I'm not an expert in this department but I wonder if battery life is a factor here. My Ti-84+ has not fully died once since I was in middle school (as a college graduate now). It can survive an entire year out of use and would still have a usable charge when I would pick it back up for a new math class.

Thanks for clarifying. I think this is an ARM and a break from a history of Z80 and Z80 adjacent CPUs. I do get the impression TI have done a good (financial) job milking these products whilst under investing in real product innovation.