Next-Gen Ready: Why 32GB RAM Handhelds Dominate 2026 Gaming

Remember when 16GB of RAM felt like overkill? Those days are fading fast. With modern AAA titles demanding massive textures and open worlds, South African gamers are realising that to play smoothly on the go... you need more muscle. If you are eyeing the latest portable tech, here is why 32GB RAM handhelds are the new gold standard for performance 🚀.

The Unified Memory Bottleneck

To understand why capacity matters, you have to look at how these devices are built. Unlike a desktop PC where the graphics card has its own dedicated VRAM, portable devices use an APU (Accelerated Processing Unit). This means the processor and the graphics chip share the same pool of system memory.

If your device only has 16GB, Windows might gobble up 4GB, and background tasks take another slice. That leaves very little for the actual game textures. The result? Stuttering and blurry assets. To avoid those frame drops, savvy buyers are turning to high-spec handheld gaming consoles that offer the breathing room next-gen engines require.

Who Is Leading the Charge?

The big players have recognised that raw processing power means nothing if the memory pipeline is clogged.

Lenovo has been a massive proponent of high-spec mobile gaming. The Lenovo Legion Go series pushed boundaries with its massive display, and having 32GB ensures that high resolution doesn't choke the system when you are pushing pixels in Call of Duty.

ASUS also learned quickly from the early days of the handheld revolution. The latest iterations from ASUS utilise faster, larger LPDDR5X memory. This is essential for keeping 1% lows stable during intense firefights or exploring dense cities in RPGs.

We also cannot ignore the entrants from MSI. They are aggressively targeting performance users who want desktop-class power in their backpack, ensuring their hardware is ready for the titles dropping in late 2025 and beyond.

Future-Proofing Your ZAR

Tech moves fast. A game that runs fine on 16GB today might struggle after a few heavy updates or DLC expansions. Opting for 32GB RAM handhelds isn't just about getting higher frame rates right now; it is about ensuring your device remains relevant for years.

When you are spending hard-earned ZAR on a premium device, you want it to survive the next wave of Unreal Engine 5 releases. The extra headroom allows for higher texture settings and smoother multitasking if you use your handheld as a mini-PC when docked ✨.