Emulators vs Physical Device Testing

Developers should learn and use emulators when building or testing applications for specific hardware platforms, such as mobile apps for iOS or Android, where physical devices may be limited or costly meets developers should use physical device testing when building applications for mobile, iot, or embedded platforms to validate functionality, performance, and usability on target hardware. Here's our take.

Emulators

Nice Pick

Developers should learn and use emulators when building or testing applications for specific hardware platforms, such as mobile apps for iOS or Android, where physical devices may be limited or costly

Pros

• They are essential for debugging and quality assurance in cross-platform development, allowing simulation of various device configurations, screen sizes, and operating systems
• Related to: virtualization, cross-platform-development

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

Physical Device Testing

Developers should use Physical Device Testing when building applications for mobile, IoT, or embedded platforms to validate functionality, performance, and usability on target hardware

Pros

• It is essential for testing device-specific features like cameras, GPS, accelerometers, or battery consumption, and for ensuring compatibility across different device models and manufacturers
• Related to: mobile-testing, iot-testing

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

These tools serve different purposes. Emulators is a tool while Physical Device Testing is a methodology. We picked Emulators based on overall popularity, but your choice depends on what you're building.

The Bottom Line

Emulators wins

Based on overall popularity. Emulators is more widely used, but Physical Device Testing excels in its own space.