HP Prime vs TI-84 Plus CE for Jr. High and High School

[JDW]

I'm an HP guy, having started off with a 28S in engineering school from 1989-1994 (I'm an EE). I later purchased a 48GX with FRAM card and a 50g. I have never used a Prime though. I personally love RPN and hate using Algebraic calculators. I took my SAT before I had the 28S and used just a very basic calculator. With that said, my kids are in a different world. I have a 7th grader and a 10th grader this coming August school year. I have them in a private school in Japan, which teaches primarily in English with a US-based curriculum. The information packet that was just sent out to parents says that "a TI-83 Plus graphic calculator is STRONGLY recommended."

I'm not well versed in TI calculators, but a bit of Googling shows the TI-83 Plus came out in 1999! Either the math instructor is out of date or he himself owns a TI-83 Plus and demands all his students have one, or perhaps he mistakenly mean to say "TI-84 Plus CE." For now I will assume the latter, since the CE came out in 2015 and is therefore fairly modern.

Again, being an HP enthusiast, I am curious how easy it would be for a 7th or 10th grader to pick up an HP Prime and get started quickly using it (within having to read a huge manual first) versus the ease of using a TI-84 Plus CE.

The TI-84 Plus CE lacks CAS; and even though it is on the CollegeBoard approved list, some math teachers may not like the fact some calculators have CAS. But from what I understand, the Prime allows CAS to be disabled?

Anyway, I am curious about the topic of "ease of use" for 7th to 10th graders. The cost of the Prime on Amazon US is roughly that of the TI-84 Plus CE! Yet the Prime seems like a more full-featured calculator to me. Then again, I am biased. And of course, I am writing in this forum so I will likely get biased answers, but I feel comfortable around my fellow HP enthusiasts, so perhaps you could try to give me an objective opinion.

Thank you.