Let’s find out how these emulators play a big role in app development. Let’s then discuss the 5 best Android emulators for development. Let’s start!
How Developers use Android Emulators
As of June 2021, Android has been dominating the mobile OS market. Android currently holds 72.84% of the worldwide population of smartphone users. With a market like this, more and more companies become interested in developing apps to make it easier to reach out to their customers. Developers are then hired to create these apps. Once the apps have been designed and programmed, it’s time to test them out. In trying out the apps, they’ll be able to see if there are any glitches or bugs with the app that is specific to any device or Android version. It would be a very wasteful and impractical practice if the developers bought multiple devices just to try out their apps. This is where Android emulators come in. Android emulators let you run Android apps on your computer. With these emulators, developers will be able to test out their apps on different devices without needing to own the physical device. They just need to input the variables they need to be able to run the app on the virtual device. Some emulators allow multiple virtual devices to run at a single time so this saves some of the developers’ time. Related Posts:
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Best Android Emulators for Development
The Android emulators that we’ll be discussing were made with developers in mind. All of them allow you to test out your apps and games on different versions and devices of Android.
1. Android Studio Emulator
If you’re going to develop programs and games for Android, then why not get the one from Google? Android Studio Emulator is one of the best Android emulators for Windows 10 because of how multi-functional and flexible it is. Since it’s from Google, you’re guaranteed reliability. If you’re looking for an emulator to test out your apps, then this is the best one to use. You can run multiple Android versions and emulate any size or form-factor device. This helps you test how your apps will perform in different versions of Android versions and devices. The downside of this Android emulator is that it’s not beginner-friendly. The wide selection of features can be overwhelming for beginners. It also takes time to fully master its full capacity so it’s not suggested if you’re looking for an Android emulator that is simple to use.
2. Genymotion
This Android emulator is specifically designed with developers in mind. Genymotion is an awesome tool to use if you’re looking for an emulator to test out your apps and mobile games. Currently, it can emulate over 3,000 virtual Android device configurations. These configurations include Android versions, screen sizes, hardware capacities, and many more. Along with the configuration capabilities, you can also simulate every imaginable scenario. This is because Genymotion comes with hardware sensors like GPS, network, multitouch, and many more. You can even spawn as many Virtual Devices as your computer can handle. This will speed up your testing process because you can test multiple devices simultaneously.
3. Xamarin
If you’re looking for an Android emulator that has the tools, programming languages, and libraries of .NET, then Xamarin is perfect for you. Xamarin is one of the best Android emulators for development because of how much it can offer. .NET is a developer platform that is made up of tools, programming languages, and libraries. These are all dedicated to building different kinds of applications. What Xamarin does is that it extends the .NET platform with all it has to offer in building apps for Android. On top of all of that, Xamarin even adds a few more features like:
Extensible markup language Libraries for common patterns Platform-specific libraries Editor extensions
Xamarin has been tested and trusted by developers across multiple industries. Large companies like UPS, Alaska Airlines, BBC Good Food, and many more have tried Xamarin and speak highly of it.
4. Visual Studio Emulator for Android
This emulator is also jam-packed with features that will help you test out your apps and games. Visual Studio Emulator is fast. Since it’s an x86 emulator, it can boot and run just as fast as physical devices. This makes it easier for you to debug apps that tend to be processor-hungry or graphics-intensive. You will be able to run powerful simulations. With the Visual Studio Emulator, you’ll have tools to be able to simulate real-life situations that will really test your apps. This emulator has a curated set of device profiles. These represent the most popular hardware that is present in the market. These include some of the devices from LG, Samsung, Sony, and many more. Aside from that, you’ll also be able to run your program with different Android Versions.
5. Manymo
If you’re looking for a free online Android emulator, then Manymo is the one for you. What makes it one of the best Android emulators for Windows 10 is that it’s an in-browser emulator that you can start using instantly. Because it’s an online Android emulator, it’s great for beginners who are just mapping their way around. It’s also a great quick solution for when you need to test apps on the go. Manymo also allows you to automate your testing process. You’ll be able to test dozens of virtual Android devices of different configurations. These configurations include screen sizes, OS versions, and many more. Suggested Reads:
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Key Takeaway
Developing apps can be a long and arduous process. There’s a lot to design, program, and most importantly, test out. When it comes to testing out these apps and programs, developers need to make sure that their apps will run on most Android devices. This means they need to run their apps on different devices with different Android versions along with many more different variables. This is to make sure that their apps won’t be glitchy and have lots of bugs when users finally download them on their phones. It won’t be smart, or even feasible, to purchase multiple devices just for the testing. This is where Android emulators come in. They enable developers to test out their apps across a wide variety of virtual devices without needing to buy physical ones. The 5 best Android emulators for development that we’ve discussed are currently the best ones in the market. It offers lots of customizability and features for developers. Do you know any other Android emulators for development that we missed? Tell us in the comments below and we’ll cover them in the next article!
