Updated 06-Feb-2024
These specs are meant to help with acquisition decisions. More is usually better, and certainly for future-proofing purchases.
Note that these are not adequate for modern games such as Starfield.
Desktop and Laptop
For processors, there is more leeway, but one should get the latest generation of whichever processor line is needed (e.g, for Intel N, U, P, and H lines, and AMD alternatives).
- Old - 8gb RAM, 256gb SSD
- Now - 16gb RAM, 512gb SSD
- Next - 32gb RAM, 1024gb SSD
Mobile (Phone and Tablet)
Note that mobile is not the same as desktop / laptop. For processors, there are various Mediatek, Qualcomm, and Samsung options.
- Old - 4gb RAM, 64gb SSD
- Now - 6gb RAM, 128gb SSD
- Next - 8gb RAM, 256gb SSD
For me, the screen is the most important, secondly the form factor. I find the Samsung Galaxy A22 as the perfect size, and the A24 and A25 increasingly improve the AMOLED screen brightness, which gaining slightly in size.
Alternative platforms
The open source RISC-V (RISC five) is a nice low-power platform that is gaining interest. It should hopefully eclipse the moribund Raspberry Pi platform, as enthusiast interest wanes (as it should). In my opinion, the N100 platforms are dramatically inexpensive and outperform the low-end Raspberry Pi while costing about the same. Microcontrollers such as the Pi-Zero should be replaced by RISC-V options, which are already in the marketplace.