My first Linux PC was a 386DX-40 with 20 MB RAM and about 80 MB of HDD space.

I was able to run X Windows, Emacs, and gcc for university CS work. I had to use 8 bit psuedocolor graphics to have a decent sized desktop like 1024x768 or 1280x1024 (on a nice CRT).

But, I put it into a swapping frenzy by opening one JPEG that I had downloaded from an academic website. It was a high-resolution scan of some old manuscript, but probably lower pixel count than a typical smartphone photo from this decade.

Doing normal work also involved frequent swapping delays as you launched new programs and evicted old ones.