* No AMSDOS or other DOS in ROM, only a bootloader for CP/M
* No support for tape recorders
* It has a dedicated printer microcontroller: [[Media:UPD8041AH datasheet.pdf|NEC UPD8041AH datasheet]] [[Media:Intel 8041A Datasheet.pdf|Intel 8041A Datasheet]]. It is disguised as Amstrad 40026 chip on the motherboard, but it is visible in the service manual for PCW 8256.
The PCW was designed as a (back then) professional computing system. This was underlined by the built-in green monitor (no support for colour monitors at all), the bundling with a printer and a word-processing software and bigger RAM (256k or 512k).