16GB won't fix slow compiles.

Not really. Compilation time is mostly CPU and disk I/O. RAM helps keep the IDE snappy, but once you have enough to avoid swapping, more RAM doesn’t make Gradle finish faster.

Android Studio is a memory hog—16GB is the bare minimum for a good experience. If you’re constantly running the emulator, a browser with 40 tabs, and Slack, you might hit swap, which will slow everything down, including builds. But that’s a system slowdown, not a compile-time boost.

What actually speeds up compiles: faster processor (more cores, higher clock), SSD (NVMe), and Gradle daemon / build cache settings. If you’re on 8GB, upgrading to 16GB will prevent constant swapping and make the whole machine feel faster—but the compile itself won’t magically halve.

Get 32GB if you can. But if you’re just chasing faster builds, spend your money on a better CPU or an SSD upgrade first.