HP 48GX
Hacker ApprovedRanked 10 of 21 calculators by recommenders
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.
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.
14 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 12
- criticize it
- 2
- approval share
- 86%
Recommended in 8 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 12 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 6 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 8 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Long-lasting build and engineering
“managed to outlast my Metakernel equipped, overly rubberized 49G”
Comment from 20 Mar 2026 in “Drugwars for the TI-82/83/83 Calculators” “the HP ones in particular had great engineering behind them”
Comment from 1 Aug 2026 in “But can your calculator run Linux?” “bought a 48GX which I still have 20+ years later”
Comment from 3 Jun 2026 in “HP re-releases classic computer science calculator: The HP-16C” - Comment from 10 May 2026 in “Casio S100X Japanese Lacquer Edition (JP Page Only)”
Preferred RPN calculator workflow
“I absolutely love my HP48SX and HP48GX (I have both) and the RPN is what I like the most.”
Comment from 2 Jun 2026 in “HP re-releases classic computer science calculator: The HP-16C” “the best calculator is of course a RPN calculator, preferably a HP 48GX”
Comment from 2 May 2026 in “Ti-84 Evo” Preferred over newer HP models
“the 48GX is IMO far superior in almost every way”
Comment from 11 Nov 2025 in “The R47: A new physical RPN calculator” “next level would be an HP 48 GX instead”
Comment from 15 Jul 2026 in “Casio FX870P Emulator”
Other calculators people recommend
The four most recommended other calculators, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Instruments TI-84 Evo | 41 | 53 | 44% | 4 | 10 yrs7 owners | — |
| TI-89 calculator | 31 | 8 | 79% | 8 | 28 yrs4 owners | Approved |
| HP 15C | 24 | 6 | 80% | 5 | 41 yrs5 owners | Approved |
| TI-83 Plus | 21 | 8 | 72% | 6 | 30 yrs3 owners | Approved |
| HP 48GXThis page | 12 | 2 | 86% | 8 | — | Approved |
What people said
14 of the 16 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“the HP ones in particular had great engineering behind them”
“next level would be an HP 48 GX instead”
“which died a mysterious death”
“bought a 48GX which I still have 20+ years later”
“I absolutely love my HP48SX and HP48GX (I have both) and the RPN is what I like the most.”
“I do still have a mint HP48GX but never use it for the same reason.”
“had amazing feel that lasted forever”
“the best calculator is of course a RPN calculator, preferably a HP 48GX”
“managed to outlast my Metakernel equipped, overly rubberized 49G”
“Still just so intuitive and fast to me.”
“it is most feature complete and has a clock and alarms”
“It got me through AP Calculus BC, SAT-I, and EE/CS.”
“they all are good enough for use although probably no longer usable in some of their intended uses”
“the 48GX is IMO far superior in almost every way”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.