Android Emulator for Windows- 12 Best Emulators

Android emulator for windows

Introduction- Android emulator for windows

Image credits: https://windowsreport.com

What if you are able to do all the activities on your computer screen that you do on your phone? Isn’t it interesting? Yes, you can do this with an emulator. Basically, it casts your mobile screen to your laptop or PC. Android emulator for windows allows you to perform all the functions of your phone on a bigger screen, including access to all the Play store apps. You can also enjoy playing your favourite android games on a computer screen. In addition to this, it also allows the testing of applications for developers. You must take a look over this article to read about ‘android emulators for windows’ at a glance.

Android emulator for windows- Definition

Image credits: https://techstray.com

Android emulators are designed to simulate both the software and hardware of Android devices on a computer. You can use it for variety purposes, from playing games to testing apps and from calling to posting your photos on Instagram. Once the app is tested, and there are no further issues, access to the app is given to the general public. Briefly, we will explain the need for Android emulators. 

Why do we need an emulator for android?

 In order to understand the concept of Emulators, let us know the need for emulators first.

See also:

  • Developers or programming specialists use Emulators for testing the apps before delivering them to the public. 
  • It provides a more refined gaming experience for game lovers due to the access to the keyboard and mouse.
  • It is most beneficial for people who do not have high-quality Android phones. For example, You can approach multiple apps at a time.

How does an android emulator for windows work?

How emulators work?
Image credits: https://safetricks.org

 Apart from knowing the need for emulators, get some knowledge regarding the functioning of android emulators.

QEMU

QEMU stands for Quick Emulator. It is used to emulate the processor of the machine with the help of binary translation. Furthermore, it provides different hardware for the machine that enables it to run different guest operating systems. This translation can sometimes be a slow process resulting in slow emulation. But if the host CPU and guest architectures are the same, it may help overcome this problem. In this case, you need a hypervisor. 

Hypervisor

A hypervisor can be referred to as a virtual machine or a software that runs virtual machines. A computer with a hypervisor running more than one virtual machine becomes a host machine. And the virtual machine is referred to as a guest machine. Some of the best hypervisors are- 

  1. VMware vSphere
  2. Xen
  3. Red hat enterprise virtualization
  4. Hyper-V server 2012

To install and run an Android emulator, you must have a dual-core processor and a minimum of 1.5 GB RAM. 

Android emulator for Windows- Pros and Cons

In truth, be it a software or a hardware, everything has its positive sides and opposing sides. We will discuss below some of the pros and cons of android emulators. 

Android emulator- Pros 

  • It is a great satisfaction for game lovers, be it the bigger screen or mouse and keyboard controls. It adds more fun to playing games.
  • Advantageously, people do not need to have a high-end Android phone to access emulators.
  • Not only this but it also saves your phone’s battery.
  • Unlike phones, it is not necessary to minimize one application to use the other one. You can run different applications on the single screen of your PC at the same time. Not every software provides this function, but most of them will give you this benefit. 

Android emulator- Cons

  • Minimum RAM requirements for emulators are 1.5 GB, but it may not work the way you imagined until you have a 4 GB RAM
  • Testing on android emulators is a risk because even if the app testing is 100 per cent faultless, it may have some issues when it works on an actual device. 
  • A good quality android emulator might be expensive. 

 

12 best android emulators for PCs

Best Android emulators for windows
Image credits: https://seeromega.com/

There are a wide variety of emulators in the market, some are free of cost, and for some, you have to pay money. Below is the list of some of the best android emulators for windows you can install and use. 

Bluestacks 

Bluestack android emulator is known to be a very popular and oldest emulator available in the market. Undoubtedly, it gives you the smoothest and fastest gaming experience. The latest version of Bluestacks is Bluestacks 5, which you can download from their official website.

Features:

  • It is best suitable for Windows and Mac both.
  • It is considered the best emulator for gamers.
  • Easy to set up and use.
  • Price- $2 for a month.

MEmu

MEmu is another android emulator that works well for gamers. It was launched in 2015. Moreover, it also supports versions of Android operating systems like Jellybean, Lollipop and KitKat. 

 Features:

  • It supports AMD and Intel chipsets both.
  • It is capable of playing upscale games on PC. 
  • Price for premium version- $2.99 for a month. 

Nox Player

Nox player is another better option for playing games as it is mainly made for gaming purposes. You can even play PUBG on your computer using the Nox Player android emulator. Your PC should have at least 2 GB RAM or more for Nox Player to get installed and run.  

 Features:

  • It is compatible with all Windows- XP, 7, 8, 8.1, 10 and Mac
  • It allows key-mapping with a keyboard and mouse.
  • Price- Free of cost

Genymotion

As this emulator runs different versions of Android, Genymotion is the best option for app testing on multiple devices. It helps them to test that their applications work efficiently on various versions of Android without any fault. 

 Features:

  • It is the right choice for developers.
  • It can run Android versions from 4.1 to 8.0.
  • Price- free for general purpose
  • Premium version price- $136 per year

Game Loop

Game Loop is also called Tencent Gaming Buddy. In fact, it is one of the finest Android emulators for Windows that can run a vast number of games and it is also best suited for low profile PCs. One of the best features of Game Loop is that it is optimized to a great extent. Although it is one of the advanced emulators, it is not a good option for developing and testing. 

 Features: 

  • It is highly optimized.
  • It provides you with high-quality graphics.
  • Superior performance
  • You can download it for free.

Remix OS

Apart from Game Loop, Remix OS is also a software that offers you an immersive gaming experience. This software also allows you to test android apps. It runs the 6.x Marshmallow version of Android. It does not support high-end gaming. 

 Features:

  • Easy installation and setup
  • It is free of cost. 

Prime OS

Prime OS is a software developed to provide you with a complete desktop experience. You can access millions of applications on your computer screen. Also, it is the best alternative to Nox Player and Bluestacks for gaming performance.

 Features:

  • Prime OS gives you multiple windows support. 
  • It also adds a feature of key mapping.
  • This software is free and safe to download.

Ko Player

Ko player is a free of cost emulator that focuses on providing the most enjoyable gaming adventure. It has the additional feature of recording and uploading your gaming footage. Although it has some bugs, it is simple and straightforward to use.

 Features:

  • It supports key mapping.
  • Easy to install and use.
  • Price- Free to download and run.

Android Studio

Google has approved this software and is highly recommended to developers. This software gives a variety of features to the people for developing their apps and games. For this reason, if you are a developer, it is the perfect emulator for you. It is more of the use for developing rather than general use or playing games. 

 Features:

  • Easy setup and installation
  • Google has approved this software officially.
  • You can access it for free. 

Bliss OS

It is another software to convert your Android on a laptop or computer screen. Bliss OS is different from all the other emulators as it comes with a unique feature of installing a USB. This operating system can run on Windows, Linux, Mac and also on Chromebooks. On the other hand, It is an ad-free and open-source operating system. 

 Features:

  • Bliss OS is battery friendly.
  • It has many security features.
  • It is also flexible.
  • You can download it free of cost.

ARChon

Although it works the same as an emulator, you cannot call it an emulator. You can install it through Google Chrome. Basically, it is for running or testing apps. You cannot use it for gaming or developing applications. Moreover, it can run on all the operating systems that Google supports. 

Features:

  • It can run on Windows, Linux and Mac.
  • Also, it is free to use. 

LD Player

LD Player is a new Android emulator for Windows in the market. It is also a boon to gamers for providing the best gaming performance. This emulator also supports the mapping of keys for the mouse and keyboard. It gives a more fair experience while playing PUBG than Nox Player.

 Features:

  • You can get the fastest gaming performance.
  • This software is stable for new android games.
  • Furthermore, it is free to download and run.

Conclusion

To sum up, the above-discussed emulators are some of the most popular and best android emulators for windows. Since every person has their requirements, so you can compare and choose the emulators that suit your needs. In my experience, I recommend you not to use two emulators simultaneously as it may result in an ambiguous or unstable system. 

 

This site uses cookies to offer you a better browsing experience. By browsing this website, you agree to our use of cookies.