Performance Analysis and Deployment Considerations of Post-Quantum Cryptography for Consumer Electronics

Quantum computing threatens the security foundations of consumer electronics (CE). Preparing the diverse CE ecosystem, particularly resource-constrained devices, for the post-quantum era requires quantitative understanding of quantum-resistant cryptography (PQC) performance. This paper presents a comprehensive cross-platform performance analysis of leading PQC Key Encapsulation Mechanisms (KEMs) and digital signatures (NIST standards/candidates) compared against classical RSA/ECC. We evaluated execution time, communication costs (key/signature sizes), and memory footprint indicators on high-performance (macOS/M4, Ubuntu/x86) and constrained platforms (Raspberry Pi 4/ARM). Our quantitative results reveal lattice-based schemes, notably NIST standards ML-KEM (Kyber) and ML-DSA (Dilithium), provide a strong balance of computational efficiency and moderate communication/storage overhead, making them highly suitable for many CE applications. In contrast, code-based Classic McEliece imposes significant key size challenges, while hash-based SPHINCS+ offers high security assurance but demands large signature sizes impacting bandwidth and storage. Based on empirical data across platforms and security levels, we provide specific deployment recommendations tailored to different CE scenarios (e.g., wearables, smart home hubs, mobile devices), offering guidance for manufacturers navigating the PQC transition.