# HP 48GX

12 Hacker News commenters recommended HP 48GX and 2 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 8 of 13 months. It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** People recommend it for RPN entry, solid engineering and long life, with owners still using units after 20 years. Critics report one unit died unexpectedly.

## Why people recommend it

- Long-lasting build and engineering (4 comments): "managed to outlast my Metakernel equipped, overly rubberized 49G" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47450491)) "the HP ones in particular had great engineering behind them" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49138856)) "bought a 48GX which I still have 20+ years later" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48380399))
- Preferred RPN calculator workflow (2 comments): "I absolutely love my HP48SX and HP48GX (I have both) and the RPN is what I like the most." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48377165)) "the best calculator is of course a RPN calculator, preferably a HP 48GX" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47983460))
- Preferred over newer HP models (2 comments): "the 48GX is IMO far superior in almost every way" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45890637)) "next level would be an HP 48 GX instead" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48916981))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [HP 48G](https://hackerapproved.com/p/hp-48g-calculator.md): 16 recommend
- [HP-11C calculator](https://hackerapproved.com/p/hp-11c-calculator.md): 7 recommend
- [HP 28S calculator](https://hackerapproved.com/p/hp-28s-calculator.md): 5 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=HP+48GX+calculator&tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "HP 48GX", https://hackerapproved.com/p/hp-48gx-calculator/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).