Current technologies have advanced quite an extent making us entirely dependent on technology at every step. From e-commerce to healthcare and education, everything is present in our devices, tracking our everyday lives. Our dependence on gadgets has bought a revolutionary surge in their production and sales. Over 1.43 billion cell phones will be sold worldwide in 2021. Apple iPhones accounted for roughly 24% of all smartphones sold to end customers in the fourth quarter of 2021. Owing to consumer demands, professionals keep adding extra features making it more efficient than the older version. It makes the application bulky and complex. That is why android application testing is necessary. Real device testing is an important technique when it comes to testing. Test on real devices helps you understand how your application works and the problems the users face while using it before launching it in the market.
Now let’s build an idea of what an emulator is
EMULATOR:
An emulator is a program that emulates the Android operating system on a computer. Emulators are designed to assist consumers or developers who wish to utilize Android without going through the installation process.
It is software that emulates the architecture of the guest’s device and operates on a computer system. For example, you may effortlessly enjoy games like PUBG or Pokémon Go on your PC without installing them. The real device cloud offers a diverse range of authentic Android and iOS smartphones with various OS versions, screen sizes, RAM, and other features.
The creation of mobile applications has seen a substantial increase and real mobile device testing. Gradually, these mobile applications have arguably become the pivot of our lives, and their importance will only increase as mobile phone usage becomes widespread.
Everything is a click away, whether it’s something as simple as purchasing groceries or something more leisurely like playing games.
As a result, before being distributed to consumers, every program goes through a thorough testing step to identify anomalies. As a result, this is a true lifesaver for all developers, as it identifies unexpected or unique behavioral patterns during the testing phase of a mobile application. Before we go into the details of various emulators, let’s look at how they function and what motivates people to use them.
An emulator on a specified operating system, such as Mac or Windows, emulates an Android or iOS application or browser. It creates simulated hardware conditions similar to those seen on an Android or iOS smartphone. After that, we utilize it for testing as well as debugging. The emulator has its own set of constraints.
We can’t deny how costly setting up and operating an Android real device testing lab is. You have to deal with monthly maintenance charges, aside from frequent device upgrades, which is no easy task. We are already aware of how vital real mobile device testing is. As a result, online Android and iOS emulators are a popular option among consumers.
14 emulators for Windows, MAC, and online
Let’s discuss the 14 most popular android and iOS emulators available online.
1. HEADSPIN
HeadSpin provides cloud-based device infrastructure(Real Device Cloud). Thousands of real Android and iOS devices are available to test. When it comes to testing on Android and iOS devices, HeadSpin is the industry standard. By real mobile device testing, users can gain real-world insights into how to create emulator-like settings. Here, no SDK is required.
Features of HeadSpin are as follows-
Manual and Automated Testing: Use secure, scalable API-driven manual and automated testing to test, and debug your apps.
Functional Testing: Gain real-world insights while testing app functionality to ensure the application’s intended behavior.
Performance Testing: Examine performance issues in detail and troubleshoot crashes and errors.
Our cutting-edge AI engine provides performance and QoE insights and issues recommendations.
2. APPETIZE
Appetize is a web-based emulator that is HTML5 and JavaScript compatible.
Given the scarcity of iOS emulators for PC and Mac, Appetize is an excellent choice because you only have to submit the program to the internet. Appetize is compatible with iOS and Android smartphones.
3. LAMBDATEST
LambdaTest assures that webpages and applications are bug-free and perform smoothly by offering over 2000 alternative browser and OS environment combinations. The built-in developer tools provide access to real-time debugging.
It supports cross-browser testing on many mobile browsers, such as Safari, Mozilla, and Google Chrome. The Lambda tunnel functionality allows you to test locally and privately hosted websites.
4. GENYMOTION
Genymotion distinguishes itself from the crowd because of its strong OpenGL graphic cards. It includes Eclipse and Android Studio plugins. It’s thus one of the best and fastest Android emulators.
Aside from that, it is accessible on several operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and OS X. It also enables a webcam as a camera for an emulated device. The ADB tunnel can also be used to execute ADB instructions.
5. SAUCE LABS
Sauce Labs’ Android and iOS simulators provide a cost-effective way to test mobile applications. Their emulators allow you to perform cross-browser testing faster and at a lower cost than genuine devices.
To summarize, they are most likely the finest ones available for providing a decent mix of emulators, simulators, and actual devices to obtain the most significant results for mobile test automation.
6. AWS DEVICE FARM:
AWS Device Farm assists with the operation of online and mobile applications by testing them on a variety of desktop browsers, including Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox, and genuine mobile devices. This is done to guarantee that the application works consistently independent of the browser environment.
With automated testing, faults are recognized and organized so that the most critical ones may be addressed first. They are studied and corrected extensively using films, action and console logs, and web driver logs.
7. BLUESTACKS
It’s worth mentioning how popular and widely used Bluestacks is among Android emulators.
To begin with, Bluestacks is a desktop emulator that works with both Windows and Mac computers. It is designed to run any Android application, and Its capabilities are perfect for improving Android video game gaming experiences on Windows.
So, if you like high-resolution games, this one is for you because it’s all about Android games on PC! The most important benefit is that there is no loss of graphical quality, not to mention its exceptional compatibility with most Android games.
8. MEmu
It’s an Android emulator designed to improve your gaming experience. It is simple to use because it does not require changing or adjusting any sophisticated settings. Installation is all that is needed before you can begin playing. Subway Surfers, Geometry Dash, and Minion Rally are just a few games you may play with this emulator.
Besides, MEmu stands out as an anomaly because it supports Lollipop, Android Jelly Bean, and Kitkat. MEmu is suggested because of its high productivity and the fact that it is entirely free to use.
9. NOX
It’s another Android emulator that focuses on video games and works with various Android versions. It was created by BigNox and is suitable for games like PUBG and Clash of Clans. Keyboard Mapping is one of the sophisticated functions. This function gives you an advantage over other gamers since a keyboard reaction is faster.
It is simple to download and install, just like any other program. The multiplayer option allows you to run many games in separate windows simultaneously, allowing you to move between them quickly. It is available for free download and is compatible with Windows 10 and Mac.
10. ANDROID STUDIO
The Android studio includes several tools to assist developers in designing and developing Android-only apps and games. It also has a built-in emulator for testing your game or application.
The setup, on the other hand, is relatively complicated and time-consuming. It might be difficult for beginners, but it is an excellent choice for developers. It is clever software that supports Kotlin and Java in addition to C/C++.
11. REDFINGER
One of the most user-friendly and lightweight emulators is Redfinger. It has minimal hardware requirements and uses very little memory, making it ideal for novices and users who wish to conserve computer resources.
It offers an entirely native Android experience. Not only that, but it’s also a cross-platform emulator that lets you run all of your Android apps on Windows or Mac.
12. BROWSERSTACK
BrowserStack is a one-of-a-kind and revolutionary shelter for Apple iOS and Google Android mobile emulators, which are 99% identical to genuine devices.
BrowserStack is the most trusted platform for web and mobile testing. This one lets you test software across several devices and desktop browsers to ensure that it meets or exceeds corporate and consumer standards. It makes the task simpler by providing a flexible, user-friendly, and versatile interface and an excellent API.
You can quickly move from mobile to PC to MAC.
13. iPadian
Other programs are comparable to iPadian in that they give an iPad or iPhone experience on both Mac and PC, but they do not allow you to submit your app or code to conduct testing. Therefore, if you want to utilize an iOS emulator on a Windows desktop that resembles the hardware of iOS devices, the iPadian is the way to go.
It is important to note that it is not an emulator; instead, it replicates an iOS UI using a Windows 7 or higher operating system by creating a new window and leveraging Windows apps and hardware. It comes with a configurable UI and a variety of practical applications.
14. RunThatApp
RunThatApp enables you to run your mobile applications in the browsers, allowing people to test and advertise them. Its platform is unique that it works with almost every device and browser. Because it uses device emulation, it lowers the cost even further.
CONCLUSION
Our economy is dependent on our technology on a large scale. Having everything at the range of our palms needs good maintenance. Real mobile device testing checks their functionalities.
Statistics show that a consumer spends around 70bn USD (in Q2 2021) globally. This makes the market crave more efficient applications evolving the real device cloud. You may use the mentioned 14 emulators to complete your application smoother by quickly scaling up your android app’s automation testing and helping in easy debugging.