The display had more contrast, and the keyboard cover is a (removable) hinged lid (clamshell) instead of plastic slipcase.

The 256 KB system ROM that contained the BIOS, a diagnostic suite,[2] and the BASIC interpreter used to program the device.

It also included an X<>Y exchange key for working with complex numbers and polar to rectangular conversions.

These built-in programs were accessed through a menu system and special function keys.

The Sharp PC-E500 series could store data and programs on memory expansion cards as well as the main RAM.