Virtual Vs Real Devices- Which One Is Best Device For Mobile Testing

Mobile testing is seen as an important aspect of mobile application development today because of the large number of devices and functionalities that have to be checked against smartphone apps and web pages. If a company wants to maintain and extend its customer database, it will engage in certain testing to ensure the smooth operation of its applications. If the applications struggle to work smoothly, customers will switch to competitor applications.

Luckily, we are surrounded by plenty of testing tools for carrying out a detailed test on an application. Such devices can be divided into 3 parts:

In this article, we will cover which of these testing tools is best and why. Let's get started by learning more about each one of these.

What is a Real testing device?

Testing on a real device lets you run your mobile applications and evaluate its features and functionalities. Testing on such a device means that consumer handsets can operate seamlessly on the application without facing any issues.

How is a virtual testing device different from the real one?

Unlike a real device, a virtual one is a computer software program that offers emulation for many of the essential features of an actual mobile app. It imitates the essence of the smartphone, which lets the testers run the software application on it to get an understanding of how it will function on the device that is known as real.

There are two types of virtual testing device:

1. Emulator

2. Simulator

What are Emulators?

An emulator is a software program that enables your cell phone to replicate the functions of another device or mobile app that you wish them to mimic by running on your computer or smartphone.

What are Simulators?

A simulator is a program that lets the computer execute such Operating System-built programs. They're mainly meant for iPhone and iPad users, unlike quickly emulated Android apps.

The Final Comparison- Are you ready?

We will talk about certain circumstances where we will compare both the real type and virtual type testing devices.

1. Deadline situations- Sometimes it can be tough to buy the necessary mobile devices, whereas using the emulator or a simulator can come in handy in such a moment. That being said, not all of the scenarios could be tested as desired, which can be achieved while testing on the smartphone.

1. Usability- Virtual devices make it much simpler to test the abundance of features available today on various mobile devices. Yet they skip testing the UI and UX features of an application with a smartphone–including testing the interface for color and brightness.

1. Accessibility- The testing is effective on real devices. Testing on the virtual devices, though, makes it simpler, as the only thing that is needed is an application URL.

1. High performance- It is a very critical aspect of testing an application. Testing an application's output on a real device usually produces a more reliable outcome than when evaluated on emulators or simulators.

Are the three devices better together?

The relevant way to carry out a test can include a mix of emulators and real devices. This method fixes the scalability and cost inefficiencies that come with real apps while retaining the ability to test under conditions of real use. It delivers the best of all worlds. After the decision to add emulators to the mix has been taken, there could also be confusion as to which tests to perform on emulators and which tests to perform on real devices.

This mixed approach is a perfect way to start small and not be distracted by all the changes. The trick is to start, then expand on the starting point, elsewhere.

Companies that are dependent on real devices solely challenge their attempts at mobile testing. Emulators are similar to real devices, but they are unable to have that experience that a device would offer. If working together in an integrated testing space, real devices and emulators allow testing professionals to make the most out of whatever actions they perform and get a positive outcome. Plus, parallel mobile testing across various channels gives you the ability to carry out experiments faster while reducing costs. Any enterprise operating in the smartphone industry can not continue to neglect the fact that using both devices is extremely essential when they are performing the tests on applications.

How to choose the right one?

Although both emulators and simulators may seem like the best option to carry out tests, they have problems that can produce both false positive and false negative results, which will certainly have a negative effect on the ROI of the companies. A drawback is that no matter how close they may be to the real app, they may not yet cover all functions/circumstances and the conclusions drawn may not be as precise as you would like them to be.

Real device testing can be seen as a winner. But, as they always say, throwing all the eggs in one basket is never advisable. All three testing options have their own advantages and can be used if needed, helping the organizations fulfil their needs.

Conclusion

Given the massive role that mobile apps perform, testing of these apps will grow with time. To build strong standards and provide the best quality, testing should be carried out in both the virtual devices and a real phone.

Now that we are aware of the benefits and not so cool things about all the 3 devices, it would be worth drawing the conclusion that the best mobile testing option for businesses is neither depending on the real devices and also not being wholly, but instead the optimum mix of each.

So, it is up to you how you want to go about the testing of your application. A combination of one or two devices never killed anyone. However, in order to eliminate the expensive scenario of launching a business-related app with bugs, businesses need to make sure that they conduct the majority of their mobile testing on real devices before the program reaches production.

All the best with your testing!

Anna Abram is a technical writer at JanBask. She loves writing and sharing topics on Web Design Services, Web Development, E-commerce Website Development & Digital Marketing services and latest trends going around in web world.