While yes, a desert can be striking and beautiful, there is at least a thematic reason why Tatooine is so drab in Star Wars, that being Luke’s angst at his backwater nothing planet.
I’d like to see a desert planet in Star Wars that actually is stunning. Pasaana tries to do this but it isn’t fully there.
Tatooine does serve that thematic purpose, but it also acts as a “land of mystery,” like when the droids are wandering across it. That’s something that’s been missing from Tatooine for a while, that sense of "alien"ness and mystery. And I’d argue that Tatooine wasn’t visually drab for the most part in the films.
This isn’t a landscape example, but one comparison that comes to mind is the Cantina. In the movie, it’s filed with wacky/scary aliens, there’s Benny Hill-style (but still kinda alien-sounding) music playing, and the room is lit with warm lighting. In The Mandalorian, the Cantina is coldly lit, quiet, and mostly empty.