Why You Should Stay With Android Emulators After the Windows 11 Update

Microsoft has recently announced Windows 11, which comes in with tons of new exciting features. The most interesting feature out of all these, including the complete visual overhaul, is the ability to emulate Android Applications natively on the Operating System without the need to install any third-party software.

While this feature may seem exciting, all that glows is definitely gold. Today, we’re going to be talking about some of the drawbacks of Android App Emulation and why you are better off sticking with Android Emulators for almost every use case.

Native App Emulation, What’s The Catch?

Let us just say that there is more than what meets the eye when it comes to App Emulation on Windows 11. For starters, you will not be able to access the Google Play Store (the proprietary App Store for Android applications) but will rather be accessing a stripped-down, integrated version of the Amazon App Store that does not have the same variety of applications and games.

Moreover, Microsoft has still not mentioned whether users will be allowed to sideload applications which means you probably will not be able to pre-register for applications or download suites that are not present on the Amazon App Store. So, in most cases, you will be confined. 

Android Emulators – The Perfect Alternative:

Android Emulators have been a staple of Emulation for many years. Most hardcore mobile gamers prefer Emulators due to their stability and the plethora of features they add to their beloved game.

Moreover, alongside better performance as compared to a mobile phone, you also will be able to enjoy exclusive features designed for the game that helps take your experience to the next level. We’ll be talking about those in detail too.

Lastly, the sky’s the limit when it comes to customization and compatibility with Android Emulators. You will never need to worry about whether if an application is present on the Google Play Store or not, as you can easily download and view files from third-party sources with no issues whatsoever.

We’re now going to be talking about some of the particular features you will be getting when you use an Android Emulator.

Sideloading Applications:

The Windows 11 Version of the native Emulator does not allow native sideloading whatsoever. What this means is that you won’t be able to download any application or game that does not exist officially on the Amazon App Store.

While this isn’t a problem for casual users, those who want to download game betas, want the latest and greatest, or want to try out modified APKs will have to face tons of issues.

However, on an Emulator, you can easily download and install whatever you want as most of them allow you to use the Google Play Store. Plus, on Emulators like LDPlayer, you will also be able to drag and drop APKs and install them quickly with no need of official support from the Play Store or any other App Store whatsoever.

Game Performance:

Microsoft has still not commented as to whether games will be supported on the native Windows 11 App Store in the first place. However, even if they are, there’s a high chance that you won’t be able to get a high frame rate as compared to an actual Emulator.

Plus, other than Game Performance, there’s a plethora of exclusive features that Emulators have that differentiate them from everything else.

For example, a native application won’t have dedicated keyboard and mouse controls. So, you’ll be stuck with using your mouse as a pointing device.

However, if you use an emulator like LDPlayer, for example, you’ll be able to use its key mapping feature to quickly emulate a finger’s touch with your mouse and keyboard allowing you to play games and use applications in a much more intuitive manner.

Plus, you’ll also be able to enjoy other exclusive emulator-only features such as Macros, and multi-instance support, which lets you log in and use multiple accounts at once (very useful for rerolling and more!) You can find all of these features in any Emulator that’s worth its weight. Emulators like LDPlayer and BlueStacks come to mind in most cases.

Cross-Platform Compatibility:

Windows 11 will only be running on a handful of devices that support TPM 2.0. This means that most older processors and even newer ones won’t officially be able to enjoy Windows 11’s emulation features in the first place.

So, in most cases, you just will not be able to run applications and games in the first place, which is quite annoying. Emulators, however, they’re a completely different story. Since they’ve been developing in conjunction with Windows, they are compatible with tons of different iterations and work with almost any setup out there.

For example, LDPlayer is known to run on very low amounts of RAM and consumes a low amount of storage as compared to other contemporary Emulators while providing players and users with stable performance. 

Since most users will not be able to run or install Windows 11 in the first place, Android Emulators are then an obvious choice for these individuals.

Emulators vs. Windows 11:

For the reasons mentioned above, it can clearly be stated that Emulators are organically better than Windows 11’s Emulation Method.

Since the Emulator Microsoft uses is still in its infancy, it does not have many features compared to other third-party Emulators like LDPlayer. Plus, you still won’t be able to sideload applications from the Google Play Store on Microsoft.

As such, we generally recommend using an Emulator for almost all use cases. You can download them for free and popular ones include LDPlayer and others.

Conclusion:

Android Emulation is an integral part of the workflow of many. Those who do not use it professionally might require it when playing mobile games on their PC. For either of these cases, it can clearly be seen that going for a third-party Emulator like LDPlayer is the best bet.

Ahnaf Nihin is a senior content writer at Gametechia. He's having 10 years of experience in Technology and troubleshooting topics. Coming from a background in engineering, you will often see his writing stuff related to How To's, Android, and iOS.