Target devices for J2ME applications developed using CLDC generally have the following characteristics:

• 160 to 512 kilobytes of total memory available for the Java platform
• Limited power, often battery powered
• Network connectivity, often with a wireless, inconsistent connection and with limited bandwidth
• User interfaces with varying degrees of sophistication; sometimes with no interface at all

Some devices supported by CLDC include wireless phones, pagers, mainstream personal digital assistants (PDAs), and small retail payment terminals.

According to Sun Microsystems, target devices for CDC generally have the following characteristics:

• Powered by a 32-bit processor
• Two megabytes or more of total memory available for the Java platform
• Devices that require the full functionality of the Java 2 "Blue Book" virtual machine
• Network connectivity, often with a wireless, inconsistent connection and with limited bandwidth
• User interfaces with varying degrees of sophistication; sometimes with no interface

Some devices supported by CDC include residential gateways, smartphones and communicators, PDAs, organizers, home appliances, point-of-sale terminals, and car navigation systems.