i48 vs DB40X
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
i48
This application emulates the HP48GX calculator on your iPhone or iPod touch. It allows you to perform complex calculations like matrix operations and function integration on the go.
- HP48GX calculator emulation
- Matrix calculations
- Function integration
- Mobile calculator
- On-the-go calculations
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i48 is an emulator for the HP48GX calculator, so the next time you're out and about and need to do some quick matrix calculations or work out the integral of a function, just whip out your iPhone (or iPod touch) and have at it
DB40X
A high-precision scientific calculator inspired by the HP48 series, offering arbitrary precision computations, complex numbers, vectors, matrices, and graphing. It supports RPN and algebraic operations, with over 1000 built-in functions and a hyperlinked help system.
- Arbitrary precision computations
- RPN and algebraic operations
- Complex numbers, vectors, and matrices
- Graphing and plotting
- Engineering units and conversions
- Hyperlinked help system
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DB40X is a high-precision scientific calculator compatible with DB48X and inspired by the legendary HP48 series from Hewlett-Packard. It is not an emulator, but a redesign from scratch, which is faster, and delivers never seen before capabilities like computations in arbitrary precision. Like the original HP48, DB40X supports an unlimited stack, RPN and algebraic operations, complex numbers, based numbers, vectors, matrices, text, symbolic computations, numerical solving and integration, graphing and plotting, statistics, engineering units, and well over 1000 built-in functions. DB40X adds several HP50G capabilities, including a library of equations and constants covering mathematics, physics or chemistry. Using modern technologies, DB40X goes well beyond the original HP48 in many ways: - It is significantly faster, uses less memory, and features a higher-resolution 240x400 pixels graphical display. - Integer and decimal values can have an arbitrarily large number of digits, so you can compute log(pi) with 200 digits in a few keystrokes. - The six function keys feature up to three function per key, giving quick access to up to 18 related functions at a time. - Complex numbers can mix and match polar and rectangular form. - Symbolic operations extend to complex numbers, vectors and matrices. - Based numbers can be in any base from 2 to 36, and support any number of bits, making it easy to emulate a 23-bit or 512-bit processor. - Text is represented using Unicode instead of the proprietary HP encoding, facilitating data exchange with the rest of the world. - Multiple graphs can be distinguished using bitmap patterns. - Engineering units include all the modern evolutions of the SI system, and can be configured by the user, e.g. to integrate currency units with the exchange rate du jour. Converting between USD/hour and EUR/day has never been so easy! - A built-in hyperlinked help system documents functions simply by holding the corresponding key, and combine a quick start guide, a user manual and a reference manual. DB40X will run many user RPL programs as is. However, since it is not an emulator, it will not run any HP binary object, and notably will not run HP48 games or anything involving system RPL. Version 0.7.14 is an early-access release. Please consult https://github.com/c3d/db48x/blob/stable/doc/5-Unimplemented.md for a list of HP48 commands that are not yet implemented. DB40X is part of a family of compatible RPL calculators that include DB48X and DB50X. DB40X lacks the ability to write programs or data to disk, and RPL programs are limited to 40K.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: DB40X at 4.7 against i48's 3.5. DB40X also leads on monetization model (free vs paid) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months). i48's advantage is ratings volume (196 vs 7) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 14.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
DB40X holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: i48 has 196 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 54% of i48's written reviews are positive against 67% of DB40X's.
i48 ships an update every 4 months, DB40X every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | i48 | DB40X |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (196 ratings) | 4.7 (7 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 54.2% of reviews | 66.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 196 — better | 7 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 14.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 7 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Automagic Software Pty Ltd | Christophe de Dinechin |
Customer experience
i48
DB40X
Bugs and requests
i48
Reported bugs
4 issues- Memory recovery prompt not working
- Cursor keys behaving erratically
- Equation solver locking up the app
- Keyboard issues on certain devices
Requested features
4 requests- Landscape mode support
- Improved display resolution and graphics
- Haptic feedback for button presses
- Ability to assign units to numbers
DB40X
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
i48
No in-app purchases
DB40X
No in-app purchases






