If you thought calculators were a thing of the past in our new AI era, you couldn’t be more wrong—and Texas Instruments has a new launch to prove it.

Dallas-based TI—which invented the world’s first handheld electronic calculator prototype, the “Cal-Tech,” way back in 1967—has released the TI-84 Evo Graphing Calculator, “the latest and most powerful addition to the TI-84 series.”

Let’s cut to the chase: This does a lot more than just add and subtract.

The new the TI-84 Evo features a 3x faster processor, 50% more graphing space, and a redesigned keypad, offering “a deliberate evolution” of a device educators and students have relied on for decades.

The TI-84 Evo in pink. [Photo: Texas Instruments]

For everyone from middle schoolers to STEM careerists

The new calculator is “built to meet the demands of today’s math classroom” and to grow with students from middle school algebra all the way through college and future STEM careers, TI said.

“Designed to keep pace with how fast students think and work,” the TI-84 Evo allows them to see more of the math at once. Newly improved math features include points of interest trace and an improved Lines and Conics app, giving students more ways to engage deeply with concepts “without skipping straight to the answer.”

Laura Chambers, president of TI Education Technology, said the TI-84 Evo “represents our commitment to continuous innovation in educational technology.”

“We’ve taken everything educators and students love about the TI-84 series,” she added in a statement, “and evolved it to meet the needs of today’s learners.”

The TI-84 Evo in mint. [Photo: Texas Instruments]

Icon-based menu

TI said the calculator’s new icon-based menu lets students spend less time learning the tool and more time learning the math.

Mathematical expressions are presented in a clear format, with visual icons helping students quickly find the functions they need. USB-C charging and an evolved interface round out an experience that’s new, but still familiar, TI said—one that feels “approachable for first-time users and second nature for returning ones.”

Ashley Hawley, a high school math teacher in Florida, said she loves how the TI-84 Evo “keeps all the features you know and love about the TI-84 but enhances them and makes it even more student friendly and easy to use.”

“One of my favorite new features is that I can trace along the graph to find points of interest quickly so I can focus on interpreting function meaning in context,” she added in a statement released by TI.

Approved for use during key standardized exams

TI said the TI-84 Evo is approved for use during major standardized exams—including the ACT, SAT, IB, and AP—enabling students to take the same calculator they used in their class and homework into the test room. “That familiarity builds the kind of confidence that makes a real difference on test day,” the company said.

TI cited research showing that 94% of teachers and administrators say students perform better on exams when they use the same calculator for assessment, practice, and instruction. 

Aiming to keep students’ eyes on this calculator—not on their phones

The TI-84 Evo in white. [Photo: Texas Instruments]

TI noted that 45 U.S. states are moving to restrict cell phones in classrooms—which could help position tools like the TI-84 Evo as prime candidates for “deep, uninterrupted learning.”

According to a 2025 EdWeek Research Center study cited by TI, 81% of teachers and administrators say that students are better able to focus on math when they’re using a handheld calculator.

Calling the TI-84 Evo “a single-purpose tool engineered to do one thing exceptionally well—math,” TI stated several things the calculator can’t do:

“No notifications. No social media. No distractions. Just the focused, purpose-built experience students need to learn, practice, and excel,” the company said.

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