While many of our jobs are facilitated by computers and computer programs, in some cases you will still need a calculator to answer some problems especially for professionals and students. If you are dealing with money, financial calculators like HP 10bII Vs 10bII+ will be the ideal calculators to help your tasks. Both of these are close relatives with very little difference so before deciding with one, go check what they can offer and how they are separated from each other below.
In this article, we are going to give you information about:
- Are you currently looking for a Financial Calculator
- What are HP 10bII and 10bII+
- What HP 10bII and 10bII+ Look Like
- How to Setup HP 10bII and 10bII+
- How to Use HP 10bII and 10bII+
- How are the Performance of HP 10bII and 10bII+
- HP 10bII Vs 10bII+
Financial Calculator
Calculators have been used since a very long time ago and have been very useful to our technology development. It may not be as popular anymore because our smart devices can be even more convenient since it can mimic their function but they are still being used in various establishments in schools, businesses, and in households. Probably because most of us are familiar with the tool or it being more comfortable but for learning purposes, they are still an integral part that we can’t separate from the system.
As many other tools, calculators may look alike and will count the numbers or commands you enter but in fact there are various of them available made to work best for a certain type of application. One of them is financial calculator or some people also call it a business calculator and instead of numbers in its essential form, their main usage is to count currency or anything that is related to finance hence you will be seeing them used by bankers or finance professionals and similar jobs.
What makes it different from our standard display calculator at home is they are designed to be able to perform certain equations that a basic calculator can’t do. The first thing you will notice when checking out a new financial calculator is they will have some stand-alone keys which are not available in our common tools including simple interest, compound interest or cash flow etc. Its greatest benefit is of course we can finish the calculation faster as it comes with the certain equation useful in our activity.
Depending on the model you are getting, in some calculators especially financial calculators you can program them to add specific functions to simplify your work and this is possible even when the certain manufacturer is not offering this function in the unit. If you are used to programming calculators, the step can be pretty simple but for those who have never done one, we do still need to pay some effort into learning the step. However, it is supposed not to be overly complicated.
As there is a great number of choices out there from various different manufacturers, deciding to pick one can be a little confusing especially if you don’t have any preferences yet. The best tip is deciding on what the calculator is going to be used for because in general any model at around $30 will be sufficient for common tasks but for students, the best way is checking what model is allowed to be used in your course. Professionals can add the budget and have a higher model with richer function instead.
About HP 10bII and 10bII+
Now when you already have an image on how the calculator should be or how much we should spend to get the tool, it is the time to see what those manufacturers can offer because while most of calculators in the same category will offer the same set of functions, there are some with a better convenient, cheaper, or just being more reliable. If you don’t have much time to select, we recommend staying with well-known names because they will have a higher chance to fit your preference.
Calculators sold here are mostly made by American companies but some Japanese brands are also reliable to add your option. Among those many options, Hewlett Packard is one of the most popular options especially for their financial calculator. Who doesn’t recognize the old time favorite 12C and besides this model, they also carry lots of amazing calculators both for the financial collection and the scientific part. Price wise they are also very affordable for students and any business owners to afford.
However, when talking about financial calculators, besides the C12 you will also see how much HP 10bII and 10bII+ are hailed as two of the best calculators for the purpose. Both of them are indeed a solid option and our go to for various tasks that the real competitor is a similar option from Texas Instrument you can check on our Texas Instruments BA II Plus Vs HP 10bII. These calculators will do all the basic functions and are very easy to understand.
As with most companies, HP also try to improve their products and while the original 10bII is already a great choice, this calculator is also still lacking in some parts and it is answered by the higher version 10bII+ yet, in our opinion these differences is not going to set these products apart too much and for most people, it will not change the decision. The shopping will mostly be decided by the price point or discount if available which is happening often.
HP 10bII and 10bII+ Design
As you can see on the sample picture above, HP 10bII and 10bII+ are very similar or identical to each other both on the design and layout as well as form factor, side by side they are looking like the same unit but, depending on the manufacturer and the production batch, you will find them in full black fashion or with some silver liners around the layout and the display. Some years ago, the 10bII+ probably had some poor quality control that caused the calculator to rattle when shaken.
This never happened in the original model but HP should already fix this issue as of now. Display size and quality seems to be the same in both models and the keys are still those with the middle slightly taller than its bottom and top. The keys are very responsive but somehow the 10bii+ is noisier when pressed so you will hear a loud click when operating the calculators. Material wise they are not the best but still sufficient to let the tool last for years.
HP 10bII and 10bII+ Setup
Just like with every financial calculator or scientific ones, the first thing you may want to do when having HP 10bII and 10bII+ is setting up the display or calculation and this is very simple to do. One of the most important steps is setting the decimal and both of them are preset to two decimals out of the box but you can always adjust it up to nine. In active state press the golden (orange) shift key and DSP then press the number of decimals you want.
Another important setup is the cash flow which can be setup as beginning or the end; the most often we use. To change this press the golden key again and press MAR, the display will show BEGIN when it is set to begin and none when you are at the end of payment setting.
HP 10bII and 10bII+ Calculation
Now let’s move to a simple example on how to use HP 10bII and 10bII+ because it will be the same in both models. With a simple question, try to calculate the future value of $7000 money we have today with an interest rate at 6.5% in the next 15 years. In active state enter the amount of year which is 15 and then N, the rate which is 6.5% then I/YR, our money 7000 then PV, and the last is annuity 0 then PMT as we have none then press the FV button.
Now your calculator should show -18,002 and notice that it is negative because this is seen from the bank perspective, if this is a problem about investment as we do; you may enter the PV as negative to get a positive answer. The idea is we lose $7000 now and gain back the amount plus interest later which makes sense better if we enter the PV as negative seen from the investor point of view.
HP 10bII and 10bII+ Performance
Now let’s talk about the performance because it seems that the 10bII+ is faster to show the answer on the display. For the basic financial functions HP 10bII and 10bII+ are capable of doing most tasks but with the improved function, the latter is also going to offer some additional statistical functions including trigonometry, perm/comb, hyperbolic, depreciation, bonds, breakeven, algebraic hierarchy, random numbers, date calculations, and probability distributions as well as will preserve the current state when you switch it off.
HP 10bII vs 10bII+
Both of them are a great choice for those who are looking for a financial calculator and they are also the same. What’s set them apart on the function is that the 10bii+ will be slightly faster in terms of giving you the result as well as preserving the current state when we switch it off but in addition you will also get various statistical functions such as trigonometry, breakeven, and bonds.
| Name | HP 10bII | HP 10bII+ |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | HP | HP |
| Features | - Over 100 built-in functions - Algebraic data entry - Intuitive keyboard layout with easy-to-read labels - Adjustable contrast display | - HP 10BII+ Financial Calculator. - The HP 10bII+ is the smart choice for business and finance needs. - You'll be able to work quicker and more efficiently with over 100 time-saving, easily-accessible business functions. - Easily calculate loan payments, interest rates and conversions, standard deviation, percent, TVM, NPV, IRR, cash flows, and more. |
| Price | ||
| Rating | 4.5 out of 5.0 stars | 4.4 out of 5.0 stars |
| Best deal | Save Money Please click here | Save Money Please click here |
Conclusion
NOTE : Product prices, availability, ratings and save money information are accurate as of the date/time indicated on post time (as seen right bellow the post) and are subject to change. Any price, availability and save money information displayed on Amazon Site at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
You can pick any of these calculators for they are very similar and for basic financial functions they are equally reliable. The HP 10bII+ however, is great if you will need the statistical calculation as well since price wise they are the same.