Real device testing vs. emulators and simulators.
Catching issues early costs a fraction of catching them in production. But not all early-stage testing is equal. Understanding when to use real devices versus emulators is key to a high-quality, efficient mobile testing strategy.
Why real device testing matters
Testing on real devices vs. hardware provides accurate results for performance, UI responsiveness, network conditions, device sensors, battery usage, and user interactions that emulators and simulators simply cannot replicate. Real device testing allows teams to monitor how apps behave under real user conditions — low battery, varying network connectivity, different operating systems, and hardware-specific behavior — which is crucial for delivering a reliable user experience.
Real device testing also validates app behavior that emulators miss entirely: Play Store installation flows, biometric authentication, camera input, GPS simulation, and interactions across different screen sizes and real iOS and Android hardware configurations. When you test on real mobile devices, your test results reflect what users actually experience.
The role of emulators and simulators
Emulators and simulators are fast and cost-effective but lack access to native device features, making them ideal for pairing with real devices for early validation. Emulators and simulators are most valuable in the earliest stages of development — before real device cloud testing catches what they might miss.
Sauce Labs’ scalable, always-available Android emulators and iOS simulators give your team a fast, cost-effective way to validate code earlier in the cycle. Pair with Real Device Cloud for full-cycle quality coverage from first commit to release.
Scale testing coverage
Emulators and simulators are easy to scale, making them ideally suited for Continuous Integration pipelines.
Increase speed and quality
Reduce build times and iterate more frequently on mobile apps or websites. Shift mobile testing left to find bugs earlier and improve the quality of your application.
Reduce testing costs
Run functional tests on emulators and simulators for a fraction of the cost of real devices. Add real devices at the end of the dev cycle when you need to test real-world conditions.
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MOBILE TEST AUTOMATION FRAMEWORKS
Test with popular automation frameworks
Start testing immediately using your preferred automation framework.
Features of emulators & simulators
Spend more time developing and less time managing your automated testing infrastructure.
Test on your schedule
There’s never any waiting for our emulators or simulators. Spin up emulators or simulators on demand and test on your schedule.
Keep your data secure
Our emulators and simulators always run on single-use VMs. Your data is never left behind for someone else to see, and their data won't interfere with your tests.
Test on the widest range of emulators & simulators
Test on the latest versions of iOS and Android plus OS beta versions.
