Disclosed is a portable handheld characteristic analyzer used to analyze chemical compositions in or near real-time. One method of using the analyzer to determine a characteristic of a sample includes directing the handheld characteristic analyzer at the sample, the handheld characteristic analyzer having at least one integrated computational element arranged therein, activating the handheld characteristic analyzer, thereby optically interacting the at least one integrated computational element with the sample and generating optically interacted light, receiving the optically interacted light with at least one detector arranged within the handheld characteristic analyzer, generating an output signal corresponding to the characteristic of the sample with the at least one detector, receiving the output signal with a signal processor communicably coupled to the at least one detector, and determining the characteristic of the sample with the signal processor.