The HP Prime is a graphing calculator introduced in 2013. It remains unique for its slim design, capacitive glass touchscreen, high-speed ARM processor, and significant amounts of memory. It has a computer algebra system (CAS) based on Xcas.
 | |
| Type | Graphing calculator |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Inventec Besta |
| Predecessor | HP 50g, HP 39gII, and HP 40gs |
| Programming | |
| Programming language(s) | HP PPL and Python |
| Interfaces | |
| Ports | Micro USB |
| Other | |
| Power supply | Micro USB or Li-ion battery (compatible with Samsung Galaxy S3 battery) |
| Power consumption | 400-550mW in normal operation, up to 3.5W when charging battery |
The Prime has a 320 by 240 pixel 16-bit color display, overlaid with a multi-touch capacitive touchscreen. It also uses the traditional large Enter key, placed on the right unlike other recent HP calculators, which put the Enter key on the left of the keyboard.
| Predecessor | HP Prime G1 |
|---|---|
| Cost | Algebraic, Textbook, and RPN |
| Programming | |
| Other | |
HP Prime G1
The Prime G1 is the first main hardware version, released in 2013 and powered by a 400 MHz Samsung S3C2416XH-40 chip, which contains an ARM926EJ-S core. The G1 also contains 32 MB of DDR3 SRAM and 256 MB of flash. The G1 runs on a 1500 mAh rechargable lithium-ion battery compatible with Samsung Galaxy S3 batteries.
HP Prime G2
The Prime G2 is the second main hardware version, released in 2018. It upgrades the G1 with a 528 MHz NXP i.MX 6ULL MCIMX6Y2 chip, containing an ARM Cortex-A7 core. It also upgrades the memory to 256 MB of DDR3 SRAM and 512 MB of flash.
Programming
The HP Prime is primarily programmable in a language known as HP PPL, or Prime Programming Language. PPL is similar to Pascal and provides complete programming functionality.
Recent firmware has enabled programming the calculator in MicroPython, as MicroPython support is a rising trend in modern calculators and the powerful hardware of the HP Prime makes it an excellent target for the language. However, the MicroPython features of the firmware are still considered beta.
I/O
The HP Prime has a USB micro-B port at the top which can be used in both host and device mode. Using a USB micro-to-micro cable, the Prime allows for data transfer between two calculators or one calculator and an HP StreamSmart data acquisition controller. The Prime G2 also has hardware support for raw USB HID data transfer, enabling control of numerous USB devices.
Exam Mode
A standout feature of the Prime is its extensive exam mode capabilities. In exam mode, any feature(s) of the calculator can be disabled, and three differently-colored LEDs at the top of the calculator (next to the USB port) will flash a specific sequence.