The Samsung Galaxy S, Droid X, MyTouch 3G Slide, Evo 4, the list goes on and on. Many of the most popular smartphones on the market today run on Google’s Android operating system. With each new device released for Android, the buzz about the system grows.
A quick search for “calculator” in the Android Market returned about a thousand results, far more than most people would like to sort through. You’ll find dozens of tip calculators, BMI calculators, mortgage calculators, love calculators and more that probably aren’t what you’re looking for. Luckily for you, we’ve done the hard work of digging through all of those apps for you and found these 6 worth your consideration.
#1 – HandyCalc Calculator for mmin
HandyCalc Calculator is our pick for the best calculator available on Android today. This application gives you many of the basic functions of a TI-84, including all scientific calculator capabilities, graphing, and the ability to solve systems of equations. Answers can be returned in fraction and radical form, or converted to decimals. There are also simple copy and paste capabilities, something that should be available in more apps. The app even comes with a demo document and a link to a video tutorial. There’s a lot to like here, and even if it’s not perfect, it comes as close as we’ve seen.
Pros: free, scientific and graphing capabilities, solves systems of equations, returns both exact answers for fractions/radicals and decimal approximations.
Cons: Missing features of a typical plotter, like max/min, intercepts, etc.; swiping between keyboards presses buttons and feels awkward; two different “same” buttons (performing different functions) can be a bit confusing.
Free
#2 – Kreactive Technologies Scientific Calculator
Scientific Calculator had the best user interface of all the calculator apps we reviewed. The buttons are attractive, with a nice overhead lighting effect and a good size, making them easy to press. A fast scroll or double arrow button gives you easy access to scientific functions. The calculator has some basic graphing capabilities. This calculator comes very close to 2 line functionality. You can enter a full calculation before hitting enter. You can then return to previous calculations by long-pressing the input area. There are more powerful apps on this list, but user interface is important in an Android app, and Scientific Calculator has a great one.
Pros: Free and attractive user interface, some 2-line calculator features, some graphing features
Cons: Limited graphics features; Feedback on the market indicates that some users are confused by the missing +/- button, although we found this easy to fix.
Free
#3 – Calculation Tools by Andy Mc
A fantastic calculator app for calculus students is Calculus Tools. As its name indicates, this application is focused almost exclusively on calculus, so it is not for everyone. The app can find both integrals and derivatives up to the fourth degree, both algebraically and with definite limits. It also has the ability to help you solve problems involving arc length, surface area, and the Taylor series. Your results can also be graphed. The app also contains a fairly extensive list of formulas that calculus students need to memorize. The only real downsides to this app are that its scientific calculator mode is still in beta and quite limited, and all input must be done using the default keyboard.
Pros: Free, solves calculus functions symbolically or numerically, ability to graph functions, great “cheat sheet” of calculus formulas
Cons: Scientific calculator features are still in beta, you have to use the default keyboard instead of a custom math UI
Cost: FREE or $2.50 donate version
UPDATE: Added a math keyboard in an update to Calculus Tools
#4 – Arity Calculator by Mihai Preda
Arity Calculator has a very different user interface and capabilities from the other apps on this list. If you are looking for a good 3D graphic, this is the place. You have the option to graph in 2D or 3D, and simply pressing enter will take you to a clear message, but it will save your equation where it can be easily tapped if you need it later. We would find it hard to recommend this calculator to a newbie, but its sharp 3D features will definitely appeal to many users. Arity is also an open source application.
Pros: Free, Open Source, Fast, 3D Capabilities, Graphics Screenshots
Cons: almost all commands (such as sin, cos, tan) must be typed; although you can navigate the graphs and zoom in and out, there is no way to track, find intersections, etc.
Free
#5 – RealCalc Scientific Calc by Brain Overspill
If you’re looking for something comparable to a TI-30 (one line), RealCalc Scientific Calc fits the bill. It’s free, fast, and offers all the functionality of a standard scientific calculator. It also has an excellent help menu for new users. The user interface isn’t exactly the sexiest, but we’re sure some will appreciate how authentically it looks like a retro calculator. Although we would have preferred to see a true two-line display, the developer provided a previous response function, which can be configured to retrieve many previous results.
Pros: free, fast, easy to use, offers functionality of a standard scientific calculator, reverse polish notation option will appeal to some
Cons: One line calculator interface, no graphical options, 1985 retro UI won’t be for everyone
Free
#6 – Calc+ by EricJohnson
Like many Android apps, Calc+ is available in both a free and paid version. The free version gives you the features you expect in a scientific calculator. The paid version offers the additional functionality of haptic feedback (vibrate) and unit conversions. In a smart UI move, the developer allows users to switch between a simple calculator and scientific mode by rotating from portrait mode to landscape mode. The design is minimalist, but attractive. Calc+’s biggest drawback is that it doesn’t have the ability to change its default mode from radians to degrees.
Pros: Free version available, simple and attractive user interface
Cons: One line interface, trigonometric calculations only in radians
Cost: FREE or $.99
