Emulators or Real Devices? Which one to choose for Accurate Testing.?

QA engineers prefer using emulators during the initial stages of development as it helps them to verify the recent change made to their codebase. However, emulators are not reliable enough to be considered the only option for full-proof testing. For any app or website to be successful, it needs to be thoroughly tested from an end-user perspective and in real conditions.

Testing on Real devices is the only way that can help teams evaluate the actual performance of apps and websites. Also, it will help faster identification of bugs that a user might face in the real world. For example, if a developer want’s to optimize the website for Safari, then the developer should consider testing his website on the real Safari browser rather than using the Safari emulator. This will help the developer evaluate the actual areas of improvements required to optimize the website for a Safari browser.

Testing on real devices always ensures that the app or website being developed is robust. This also ensures that by thorough tests on real devices and browsers, teams are going the extra mile to provide a flawless and bug-free user experience to their end-users. As mobile emulators simulate both hardware and software, they are slow. As a result, the testing process becomes times consuming and also increases the overhead.

Testing on real devices is faster as compared to emulator/simulator-based testing. It also helps the developer to evaluate the battery performance issues like battery drainage or overheating. Developers can also evaluate test results for incoming interrupts like push notifications, messages, or calls.

To conclude,

• It is not an either/or approach when it comes to emulators, simulators, and real devices
• Each approach has its importance depending on the stage of an application’s lifecycle. However, for full-proof testing, testing on real devices is a must.