there are 2 types of embedded systems: those that ship 1 million units, an and this that ship 50. if you're shipping 1mil units, you need to optimize RAM size, but if you're only shipping a few, them it's not worth squeezing everything down as long as it doesn't break your power/cost target. there's a ton of devices out there that literally just use a cheap smartphone as an "embedded" CPU because that way, Google has already done 90% of your R&D for you