Android Development: Creating Emulators

If you do not have an Android device or you want to test your app to a specific device/configuration, you can create an Emulator using the Android Virtual Device (AVD) Manager.

To open the AVD Manager:

• In Eclipse: select Window > Android Virtual Device Manager or click the AVD Manager icon in the toolbar.
• In Android Studio, select Tools > Android > AVD Manager or click the AVD Manager icon in the toolbar.
• If you have other IDEs or you're not using one: Navigate to <sdk-directory>/tools and execute android avd.

To create an Android Emulator:

• Open the AVD Manager
• Click the Create button.
• Fill up the name, and select the device, target, CPU/ABI, and skin. You can also add hardware functionalities, like keyboard, camera and SD card.
• Click the OK button to create the emulator

Alternatively, you can use Genymotion Emulator. Genymotion is a faster Android emulator. The free version is more than enough for an Android developer. I am using Genymotion now most of the time.