One of the new features of Windows 11 is launch android apps. If you want to try something like this right away, you don’t need to install the beta version of W11, this feature is not implemented yet. Try one of the six Android emulators that work with Windows 10.
An emulator is software that mimics the behavior of a hardware device, in this case, an Android phone or tablet. The applications that run on it work in the same or very similar way as if they were working on a real device.
Bluestacks
One of the most popular Android emulators for Windows and macOS is Bluestacks. It has low hardware requirements, a faster average startup, and 50% less memory usage.
Bluestacks
One of the most popular features is the key mapping tool, which allows you to create your own control diagrams. In your environment, you can run not only common applications, but also more demanding games, although of course some cannot do without a touch screen.
The installation package is small, but during installation it downloads less than 400 MB of additional data from the Internet. We consider it a fortress Integrated Google Play Store, including support for Google services. Therefore, the emulator behaves in many ways like a full Android device.
Bluestacks
There is also the Czech, the system runs really fast, however, we have a fundamental complaint that BlueStacks is based on the old Android 7.1.1, the version of 2016. Due to this, it is not possible to install and run applications that require a Newer version.
LD Player
LD Player is an Android emulator that mainly focuses on gaming performance. It offers the usual set of player-centric features, including keyboard mapping and macro support. It promises a high frame rate and the smoothness of the most demanding games. It is one of the few emulators that receives updates to improve compatibility with specific game titles.
LD Player
Also in this case, the installation package is relatively small and downloads more than 400 MB of data during installation. Android system startup is quite fast, waiting at least shortens the displayed ads a bit.
The user interface is very similar to the BlueStacks emulator. Here you will also find in system applications Google Play Storefrom where you can download and install applications and games. In addition, the LD Store’s own repository is available.
LD Player
We really liked switching between applications, which is solved using tabs at the top of the window, similar to switching between tabs in web browsers. LD Player also integrates very well with the Windows notification area, where it can display notifications. Unfortunately, even here the outdated version of the Android 7.1.2 operating system is a flaw.
Archon
Archon It differs from most emulators in one important thing: it is not a standalone application, but is installed as a Google Chrome web browser extension. Thanks to it, you can run Android apps and games on Chrome, although it is necessary to add that with rather limited support.
Archon
Installing this emulator is not entirely easy. You must first download the version corresponding to the device’s processor and the browser version from Github. Then unpack the package and in Chrome on Extension tools you active developer mode. This will access the button Load unpackedThrough which it opens the folder with the extracted files. This will install the ARChon Custom Runtime extension.
For everything to work, you have to go through a lot more steps than most other Android PC emulators. On the bright side, it works with any operating system that an instance of Chrome can run (macOS, Linux, Windows, etc.).
Archon
Detailed instructions for this emulator can be found on Githubu. Launching applications should work by unzipping the application package into a folder and loading it in the same way as an extension. The app icon should appear in the Chrome launcher. Unfortunately, we were unable to test this in practice.
GameLoop
We have another Android emulator, which already has a name GameLoop declares the main orientation to the player. Originally known as Tencent Gaming Buddy, it is said to be so good that Tencent calls it the official emulator for their games like Call of Duty: Mobile and PUBG Mobile. Of course, it is also compatible with other games, although its collection of applications is not as large as it could be.
GameLoop
In this case, the emulator will not start as a virtual tablet or phone. You will not find the Google Play Store here, nor will you be able to associate your device with your Google account to use their services. Once launched, a custom application catalog will be displayed from which you can select and install.
The offer is relatively limited. (For example, you won’t find any Google apps here) and we have to criticize the relatively slow download. The downloaded and installed applications can be found in the section Ifrom where you can run them.
GameLoop
Against emulators like BlueStacks and LD Player, GameLoop is visibly lazier and generally more hardware intensive. For example, the Instagram installation package was over 450MB and took several minutes to install. The lack of Czech localization and rough overall control won’t make for a good impression either.
Nox
Nox is another Android emulator for PC focused on gamers. It brings the usual stuff like key mapping, game controller support, and even the ability to map control gestures. For example, you can assign a left-to-right swipe to an arrow key and use it in a game without having to have a touch monitor.
Nox
In this case, you will download a 434 MB installation package, so the rest of the installation can be done without an internet connection. During the installation process, we recommend declining a somewhat intrusive offer to install Avast security software.
The emulator starts up pretty fast, and after the first start a wizard will take it in the form of an overlay, presenting you with the basic controls. Google Play Store is not missing and thus other Google services that you can fully use after logging in.
Nox
The user interface is slightly reminiscent of the graphical extensions of some Chinese phone manufacturers. In the system settings, Czech can be selected as the language, but unfortunately the environment will not be visibly affected by localization. Emulated is deprecated Android 7.1.2.
Remix OS Player
Remix OS Player from development studio Jide is one of the oldest Android emulators for computers. The installation package is a relatively respectable 744MB and the installation itself was one of the longest. This “distro” is primarily aimed at gamers, giving them several specific features along with a customizable toolbar.
Remix OS Player
It has features like running multiple games at the same time. Despite its main focus on gamers, it is a relatively clean emulator, so it can still be perfectly used as a tool for work and productivity.
Remix OS Player
One of the disadvantages is the outdated version of the operating system. Android 6.0 Marshmallow since late 2015. Unfortunately, we were unable to run the application on a Windows 10 editorial laptop with 8GB of operating memory, even with the lowest hardware requirements. The startup always ended with an error with a list of many error messages about missing files.
