Android - 2 GB RAM or 3 GB RAM, does it really matter?
Key aspect here light user who
Doesn't play games
Doesn't watch movies
Doesn't use many apps
Uses only for day to day to use
If the usage pattern continues to be same for next few years. answer is no, it doesn't make a difference
While the other answer has pointed out valid instances of certain apps occupying more RAM as as time rolls, IMO it is not very pertinent given that you are not multi tasking , But if you are using RAM hoggers like Facebook which nearly takes up 0.5 GB of RAM, it may result in sluggish performance if another hungry app is opened up
How much RAM does a phone need? gives an interesting take on current trend of high RAM phones and also mentions that Google’s official minimum spec for a 64-bit phone (that’s pretty much every phone these days) is 832 MB RAM, so, you are left with one GB of RAM for apps, even if Android OS is updated to 64 bit) and you retain your 2 GB RAM device - pretty much future proof !
Edit: Your chosen device OS is 32 bit and occupies 512 MB of RAM and if it is 64 bit it would require 832 MB of RAM , ( as per table it is dependent on screen size and pixel density- large in your case and pixel density is less than 300 dpi ). This size is only for the OS , radio (modem) is extra, which is not much anyway. Source : Page 56 of android Compatibility Definition
Bottom line, for your use, it shouldn't matter, since EMUI 7.0 occupies 0.5 GB and you are still left with 1.5 GB, which is plenty. Even if EMUI is upgraded, I doubt it would make a substantial difference
Not now, but if you plan to use it for >1 year then you need to give it a bit more consideration.
Historically, Android OS updates does not increase RAM usage by much, as far as my observation goes. As of now free RAM at boot time stands at 1~1.3GB for a 720p device with 2GB RAM, lightweight ROM and no Google Apps.
The problem is with third-party apps. As their functions grow they tend to use much more RAM than at the time of release. For example, WeChat typically takes 100~200MB right now. Even if you use few, they will increase usage over time and eat up what remains little by little.
Rewind to 2013: Moto G was a really decent midranger at that time, and 1GB is just enough back then, but multitasking proves to be a burden for it now, with only <500MB remaining at boot and each app taking their share. With no more than 10 third-party apps the auto-killing mechanism will kick in, eliminating background apps, giving a bad experience.
Add MIUI (notorious RAM hog) to the mix, and you have my opinion.