Genymotion is an Android tablet and phone emulator from the company Genymobile. It is available for Mac OS, Windows (x64/x86) and Linux platforms.
The description on the product page describing it as “Fast, simple and powerful” certainly fits it well. It boasts considerable speed, leaving its competitors in the dust. It boasts quite a number of pre-configured devices including Samsung Galaxy, Google Nexus, and Sony Xperia series of phones. You can also make a custom phone or tablet to suit your needs. The paid version offers additional powerful functions.
For the purposes of this review I will use the free version of Genymotion (v2.5.3), which is free for personal use. The paid version is available for a monthly subscription (a minimum of a one-year commitment is required), and there is also a special discount for Indie developers, an incredible 67% off.
Installation and usage
Genymotion requires VirtualBox to be installed to work. A build with VirtualBox included is available for download as well. After install you have to create a free account to use Genymotion.
After signing in you are shown the launch screen. From here you can add and configure VMs and access the program settings. Clicking the Add button opens the Virtual device creation wizard, from here you can select a pre-configured device or create a custom one. The devices can be filtered by device model or Android version (from 2.3.7 to 5.1.0), also a search fields is available.
After selecting the desired device, the installation takes only a few minutes. When the installation has finished you only need to press the Start button, and a fully functional VM will load.
Unfortunately the VMs don’t come preinstalled with Google frameworks (Play, Accounts, etc.), so if you require them you will have to go through a bit of a hassle to install them.
The VMs have several very useful features that can make your life a lot easier.
First there is the copy-paste. You can copy a text from your computer and paste it into Android, or the other way round. This makes copying long URLs or passwords a breeze. Then there is the drag and drop, you can copy any file to the VM easily. The Java API allows you to run your automated tests from outside your app. Which keeps your app source code clean, without embedded test code. With the GPS you can test geolocation, and with the battery simulation you can test your app with different charge levels. Of course developers will appreciate the Eclipse and Android Studio plug-ins.
Conclusion
Genymotion delivers an accurate Android experience. It is simple to install and use, fast, and offers a decent array of pre-configured phones and tablets. It is definitely a great piece of software, which offers a lot to both developers and QA testers.
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