Have you seen the new TI-84 Evo? And are you wondering if you need to upgrade your TI-84? In this blog, we’re going to put the TI-84 Evo to the test. We’re going to see if it’s three times as fast as its predecessors. And we’re going to go over the new features that make this calculator different and answer the question: should you upgrade?
Texas Instruments was nice enough to ship me this calculator, and though this was gifted, the opinions in this video are my own. My name is Brooke, and I have been coaching the SAT and the ACT exams for over two decades. I’ve also written two books on the ACT math section, which I hope you guys check out. And I’ve also done some other videos on TI calculators and the Desmos calculator, and you can check those out on my channel.
First of all, let’s cover how this Evo is different. Is it radically different? Can it do things that no other TI-84 can do? So first, the Evo has a redesigned body. As you’ll notice, all of the keys have printing on top of them, but you don’t see little print on the body of the calculator itself, above the keys, etc. This has created a much sleeker-looking calculator. The second very noticeable difference on the Evo is that it uses a graphical menu as the home page. This graphical menu essentially is pulling functionality that does live somewhere on the TI-84 Plus CE but in different places. Many of these icons, when you click ‘Enter’, will take you to applications that previously were in the Apps menu. There are also some functions that are hidden in other areas of the calculator. I’m going to give you a cheat sheet rundown right here of how to get to the functionality that is now on the Evo graphical menu on a regular TI-84 Plus CE model of the calculator. Most of this functionality is also in the same place on earlier versions of the TI-84 as well. One note: there is only one item that I have found on the graphical menu that you cannot find anywhere on the CE edition of the TI-84, and that is the help menu, which is somewhat helpful, but the most helpful part is when you get to the end; there’s a QR code, so you know where to go if you have more questions. Besides that, again, everything that this graphical menu does, you can still do on this calculator.
But let’s be honest, does going into the apps menu and scrolling down to PlySmlt2 intuitively make you think, ‘Oh, that’s going to solve for polynomial zeros’? No, that is not the first intuitive thought I have on this calculator, but when I look on this calculator and I see a polynomial graph and a P of X equals zero, it’s a little bit clearer that that’s going to help me solve for the zeros of my polynomial graph. And that’s basically how this entire calculator works. These icons are pretty intuitive, and as you scroll across them, they actually even tell you the title of what it is going to open at the top.
Next up, it offers USB charging. It also has new buttons. Three buttons that I’d like to point out specifically. It has replaced the caret button with an X-to-the-power button. Again, a little bit more intuitive. It also has a nth root button, so you don’t have to dig into a menu to do a root or radical that isn’t a square root. My favorite addition in terms of buttons is the fraction button. I have no idea why it took TI so long to put a fraction button on the TI-84. So, finally, thank you. And then the other button that’s pretty cool is the toggle button. Essentially, the toggle button is going to take a fraction and turn it into a decimal or take a decimal and turn it into a fraction. You could previously do this by clicking the math menu, and it would automatically highlight ‘frac’. You push enter, but instead of doing two to three keystrokes to change from a fraction to a decimal, you now only have to click one button.
One other big difference between the Evo and previous versions of the calculator is that it has a new interface for downloading programs. The TI Connect software that goes with this calculator is no longer a program you download; it’s a web-based app. So all you have to do is go to the website and you can start transferring programs or other files to or from your calculator. That being said, the Evo uses a different file type than previous versions of the TI-84. Rather than using .8xp files, it uses .8xp2 files. That means your old calculator programs are not directly compatible with the Evo, but don’t fret. There is a way to convert them so you can put them on your EVO, and we have a whole video on how to do that if you’re in that predicament. You can also find programs for the older version of the TI-84 and convert them if you’re looking for a specific program for your Evo. The Evo also offers Python programming, as does the TI-84 Plus CE Python edition.
And finally, one of the most distinguishing features of the Evo is its smart tracing. When you graph an equation, you can hit ‘trace’, and it will go automatically to points of interest. If you hit a Y-intercept or an X-intercept, it will even label it ‘Y-intercept’ or ‘zero’. So you know that that is the exact point where you have a Y intercept or a zero. And in some ways, dare I say it’s even clearer than Desmos because while Desmos will jump to points of interest, it does not label the y-intercept. So there you go if you’re looking for Y-intercepts on tests.
Let’s put these calculators to the test and see if the Evo is really three times faster than its competitors. First, let’s do a boot speed test. So I’m going to get all these calculators lined up, and I’m going to push on at the same time. And you can see this in the video, but it appears that the Evo actually has the slowest boot time. And thinking about this, I guess it kind of makes sense because if you look at all the other calculators, on their opening screen is just the calculation cursor. It’s basically a blank screen, whereas the Evo is loading a homepage that is a graphical menu. Loading graphics probably takes longer than loading a cursor. That being said, I don’t think this is a deal breaker, even though it’s slower. To me, they all load pretty quickly. This is not like waiting for an old 1988 computer to boot up. This is not going to stop me from using the calculator. The other thing to remember is if you turn on the Evo and you want to get back to where you were, you can just press the home button twice, and it will automatically go back to wherever you left off. The other thing you can do is if you press ‘enter’, you’ll get to the calculation page. Once this kind of becomes muscle memory, I don’t think it’s going to take that much longer to use. But now you know the Evo actually loads slower than its predecessors. Like I said, I don’t think boot speed matters that much on these calculators, but I do think graphing speed does matter.
Let’s quickly do a graph speed test. So first of all, what I’m going to say is as I type in the equations, the TI Inspire is graphing each equation right after I type it in as I move to the next one. So there’s no way to really compare the graphing speed because it’s not like I’m pressing enter for three equations at the same time. But I will say that the Inspire is wicked fast, and I’m pretty sure none of these are going to hold up to that speed. So I typed in equations, a quadratic and two linear equations, and we’re going to click ‘graph’ and see which one is the fastest. And wow, that might not be what we expected. The TI-84 Plus CE is the speediest here, but what I will say is the Evo is not far behind. You can see the silver edition is just a total putz. If you have not upgraded from this calculator yet, it’s probably time because this is precious test time disappearing as we wait for the graph to load. Some of you might be asking, ‘Why is this one slower?’ And what I will say is it has a higher-quality graphic, but the other reason is that you’ve got this trace function that’s going to jump to your points of interest really nicely. So even though it loads slightly slower than the TI-84 plus CE, I actually think it’s much more useful. And doing graphing problems on this will still be faster because you have that points of interest trace.
So next up, we are going to put these calculators head-to-head on program speed. So what I’ve done is I’ve created a basic program that I’m going to put identically on all three versions of the TI-84. As for the TI Inspire, I’m going to be honest, guys; I know it’s a faster calculator, and I can’t necessarily use the same type of program on that calculator as I can use on the TI-84s, so I’m not even going to bother. So we’re going to line these up. We’re going to run this program and we’re going to see which one’s fastest. And taking a look, it’s a split second before the Evo. But that silver edition is super slow. So both in graphing and now in programs, the TI-84 Evo is lagging just behind the TI-84 Plus CE. I don’t think it’s a very meaningful lag; it’s still pretty close.
Next up, I’m going to talk about the Evo versus the Inspire. It tends to be more expensive, it’s definitely heavier, and it is more powerful. If you are going to major in engineering in college, this might be a good investment for you. I will say, however, this actual calculator that I’m holding is not allowed on the ACT or the SAT because it has CAS functionality. You can get a version of the Inspire that does not have the CAS and is still a pretty powerful calculator. But what I will say is that as the TI-84 has evolved into the Evo, these two calculators could not be more different. And when I say that, what I mean is the Inspire has a hugely sharp learning curve. And a calculator is only as good as the user that is using it. So if you don’t know how to use it, it doesn’t matter if it can do a zillion things. Likewise, there are probably things that the Inspire is capable of that you don’t need to do when you’re a teenager in high school and you’ll only need to do if you’re calculating complex physics equations for engineering class. So for most students who are in high school, I will say the TI-84 is my favorite calculator, and it has been for decades. The Evo hasn’t changed that. And if anything else, it has become even more of what the 84 has represented, which is a more user-friendly calculator.
When it comes down to it, I will say the TI-84 Evo is not capable of many more specific things that older versions of the calculator can’t do, especially if you’re coming from the TI-84 Plus CE edition. Both can do a lot of the same functions, but the big differential is that figuring out how to use those functions is much easier on the Evo because it has pictures. And I think that’s so huge for high school students. It’s very easy to look at this calculator and all these buttons and all these menus and really not know what to do with them. So to have something that’s intuitive where you can kind of figure out how to use it without a guidebook or without seven YouTube videos explaining it to you is kind of awesome. The other thing that I’ll say is though the Evo is much prettier than previous versions of the 84, you can’t beat the font on the Inspire. The Inspire looks like a computer, and its screen is even bigger than the Evo’s. So if you’re going for maximum mathematical capacity, you probably should be checking into the Inspire. But if you’re a high school student and you’re looking to have a calculator that you can use on the SAT, the ACT, and AP exams, the Evo is probably a great choice.
So let’s take a look at our scoreboard between the calculators. As you can see on Boot Speed, the CE Python and the Inspire are edging out the Evo, as is the Silver Edition. But again, I wouldn’t put much stock in that. I don’t think it’s that important. In terms of graphing, I’m going to say the Evo is winning out over the Python. But the Inspire is also a wonderful graphing machine if you’re up for the learning curve and graphs even faster than the Evo. Finally, for ease of use, the Evo is going to be our champion. It is definitely easier to use and more user-intuitive than any of the previous versions of the TI-84 and certainly a lot easier to learn than the Inspire. And as for raw program running speed, again, the Inspire is what I would put as the fastest, but the Evo really does hold its own.
So now let’s talk about whether you should upgrade. The first question that I have if you’re looking to upgrade to the Evo is, ‘Who are you?’ Are you a high school student, or are you a college engineering student? If you are a college engineering student and your professors recommend the TI Inspire, I would not go with the Evo just because you’re kind of more comfortable with TI-84s. It is not an Inspire killer, it is not as fast and powerful as the latest generation of the Inspire, and I would definitely recommend that you get on the TI Inspire bandwagon and learn that calculator if you’re trying to do complex computations. Now, if you’re a high school student or you’re a high school teacher and you’re looking for a calculator that you’re going to be able to pick up and use and learn and figure out how to do very powerful things with, even if you’re not a calculator genius, I think the Evo is definitely placing itself in a particular market for a particular type of user. And if you’re that user, it’s a great calculator to get. I do think the points of interest on graphs is a reason to upgrade if you have the budget and if you are looking at at least a couple more years of high school math. If you already have a TI-84 Plus CE and you’re a senior and you aren’t going to be a math major in college, you’re probably fine where you’re at with your calculator that you have right now. And if you’re using an older TI 84 Silver Edition, like I was for many years before I begrudgingly upgraded, I do think it’s time that you probably got a little bit of a faster TI-84 because with that extra speed, you can do more and you can run more processes.
Now, let’s go to my verdict and my tier ranking. Okay, so my S tier calculator here, guys, is the TI Inspire. I even have the outdated version of the Inspire, and it is still a more powerful calculator than the Evo. That being said, remember it has a steep learning curve. It’s not for everyone. And if you’re still in high school and your teacher is using an 84, I would recommend sticking with what your class is doing. My A tier pick is going to be the Evo. It has great graphics; it’s a good-looking calculator. I love that fraction button, and it’s just a little bit easier and faster to use the things that are powerful and that are useful than in the older editions. I also, once again, am really loving the graph points of interest function. To me, that’s the biggest upgrade that this calculator offers. My A-minus tier is going to be my TI-84 Plus CE Python edition. It’s a quick calculator. If budget is an issue, you can probably pick up one of these used at a good deal. And it can do, like I said, with a little bit of education, everything that the 84 can do, with the exception of the points of interest. So definitely check this out if budget is a concern. And finally, my C tier is the TI-84 Plus C Silver Edition. You can remember I gave it a ‘C’ because it already has ‘C’ in the title. If you’re on a super budget, the Silver Edition does still calculate at a basic level. If you’re rolling into this and don’t want to spend a lot and you’ve got an old used calculator, it will still do a lot of the work that you need done. I hope you guys like this blog and that it was helpful!
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