5 Myths About Emulator Device Developers Need to Stop Believing
05/11/2025
An emulator device is a software-based environment that mimics the behavior of a real smartphone or tablet. Developers often use emulator devices during early development to test basic functions, layouts, and UI compatibility without buying multiple physical phones.
While emulator devices offer convenience and cost savings, they don’t represent the full range of real-world conditions such as hardware limitations, temperature effects, or unstable network environments. Relying solely on emulator devices can lead to inaccurate results and negative user experiences after launch.
1. Top Myths About Emulators
Many developers still believe that emulators are enough for complete testing. However, this assumption often causes serious performance and usability issues when the app reaches real
1.1 Emulators Can Help Create a Great User Interface
It’s true that an emulator device is handy for quick UI checks. You can easily preview layouts, fonts, and responsive designs.
However, an emulator device cannot accurately reproduce user gestures, display brightness, or screen refresh rates.
For example, a perfectly aligned button on an emulator device may look off-center on certain Android models due to screen density and manufacturer-specific adjustments.
→ Tip: Always validate your UI through real device testing to ensure consistency across devices.
1.2 Performance Testing on Emulators Is Accurate
This is one of the most common misconceptions. Emulator performance tests rarely reflect real-world conditions. They run on your PC or cloud server, not on actual device hardware. As a result, CPU, GPU, and memory usage metrics are often misleading.
A smooth-running app on an emulator might lag or crash on a mid-range Android device with limited RAM or older processors. Similarly, emulators can’t simulate heat buildup, background processes, or battery drain all of which directly affect app performance.
→ Real device testing provides the only reliable way to measure true responsiveness, load time, and resource consumption.
1.3 Emulators Can Fully Substitute Real Device Testing
While emulator devices are useful for debugging, they cannot replace testing on real hardware.
In Vietnam alone, the smartphone market was valued at USD 6.71 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 11.50 billion by 2030. With such growth and fragmentation, relying on emulator devices only is a risky strategy.
Features like GPS, camera, or Bluetooth behave differently, and emulator APIs can’t replicate these interactions faithfully.
→ Tip: Always combine emulator device testing with real device testing to cover hardware-specific behaviors.
1.4 Platforms and Customizations Can Be Compromised
Every smartphone brand adds its own layer of customization on top of Android. These manufacturer skins such as Samsung, Xiaomi, or Oppo – modify default system behavior.
An emulator device typically uses a clean, stock Android version, meaning it lacks the manufacturer-level tweaks that might affect your app. This can lead to unexpected crashes, layout shifts, or background service limitations once deployed on real phones.
→ Best practice: Always include tests on a range of real devices from multiple brands to uncover these platform-specific issues.
1.5 Infrastructure and Networks Are Not Essential for App Testing
Another myth is that stable internet and infrastructure conditions aren’t crucial for testing. ln reality, network performance is a major factor influencing user experience.
Emulators cannot replicate unstable mobile data connections, variable latency, or low-signal environments that users often encounter. Apps relying on APIs, cloud storage, or live streaming behave very differently under weak 3G/4G/5G connections.
→ Real device testing in diverse network conditions ensures your app handles retries, caching, and timeouts gracefully.
2. Difference Between Testing on Emulators vs Simulators vs Real Devices
| Feature | Emulator | Simulator | Real Device |
| Purpose | Mimics both hardware & software | Mimics software only | Actual user environment |
| Hardware Accuracy | Partial | None | 100% Accurate |
| Performance Testing | Limited | Not reliable | Fully reliable |
| Sensor & API Access | Restricted | Restricted | Full access |
| Battery, Heat, Memory Tests | Not possible | Not possible | Possible |
| Network Variability | Not realistic | Not realistic | Realistic |
| User Interaction Testing | Limited | Limited | Real-world feedback |
| Cost | Low | Low | Moderate |
| Best For | Early debugging | UI prototyping | Pre-release validation |
→ Summary: Emulators and simulators are valuable tools for early-stage testing, but they should never be the final step. For accuracy, reliability, and real user insights, testing on real devices remains indispensable.
3. About Airmobi
At Airmobi, we understand the challenges of testing apps across countless device models and system environments. That’s why we offer a robust real device testing platform powered by cloud-based phone farms.
With Airmobi, developers can remotely access and test on 80+ real Android and iOS devices located in Vietnam without the cost of maintaining a physical lab.
Our platform supports:
- Functional testing on real devices
- Performance and network stability checks
- Cross-version compatibility validation
- Automated and manual test integration
Whether you’re building a local app or serving millions of users globally, Airmobi helps ensure your product performs seamlessly in the hands of every user.
4. In short
Don’t let emulator myths mislead your testing strategy. Combine the flexibility of emulators with the accuracy of real device testing on Airmobi – and deliver better, faster, and more reliable apps to your users.