The software giant is asking its users to have a PC with 16GB of RAM for the best experience, and that’s just the start.
After promising the feature during Windows 11’s announcement, Microsoft is finally ready to bring Android apps to its new operating system. The company has now published the system requirements, and the results may be a little more than you’d initially imagine.
What Are the System Requirements for Android Apps on Windows 11?
Over on the Microsoft Support website, the software giant has published the system requirements to run Android apps on Windows 11.
Probably the most surprising requirement is the system RAM. Microsoft states that 8GB is the lowest amount of RAM you can have to run Android apps, which makes sense, given how running Windows 11 on 4GB RAM can be pretty miserable.
However, the recommended amount of RAM is a pretty hefty 16GB of storage. And while it’s not essential to have that much, you can likely expect the Android emulator to work less than ideally on anything less.
Also, strangely enough, Microsoft lists the storage type as “Solid State Drive (SSD)”. The company doesn’t list how much space the emulator needs on your storage, just that it has to be an SSD.
As such, there’s a good chance that the Android emulator will rely heavily on the faster data transfer speeds of the SSD to work. Microsoft doesn’t state if it will allow users to install the emulator on a hard disk drive (HDD) instead.
The processor requirement isn’t so bad; if you have something that’s at or better than an Intel 8th generation i3, AMD Ryzen 3000, or Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c, you should be okay. And given how picky Windows 11 is with its processor support, there’s a good chance you meet this requirement already.
Is the System Requirements for Android Emulation on Windows 11 Too High?
This may be sour news for people who have already upgraded their PC to meet Windows 11’s high system requirements. Now the company is asking for even more real estate in order to use the long-awaited Android emulation feature.
However, much like how it’s possible to install Windows 11 on an unsupported PC, there may be ways to get around these requirements. However, people who do so may find themselves with a less-than-ideal experience when using the emulator.
Windows 11 Wants It All
Just as people have gotten comfortable with Windows 11’s demands, Microsoft has raised the bar again to get the most out of the operating system. As for whether the users will rise to the occasion or find workarounds is yet to be seen.
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