For the price point they are going it's plenty enough. That's also enough to boot Linux distributions in headless mode.

256MB is a boat load of memory for embedded use. Only when you start adding pointless layers of abstraction and bloated frameworks on top of an OS does 256MB become an issue.

If you want a "desktop" experience then buy a pi4.

That is more than enough for many applications. How much RAM does your home router have?

Eh, it's a bit on the low side. Comparing a BeagleBone Black (512MB) with an Omega Onion2+ (256MB), I found that 256MB is almost not quite enough for anything other than the smallest applications.