I found a funny irony that in the country of free market, a calculator model was enforced nation wide in the schools. Here, in Spain, the teacher would only ask to the kids to get a calculator. They never ask for a concrete model or brand. Perhaps, they will only go ask to not get a programmeble calculator.

I agree that you not need to have more powerful calculator. A cheap Casio or HP calculator it's enough for the 99% of time. I keep using my old Casio from my formative years. It's in an interesting calc. Powerful enough to write formulas and complex calculations, but can't store formulas or programs. Just in the nice spot that allowed it to be used in exams.