Emulators are software used to create a virtual environment for an application to run on an operating system for which it was not intended to run in the first place. Emulation is a great way to find issues in the application before releasing it to the market. One of the most common forms of emulators is Android emulation.
The Android emulation works on computers, and it is used mainly by the developers who are developing a new application or updating the current application with a new patch. Today we are going to help Android developers find the right emulator for them to use. From this blog, you will be able to find the difference between the number of Android emulators and how each one of them has various features, which could be a great help when you are developing an application. So let’s get started!
What is an Android Emulator? [Definition]
Before we move forward, we need to explain what an Android Emulator is in the first place. The Android Emulator works as an Android Virtual Device (AVD); these software programs can represent a specific device or a number of devices based on your needs. With the running of the Android Emulator, you will find all the functionality of an Android phone but on your computer and that too, virtually. In addition to this, you will be able to receive phone calls and text messages, and it also stimulates the location of the device along with the network speed if you connect it to the WIFI connection. All in all, with the Android Emulator, you get a working Android phone on your desktop or laptop.
Why do you need an Android Emulator?
The next question which arises in the mind of the reader is why do we even need an emulator for Android when we have our smartphones in our pockets? Well, the answer is plain and straightforward. Sometimes it is easier to install an application on your emulated smartphone than it is on your own smartphone, and you run the risk of jeopardizing your personal information to the hacker. When you are using an emulation machine for the Android smartphone, you can download and install a number of applications without having to think twice.
Because even if something does go wrong, you don’t have to worry about the personal information and the other things being shared with the hacker or being deleted. Another benefit is the transfer of data to the emulated device. When you are transferring a file to your mobile via USB cable, it is limited by the speed of the USB you are using. But when you are sharing a file on the emulated smartphone, it will be transferred in an instant as it is already present on the computer. Furthermore, Android emulators are available in a variety of configurations, including Android phones, Wear OS, tablets, Android TV, and others.
Benefits of having an Android Emulator?
It is true that people are now moving from computers to smartphones for surfing the internet. Now, surfing the internet isn’t something you need to do while staying in front of the computer. In fact, people are getting connected to their friends on social media platforms using smartphones only.
So in all this, having an Android emulator installed on your computer may look like swimming against the tide? But in truth, more and more people are using the Android Emulator for playing mobile games on their systems and doing lots of stuff that might be dangerous to perform on their smartphone. Given below are some of the benefits that you will enjoy once you start using the Android Emulator.
1. Android Emulator gives you a Bigger Smartphone Screen
Well, we spend a lot of time constantly staring at our phone’s screen, which is relatively small, and thus, it affects our eyes in a really bad way, causing us to lose the power of vision. On the other hand, staring at the phone for a long time isn’t good for your spine either, as you have to look down.
When you move from the small screen of your phone to the big screen of your computer, your head moves up, and the bigger screen will have its own benefits. In addition to this, all those headshots which you were missing on the phone will now be accurate from the computer. Your typing speed will also significantly improve.
2. No More Distractions
Well, when we are working, a lot of times, a single notification will distract us from our work, and then we spend 10 minutes scrolling up and down the social media app. With a mobile emulator, all your things will be present on your computer screen, so no matter what, you will not lose focus and won’t be using your phone every once in a while.
3. Saves your Battery
See, as we said, people love playing mobile games on a big screen of a computer, and we all know how easily modern 3D video games kill our batteries. With the help of an Android emulator, you will be able to play video games as long as you want without having to worry about the heating of your mobile phone and its battery usage. As a result, your phone’s battery will last longer, and your gaming sessions don’t have to rely on your smartphone’s battery.
4. Better Gaming Experience
You might not have the best flagship smartphone, as they cost a ton of money, and only a few people are looking to buy those expensive phones. However, with a faster processor, flagship phone owners can easily kill you in an online multiplayer game because your phone was still loading the frame when they killed you. But you can easily change this and get the best of the frame rates using an emulator.
Even a midrange desktop or laptop has the processing and graphics power to give you a great gaming experience for mobile games. So, when you play FPS games like Call of Duty on an emulated device on your computer, you will have a much better gaming experience with no lags.
5. Play Games Using Multiple Accounts
So, for some reason, you were banned from playing an online multiplayer game. Now you can’t play the game using your mobile phone as it has your Play Store ID, and if you delete the Play store ID and create a new one, all the progress that you have made in other games will be gone too. So the best thing to get your way around the ban is to play the game using the Android Emulator on your PC.
With the Emulator, you can play games with more than one account as you can create multiple devices via emulation. Also, if you are playing a video game and want to listen to some music at the same time, you can do that too by just opening up the media player and playing the song or streaming it using the other apps. Everything can be done at the same time without you having to minimize your gaming screen.
Things to Keep in Mind When Choosing an Android Emulator?
So now you know the benefits of using an Android emulator on your PC. The next step is to help you find out which one of the Android emulators is best for you and will help you get things done in your way.
1. BlueStacks
Starting our list of Android emulators, we have BlueStacks. It would be a crime not to put BlueStacks on the top of the list. For years, BlueStacks has been providing a new generation of teenagers and college students with the opportunity to test out their applications on its emulated Android device. BlueStacks, without any second thoughts, is one of the most comprehensive Android app players in the market even to this day, and it has tons of reasons to be on the top of this list too. First things first, this Android Emulator can run on both Mac and Windows operating systems.
Aside from running on almost every operating system that is present on the face of the earth, this Android emulator comes jam-packed with the latest features, which helps a user to have an enhanced gaming experience. One of the tools we would like to mention here is the Key Mapping tool, which allows a user to customize the control scheme of the game which they are playing. On the other hand, the instance manager lets you create multiple instances so you can play multiple games simultaneously. It also has a quality-of-life feature which makes the Emulator reduce resource consumption when it is running some of the most demanding games. One thing that we like most about this emulator is that it is safe to use and is certified for GDPR compliance. Thus, all the data which you provide on this emulator will be locked and secure from hackers.
2. Android Studio Emulator
So we have to talk about the big elephant in the room, which is Android Studio. The Android Studio is the official IDE for the Android operating system of Google. It has tons of features and tools which are helpful for people who are developing their own apps and want to test them out in a safe, emulated environment. Also, it is pretty faster in terms of running the application than the actual device.
With the use of this Emulator, a developer can easily find out the advanced matrix and view his application on a much larger screen to find out how the UI actually looks and feels. But this emulator can also be used for playing high-definition games with low memory consumption. The UI is quite good and is loaded with features from top to bottom. A user has the freedom to set up the emulator window theme according to their liking. One can take a screenshot of the apps which are running on the Emulator, and due to the Emulator being Java-based, it has high performance and work functions. Lastly, it has Google’s brand name attached to it, which makes it quite reliable for both testing an app and playing games.
3. Remix OS Player
Third on our list is the Remix OS Player, which is an Android Emulator for the Windows system. This emulator is said to provide the most immersive experience in terms of the android system. Moreover, just like the key mapping of BlueStacks, this emulator also comes with a mapping tool, which gives you a touch control scheme on your computer. This allows a user to be more efficient with the mouse and the keyboard.
Furthermore, the software provides good usability of Android apps in a much broader desktop view. Due to its multi-window support, a user can optimize the app for their AndroidPC or for chrome. One of the features which make it stand out from the rest of the emulators is the ability to map any number of keyboard buttons in order to give access control to users in emulated games.
4. LDPlayer
If you are only looking to play games using an emulator, then LDPlayer is the best emulator option for you out there on the market. Don’t worry; it does support all the other Android applications as well, but it is genuinely fitted for providing mobile gamers with the big screen and low FPS experience, which they are missing out on. The Emulator is constantly getting updated and patches to keep the gaming experience smooth and the user interface clutter-free.
The LDPlayer works on Android Nougat 7.1, but there is one thing that you need to know, and that is that the LDPlayer is only compatible with Windows 7 and Windows 10. Also, when we were exploring the various features of the LDPlayer, we found out that some of the features which are present in the Emulator are only available for premium users, and to access them, you need to pay.
5. GameLoop
This Android emulator had a change of name for a lot of people; it was known as the Tencent gaming buddy, which allowed users to play games like PUBG mobile on desktop. In addition to this, this emulator has become so popular and powerful over time that even Tencent has officially called this emulator good enough to be its official mobile gaming emulator. There are plenty of games for you to play on this emulator.
On the other hand, when it comes to productivity and the development of applications, this emulator will be of no use at all. It is only suitable for mobile gaming, and thus, we can’t say it is a fully-fledged Android emulator. But where it excels is being one of the best gaming emulators for Android and specifically for PUBG mobile.
6. Nox Player Emulator
Nox Player is another emulator that is completely free to use on PC, and it is also safe to provide your information due to GDPR compliance. Emulator developers, on the other hand, keep the user’s personal information safe and secure in their data centres. The Emulator is reasonably stable for both gaming and application development purposes. Because of its high frame rate, which allows for a much smoother experience, Nox will make you feel like you’re playing a game on your PC rather than an emulator.
Since its initial release in the global market, Nox has been a must-have for gamers all over the world. As of now, Nox Player is available in over 200 countries.
7. Memu Play
This last Android emulator on our list has recently gotten much-deserved attention. When we explored this one, it was hard to pinpoint a single feature that stood out as being the best as there were so many of them. But the most prominent one that we were able to figure out is the support for both Intel and AMD CPUs, which is quite good for the compatibility of the hardware.
It might come as a surprise, but not many of the features that are present in this emulator are available in any other emulator. The Emulator comes with the ability to run multiple instances alongside each other. Just like BlueStacks, this emulator also works on Android Nougat by default, but you can change it to the Lollipop and Kit Kat versions of Android according to your liking.
Wrapping up
So these are some of the best Android emulators available on the market in 2021. These emulators can help you play Android games on your desktop and also provide you with a safe virtual environment to test out your newly developed application. So go ahead and download the one you like the most and start the fun with the emulated Android devices.