Mobile computing devices are generally modern-day handheld devices that have the hardware and software required to execute typical desktop and Web applications. Mobile computing devices have similar hardware and software components as those used in personal computers, such as processors, random memory and storage, Wi-Fi, and a base operating system. However, they differ from PCS in that they are built specifically for mobile architecture and to enable portability.

Among the common examples of mobile computing devices is a tablet PC, which has a built-in processor, memory and operating system (OS), and executes most applications built for a comparable PC.