Comparison of Android Emulator tools

The following table compares the tasks you can perform using the emulator UI,AVD Manager, commonly used command-linestartup options, and the Emulator Console. In the AVD Manager, you can set hardwareprofile and AVDproperties.

The table compares features that are similar, but not necessarily with identical functionality,between different emulator tools.

Although not listed in the table, the adb utility also supports commands for interactingwith virtual devices,as described in Android Debug Bridge.For example, you can install an app on a virtual device by usingAndroid Studio,the emulator UI, oradb.You can copy a file to a virtual device using the emulator UI oradb, and copy a file from avirtual device using adb.

Remember that to use certain features of the emulator with your apps, you needto enable them through various <uses-feature>elements and manifestpermission constants, just as you would if you ran them on a hardwaredevice.

Table 4. Comparison of Android Emulator tools

User interface controlHardware profile propertyAVD propertyCommand-line startup optionConsole command
Device hardware
Device type: Phone/Tablet, Wear OS, Android TV
Back, Home, Overview, Menu Input: Has Hardware Buttons (Back/Home/Menu)
Settings: Send keyboard shortcuts to Input: Has Hardware Keyboard Keyboard Input

Directional Pad
Navigation Style: None, D-pad, Trackball, Wheel
Zoom Mode
Battery power command
Phone gsm and sms send commands
Rotate Supported Device States Startup: Orientation rotate command
Camera Camera
(can choose webcam)
-camera-back-camera-front-webcam-list

Take Screenshot

Settings: Screenshot save location
OrientationLocationVirtual sensors Sensors: Accelerometer, Gyroscope, GPS, Proximity Sensor geo command
Fingerprint finger command
Volume -noaudio
-no-audio
event command
Disk Images and Memory
Memory and Storage: SD Card -sdcard
Memory and Storage: Internal Storage
RAM Memory and Storage: RAM -memory
Memory and Storage: VM Heap vm command
In the Your Virtual Devices page of the AVD Manager,right-click an AVD and select WipeData. -wipe-data
Network
network status command
-dns-server
-http-proxy
Network: Latency -netdelay network delay command
-netfast
Cellular: Network Type Network: Speed -netspeed network speed command
Voice status Data status gsm command
Signal strength
Settings: Use detected ADB location -port
-ports
redir command
-tcpdump network capture start and network capture stopcommands
System
In the System Image page of the AVD Manager, select a system image capable of VM acceleration. -accel -accel-check -no-accel
Multi-Core CPU
-engine
Emulated Performance: Graphics —hardware, software, or auto -gpu
-nojni
-no-jni
-selinux {disabled|permissive}
-timezone
-version
UI
Settings: Emulator window theme
Resize Screen Size and
Screen Resolution
window command
Round
-no-boot-anim
Default Skin Device Frame and
Custom Skin Definition
-screen {touch|multi-touch|no-touch}
Debug
-debug
tags
-debug-tag-debug-no-tag
-logcat
-show-kernel
-verbose