Size of each virtual machine cannot be viewed from the app.Requires the most Windows setting adjustments.Apps can have their own launch icons on the taskbar and Start Menu.Fastest boot time, averaging about 6.12 seconds.It does provide a tool that conveniently makes the necessary Windows changes, but it also disables Core Isolation, which can make your system more vulnerable to sophisticated malware. However, BlueStacks breaks the functionality of Windows Subsystem for Android, Windows Sandbox and other emulators, as it requires you to disable certain Windows features for it to work. The straightforward setup process doesn’t nag you to install bloatware, and the Android home screen looks clean with subtle app advertisements across the bottom.

LDPlayer has been around since 2016 and evolved to being what could be the best VirtualBox-based Android emulator.

Windows 11 Pro 21H2 build 22000.856 with Hyper-V, Virtual Machine Platform and Secure Core disabled in “Balanced” power mode.

Samsung MZVL2512HCJQ-00BL2 512 GB NVMe Gen4.

I launched each emulator while logging the boot time, then ran a Geekbench 5.4.4 benchmark afterward, using my laptop with the following specifications:

To measure the performance of each emulator, I configured each one to use 2 cores and 4 GB of RAM with a 720p resolution. While the primary focus of all these solutions is gaming, you can also install and use Android apps via the preinstalled Google Play app or drag and drop APK files. The common features all emulators share include the ability to create multiple virtual machines, customizable CPU and RAM allocation towards the Android virtual machine, and a built-in screen recorder. These images house fully emulated and rooted Android environments, complete with home screen launchers and customizable settings. All Android emulators in this list have the VirtualBox engine built in and come with custom-made Android images. VirtualBox is a free and open-source virtualization solution for running guest operating systems, such as Windows and Linux, within the host operating system.

Overwhelming user interface for non-developers.

Possible graphical glitches on certain hardware configurations.

Cumbersome setup process involving several downloads.

Several images are upgradable and come with Google Play and Google Services preinstalled.

Also supports macOS, Linux and Chrome OS.

Custom window frames to better simulate a Google phone or tablet.

Official Google solution for testing Android apps.

I recommend only using Android Studio if the app you need will only work on a recent Android version. Because Android Studio comes with various developer tools, this solution requires more storage space and has a complicated interface. Once you have created the image and launched the emulator, you can either log in to Google Play or drag and drop APK files to install and use Android apps.

Installing android on windows 10