Created: 10 September 2026 · Last edited: 20 October 2026

The Zaurus MI series was Sharp's second major generation of Zaurus personal information devices, introduced in June 1996 with the MI-10 and MI-10DC Color Zaurus. These models marked a major technological step beyond the earlier PI generation, introducing a 32-bit Hitachi SH-3 processor architecture and a new version of the Zaurus operating environment.

The new platform also expanded the Zaurus beyond traditional organiser functions. The MI-10 series supported multimedia applications and Internet access, while its PC Card slot allowed additional hardware to be attached. Sharp's new software architecture also made the MI platform considerably more attractive to developers than the largely closed PI generation.

The Color Zaurus featured a 5-inch colour TFT LCD with a resolution of 320 × 240 pixels and support for 65,536 colours, making it possible to display photographs, maps and other graphical information in full colour. This is the first confirmed Sharp PDA to be capable of rendering 65K colours. The Mebius PC-A435, launched just three months earlier in March 1996, is Sharp's first documented 65K-colour laptop.

Its built-in personal information management tools handled schedules, contacts, tasks and notes, while the MI-10DC came with a digital camera card, bringing basic digital photography to a handheld organiser.

Both models could synchronise personal information with a PC, helping users keep their schedules, contacts and other data up to date across devices. Together, the large colour display, expandable hardware and 32-bit architecture laid the groundwork for the increasingly varied and capable MI-series devices that followed.

In December 1996, the Zaurus MI-10/10DC was chosen as the year's best product by Information Display Magazine in the United States.