want document-style work with graphs, tables, and notes linked together
  • You are sitting the ACT and want the most capable calculator it permits
  • Python is on the syllabus

Skip it if

  • Your teacher teaches on a TI-84, since the menus share almost nothing
  • The seller can't confirm whether it's the CX II or the CX II CAS

There are two calculators with nearly the same name. The CX II and the CX II CAS look almost identical, and only the CAS has symbolic algebra. That model is on the ACT’s prohibited list. The word “CAS” is printed above the screen. Check for it in the photo, not just the title.

The Nspire organizes work into documents with pages, closer to a notebook than to a calculator’s home screen. Students who settle into it rarely go back. Students whose teacher works on a TI-84 spend the year translating.

Press-to-Test leaves a blinking LED and locks out documents until it’s cleared from another Nspire or a computer. Ask the seller to reset the unit before shipping.

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