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The Best Android Emulators for Linux

 February 25, 2022

By  Darrell

There are various best Android emulators for Linux OS available and this article will feature some great ones that you can download. 

Do you want to use Android applications on your Linux system? In that case, you will need the assistance of an Android emulator. The best part is that Android leverages the Linux OS to run the applications on your systems. 

With these best Android emulators for Linux, users can now run their favorite Android apps on the Linux system with ease. These best Android emulators replicate the internal hierarchy of the Android platform on the Linux OS. 

There are various Android devices that fail to support games and other apps due to a lack of resources. In that case, the Android emulator comes in handy. There are multiple Android emulators in the market. You need to make the correct choice for the best results. 

Do not worry, we are here to overcome that problem and bring you the best Android emulators for Linux OS that you can download without thinking too much.

Why Use an Android Emulator?

Android emulators have a wide variety of uses. For instance, it allows the users to test different apps on various phones with ease. In case you are a developer, you can use the emulator to test the app and see if there are any problems. It will give you the opportunity to troubleshoot the issue without the need for a wide range of physical phones.

Moreover, it also allows users who love Android to play games on the Linux OS with ease. It brings back old nostalgia and helps in reliving them. 

Best Android Emulators for Linux

There are numerous best Android emulators present in the market for the Linux platform. You need to opt for the one that aligns with your needs the best. However, choosing the best one can become confusing. That is why we have made a list of the best Android emulators for Linux for you.

Take a look at these best Linux Android emulators and choose the one according to your needs.

1. Genymotion

One of the most popular Android emulators for Linux that you will come across is Genymotion. It is an excellent Linux Android emulator with a wide range of features. With this emulator, users can run virtual devices of Android onto the cloud and desktop with ease. The 3000+ configurations present make it one of the best Android emulators.

Developers love Genymotion due to its versatility, reliability, and efficiency. They can test different Android apps on various Android browsers with this emulator. Other users can use Genymotion to play games and run different apps. It is compatible with Android SDL tools and Studio.

Features at a glance:

  • The in-built disk IO throttling allows emulation with slow internal storage. 
  • The tool has a built-in disk IO throttling feature that helps you to emulate a device that has less internal storage.
  • Forward sensor events from Android to Linux using this best Android emulator.
  • Multi-platform emulator to test out websites in different Android browsers on your Linux system. 
  • It can display apps at their original size leaving no error in the development process. 
  • Fully compatible with Android Studio and Android SDK tools.

2. Anbox

If you are looking for a reliable Android emulator, you can definitely opt for Anbox. It is one of the most powerful and best Android emulators for Linux available right now. The diverse features and easy application has made it an absolute favorite in the tech world.

Anbox or Android In A Box is an open-source code emulator. The idea behind the development of this emulator is to bridge the distance between PC and Android systems. Irrespective of the various distros, Anbox lets users run different Android apps on the Linux OS with ease. No matter the app you install, it will behave similarly to the native software of Linux OS which makes it one of the great contenders in our list of best Linux Android emulators. 

Features at a glance:

  • Mixes the core services directly with the Linux system. 
  • Due to the container design, the emulator is extremely secure. 
  • You can use different Android versions to use with Anbox. This Android emulator supports OS from Cupcake to Oreo. 
  • Allows installation of third-party Android apps on your Linus system. 
  • As you already know that Anbox is an open-source Android emulator, which helps modern developers to add convenient packages.

3. Android-x86

Another interesting Android emulator that you can try is the Android-x86. With this best Android emulator for Linus, it is actually possible to run the emulation on the PC hardware directly. The emulator was built with the notion to deliver high-quality performance for the Android ecosystem in x86 and AMD hardware. 

The lack of lags and excellent running of apps prove that Android-x86 is indeed an excellent Android emulator. Moreover, it is an open-source project, meaning anyone can make modifications with ease. There is no need for a network connection to deploy and use the apps. But, you will need to install the Virtual Box sandbox to run the emulator. 

Features at a glance:

  • The ISO image allows installation as a Live system separately. 
  • This Android emulator comes with an in-built Debug mode feature that aids in locating bugs in Android apps 
  • You can easily configure your network connections with this Android emulator, thanks to the built-in Wi-Fi support it comes with. 
  • The netbook native resolution assists in adjusting the PC screen and removes the chances of any error that you can come across. 
  • You can connect Android memory storage with this Android Emulator for Linus in a matter of seconds.

4. Android Studio

Android Studio is the official development IDE or Integrated development environment from Google. It was released to help out the developers. Here, you will find a wide variety of plugins and tools. Using these tools, developers can test out different apps with ease including on your Linus OS. No wonder it is a cult favorite among developers.

The built-in emulator within Android Studio is reliable. However, here, you will not find many features. Thus, it is evident that the emulator is not for playing or building hardcore games. It is a free Android emulator for Linux but can be difficult to install for some users.

Features at a glance:

  • The best part of using this Android emulator for Linux is that it comes from the house of Google.
  • The Android emulator has many tools and plugins for you to play with for developing apps and games. 
  • While some Android emulator has a price tag on this, this best Linux Android emulator is free to use. 
  • Thanks to the developers working at Google, it offers regular updates. 

5. ARChon

It might come as a surprise, but ARChon is not exactly a typical Android emulator. It is basically a way to run different Android apps by using the Google Chrome OS. Users will need to install this emulator as an extension of Google Chrome. Being an open-source project allowed several developers to modify it to what it is today. 

It is important to note that while running productivity apps is easy, hardcore gaming is not.

However, ARChon does support multiple Android apps and games. Not needing a virtual machine enables it to be used with older systems. Moreover, it can run efficiently on different operating systems including Linux. 

Features at a glance:

  • Use the runtime of Google Chrome for emulation as this is not a full-fledged tool. 
  • You can modify or experiment on this Android emulator as this is is an open-source tool. 
  • Does not require a Virtual Machine for running apps which makes it one Android emulator that you can use with previous versions of Linus OS as well. 
  • It can be downloaded and installed just as easily as other Google Chrome extensions. 

Andy OS

Are you on the search for a powerful Android emulator to support your heavy games? For that, you will need an excellent Android emulator that can offer high-quality performance with ease. In that case, the Andy OS is an excellent choice. It is highly popular among gamers and can be considered one of the best Android emulators for Linux. 

The wide range of in-built features explains its popularity among users. Moreover, this Android emulator is flexible and can run different Android apps on the PC screen directly. Besides, the sensor events reading is done with ease in order to provide a great visual experience.

With Andy OS, you can sync the emulator with the Android smartphone. Moreover, it also allows you to use the phone as a controller for the emulator. 

Features at a glance:

  • One of the most powerful Android emulator for Linus that helps you to sync your current Android smartphone too.
  • Use this Android emulator to make your phone a controller, that will help you to do keyboard mapping very easily.
  • Perfect emulator for hardcore games as this has a wide variety of tools and plugins. 
  • Comes with a wide range of in-built features
  • Reads sensor events to offer an exceptional visual experience. 
  • Users can extend storage space with this emulator on demand. 
  • Using this Android emulator, you can run messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Snapchat, etc., directly from your Linus OS.

7. Bliss

Last but not least in our list of best Android emulators for Linxus is Bliss. This is another powerful Android emulator right now that developers can download and use on their Linux systems. It is an open-source OS and allows the running of different apps natively on the Linux system. The brainchild of XDA developers, Bliss, is extremely popular. 

With Bliss, you can run resource-intensive games while using the system resources in the most efficient way. Here, you will get different GSI and ROMs builds. Apart from that, this best Android emulator for Linux is also compatible with booting from UEFL or MBR bootloaders. 

For the installation of Bliss, you can opt for a Virtual Box. You can also develop a bootable USB drive and then use the external storage for the installation of the Bliss OS ROM. Moreover, it also supports the Substratum Theme engine.

Features at a glance:

  • Comes with a wide array of resources that developers can use to make exciting games and apps. 
  • Users can customize it to change its look according to their preferences. 
  • Provides excellent security via constant AOSP updates that even help you to stop malicious apps. 
  • Top-notch performance metrics allow the running of powerful Android apps, thanks to their great UI and design. 

Related Faqs:

Is It Possible to Run Android Apps on Linux?

Yes, it is possible to run Android apps on Linux. For that, you can use emulators such as Genymotion, Anbox, etc. These allow the Android apps to run on Linux.

What is the Alternative to Running Android Apps if you are not Using an Emulator on Linux?

If you are not running Android apps with an emulator on Linux, you can opt for a virtual machine. You can run Android-x86 as a virtual machine for the Android apps.

Are Emulators and Virtual Machines Different?

Yes, emulators and virtual machines are different things. Emulators replicate the hardware to run the code without using the COPU resources. On the other hand, Virtual Machines offer a virtual interface to the existing hardware.

Is it Possible to Run Android Apps with Ubuntu touch?

Yes, it is possible to run Android apps with Ubuntu touch. But, for that, you will need Anbox. 

Can you Run Android Apps on Linux Without the Support of an Emulator?

Yes, you can run Android apps on Linux without the support of an emulator. Similar to Wine, it runs Android apps on Linux/GNU operating systems. Here, the host machine kernel is used for the running of the Android apps. Thus, there is no need for an emulator. 

Is it Possible to Install APK on Linux?

Yes, it is possible to install APK on Linux. However, for this, you need to install an Android emulator first. After that, it becomes easy to install APK files on Linux. 

Is Anbox Really an Emulator?

Even though Anbox is popular as an Android emulator, it is actually not. It uses the real Linux kernel in order to run the Android apps. That way, the quality of the performance increases manifold.

Conclusion

There are numerous and best Android emulators for Linux available in the market. Moreover, if you have a Linux operating system, you have an advantage. You have plenty of choices because the base of the Android OS is based on the Linux OS.

In that case, you need to choose the one that fits your needs the best. Make sure that you take a look at the features before making any decision. 

Also, if you are already using any of these best Android emulators for Linus, do let us know in the comments section below. It would be appreciated by us and our readers if you provide feedback.

Darrell


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