Hello! How often in your work have you needed to run some strange application that you really don't want to or it's very dangerous to run on your personal smartphone, but you don't have a test device (a victim of future experiments) on hand to run it?
Yes, you can run Android Studio, but this software requires a preliminary study of the manual — without it, you won't be able to run anything on it, but there isn't always time and desire for such tasks. It is believed that the best task is one that can be delegated to another person, and all their emerging questions can be answered with a link to an article. Unfortunately, I couldn't find such an article, and not to go far, I wrote one myself. In short, it's a common problem: if you can't find a good comparison, figure it out yourself.
Since we don't have a smartphone on which to run various dangerous applications, emulators come to our aid, on which it is possible to perform the set tasks. But which emulator to choose without experience in its use and knowledge? And also, what set of configuration tools can you get with it?
Yes, you can install all Android emulators in a row and waste valuable time understanding how they work, and then, cursing, look for another one that works as needed or has the functionality that was missing in the current one.
On the Internet, there is a huge number of different emulators, and I will deliberately review the free versions. This is because paid versions are better compared with other paid versions. And the probability of getting a budget approved for buying an emulator for a small test will most likely boil down to 'go buy a used smartphone and don't bother me and the accountant, he still has a quarterly report to file'.
I want to save your health and nerve cells and provide a ready-made solution without unnecessary descriptions of the interface's beauty, comparisons regarding the differences between one version and the previous one, and other fluff. For all those who want a detailed and thorough examination of each emulator, don't expect it, it won't be here. The article is as short and technical as possible. It is intended for my colleagues who need software that will work and perform its stated functions. I see no need for verbosity — to give your eyes a rest from the text, I've added screenshots.
This article is aimed at solving the problem using what is at hand — a head, strong hands, and access to the global Internet. Well then, let's not delay! Grab the system unit by the wire and let's begin! Go to the refrigerator, get a cold beer or pour some hot tea — let's start the vivisection!
First up for review: the NoxPlayer emulator.
An excellent Android emulator. It's easy to find on the internet and can be downloaded from the official website. The distribution package is 569 MB. These guys have a great and simple website, translated into a huge number of languages. Honestly, I don't know what you'd have to be on to get lost on it.
It's not entirely clear why, but the emulator uses Android version 7. For those who are not in the know, the latest current version is Android 13, which was released in August. That is, by using an old version of the emulator, you automatically go back (no, not to 2007 as you might have thought) to 2017. But if you are not satisfied with this version of Android, you can try the beta version. It's a bit newer — Android 9. I have no idea how good it is — I didn't try it because it would be inconvenient to compare it with other Android versions.
I am not a developer, so I can't give my expert opinion on how problematic it is to emulate the latest versions of Android. This emulator can run in x64, and that's wonderful, great, and excellent! It's good because there is a version for Mac, and you can also download old versions for windows\mac without any hassle.
The emulator does not require special skills for installation and setup. Everything is done in a few clicks, and anyone who knows how to press the left mouse button can install it.
So what can it do?!
It's convenient and fast to transfer information to the virtual smartphone using the 'copy/paste' hotkeys. It works from the virtual smartphone to the PC and vice versa. All this is done very easily and without any difficulties. For this — a special thanks to the developers.
For those who need it or are just curious — you can experiment with changing the smartphone model, choose or generate your own IMEI and phone number, and also configure any smartphone model. It's useless to send SMS messages or call the generated number — don't get your hopes up, it won't work.
You can change the performance to high, medium, low, or configure it according to your own parameters. You can also enable 'root' mode, I don't know why, but it's there. There are other goodies too — if you're interested, install it and see. As they say, the appetite comes with eating.
What's so great about this emulator? I'll tell you point by point:
Easily and quickly change the number of cores and RAM;
There are resolution settings for tablets, phones, widescreen displays, and custom settings;
Separate configuration of this emulator for games is possible;
You can choose a smartphone model or configure it according to your own parameters;
Ability to create or enter your own IMEI;
Create or enter your own phone number;
Configure backups;
Change the interface design, if anyone is interested;
Enable 'Root' mode;
You can install programs and games from Google Play;
Using 'copy/paste', you can transfer information and text to the virtual smartphone;
There is an option to transfer apk files to the virtual smartphone.
Let's move on to the next emulator — BlueStacks 5.
A good emulator that for a long time was considered the best on my list of used ones. Let's start with the website: it's simple, and even if it's in a language you don't know, you can easily find the installer for download on its main page. There are no difficulties with the installation.
In terms of functionality and settings, it is very similar to NoxPlayer — I will not describe in detail the functions it has and how it differs from Nox. If you have installed and configured BlueStacks 5, you will be able to figure this one out even faster. The interface is intuitive, and its configuration will not cause problems. In short, BlueStacks 5 allows you to configure performance and graphics for those who are going to play on it. I want to draw your special attention to this: this emulator runs on 32 bits, which should be taken into account if you want to put a load on it.
The screen resolution allows you to work with the emulator in landscape, portrait, ultrawide, and if you don't like any of the proposed options, you can set your own screen resolution format.
In BlueStacks 5, the mobile operator 'MegaFon' has been added, and judging by the drop-down list, more will be added in the future.
You can emulate mostly Samsung, OnePlus, and a few other smartphones. There are various settings for gaming convenience and high display quality.
There is also gamepad support — gamers will definitely appreciate this feature. I also can't fail to mention the excellent hotkey control option.
This emulator is very similar in functionality to NoxPlayer, but there are still some minor differences:
Easy and fast change of the number of cores and RAM;
Flexible resolution settings - portrait, landscape, ultrawide screen, and custom settings;
Separate configuration of this emulator for games is possible;
Choose a smartphone model or configure your own;
Create or enter your own IMEI;
Create or enter your own phone number;
Gamepad support for gamers;
Access to change the interface design;
Installation of programs and games from Google Play
Using 'copy/paste', you can transfer information and text to the virtual smartphone;
You can transfer apk files to the virtual smartphone;
Ability to connect to Discord;
There is a delayed input (I suppose this is a goodie for developers);
The user is given the ability to transfer media files from a PC to the emulated device;
Hotkey configuration.
A very simple and beautiful emulator, BlueStacks X.
I won't say much about it. BlueStacks X works entirely online and is a gaming platform. The installer is less than 1 megabyte. It's extremely simple — you download the application, install something interesting, and that's it. There are no settings or goodies — the application is as simple as possible, so you won't have a chance to get confused.
There are no fine-tuning options like in the previous applications. I included BlueStacks X in my article as a great and simple application that does everything required of it, without any configuration, headaches, or anything else. Even a 3-year-old child could figure it out.
A complex, not very beautiful, but very functional emulator: Memu Play.
After so many interesting features from different emulators, you're probably wondering if I can still surprise you? What can I say? Hold my beer!
Before you is possibly one of the best emulators of 2022, Memu. Before I start telling you how gorgeous it is, about the intricacies of its settings, and how easily Memu Play can bring any engineer to orgasm who needs to check and test things that other emulators don't allow, I'll tell you about its main drawback. It's the ads. They start on launch, hang at the bottom in the form of games, and can also pop up in small portions during operation.
And now about the emulator itself: I found it by chance on the Internet and fell in love with it at first sight. It is beautiful in every way, for me it's like the latest album of my favorite band Rammstein — moderately heavy, but with a very deep meaning that only a person who is meant to can understand, who can use it to its full potential in their research and work.
I'll start from the beginning: Memu Play doesn't have as beautiful an interface as the previous emulators, but not all that glitters is gold.
Memu Play allows you to configure display quality and the load on the CPU and RAM, and enable root access (I don't know if anyone will need this for work, but the function is there). Like the previous emulators, Memu Play allows you to conveniently configure the image display for yourself in tablet, smartphone, super-wide screen format, or even set it to your own custom size. You can configure the number of frames per second and work in FPS mode.
There is a setting for cache size to choose between speed and stability, and it's possible to specify your own required volume. Before you start falling asleep from the list of functions, let me show and tell you how this emulator surpasses the already, in essence, perfect products that came before it.
Here it is, the main feature that allows you to change not only the smartphone model, number, and IMEI. You can choose any mobile operator from the big four in Russia. You are given the opportunity to generate a phone number for that operator or enter your own. But that's not all!
We have the right to choose almost any mobile operator from other countries with its own pool of virtual numbers. They are arranged in alphabetical order, which is very convenient when choosing the desired country.
But that's not all I can tell you about this software. Memu Play allows for finer network and Wi-Fi hotspot name configuration compared to its counterparts. Here you can see for yourself what is convenient for you. Nothing new here, you can generate or write something of your own.
I won't go into the other functions — they don't differ much from the previous emulators. Almost everything is standard — change the interface, connect a microphone, and other little goodies.
Memu Play is very similar in functionality to NoxPlayer, but there are some minor differences:
Easy and fast change of the number of cores and RAM;
Flexible resolution settings — mobile, wide, ultrawide screens, and custom settings;
Separate configuration of Memu Play for games;
You can choose a smartphone model or configure your own;
Create or enter your own IMEI;
Create or enter your own phone number;
Wide choice of mobile operators;
Choice of other countries and local mobile operators;
You can change the interface design;
Ability to install programs and games from Google Play;
Using 'copy/paste' to transfer information and text to the virtual smartphone;
Transfer of apk files to the virtual smartphone.
User has the right to connect to Discord;
Delayed input, presumably for developers;
Ability to transfer media files from a PC to the emulated device;
Hotkey configuration.
That's all, dear reader! I am publishing this article for your expert opinion and yours alone. I hope it will save your time and the time of your colleagues who face the need to install the right emulator. Thanks to my work, it will be easier to understand which emulator to choose.
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