HP 50G
Hacker ApprovedRanked 13 of 21 calculators by recommenders
Recommended for its powerful symbolic algebra, unit handling and reliable build, with people saying it carried them through advanced math courses; a common alternative to school-approved calculators.
Recommended for its powerful symbolic algebra, unit handling and reliable build, with people saying it carried them through advanced math courses; a common alternative to school-approved calculators.
10 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 10
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 4 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 10 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 4 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
Handles units well for complex tasks
“the 48-50 units calculations are still the best I’ve used”
Comment from 2 Aug 2026 in “But can your calculator run Linux?” “15C or 50G for more complex tasks involving units”
Comment from 3 Jun 2026 in “HP re-releases classic computer science calculator: The HP-16C”
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 50GThis page | 10 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | Approved |
What people said
10 of the 11 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“the 48-50 units calculations are still the best I’ve used”
“Years later I bought an HP50 which was the best of both worlds.”
“the HP-50G is a pretty good alternative that is newer”
“15C or 50G for more complex tasks involving units”
“it had more advanced symbolic algebra capabilities than a ti83 equivalent”
“for anything outside a school context, that means skipping any device marketed as “ok to use on tests” and buying an HP”
“doesn't depend so much on external memory cards (which have the tendency to fail)”
“I thought it was pretty cool.”
“It carried me through AP calc BC, I would’ve gotten <4 off of my own knowledge alone”
“It's the reason I keep my HP 50G in as pristine condition as possible.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.