Which option allows me to come closer to creating the most 'real-world' Device in the Emulator?

Question

We are going to use an Android device with a built-in barcode scanner (not a consumer phone such as a Galaxy, etc.)* to run our in-development Android app. For the barcode scanning portion of the testing, I realize that I will need to attach directly to the device (will not be able to use an emulated device for that).

• Specifically (probably) the TC55

However, for those portions of testing the app that don't require usage of the barcode scanner (which I can thus test with an emulator), how should I set that up? IOW, what is the closest I can get to replicating that device via emulation?

The reason this is ambiguous is that from the AVD (Android Virtual Device) Manager, there are two options: With the "Android Virtual Devices" tab selected, the "New..." button shows this:

With the "Device Definitions" tab selected, the "New Device..." button shows this:

Am I better off basing my new virtual device on an existing virtual device (which I assume is what you can do with the former dialog) or creating a brand-spanking-new one (with the latter dialog)?

Answer 1

Both options are almost similar. You can notice that the device options you get from under the "Device definitions" tab are also listed under Device: drop down box after you do "Android Virtual devices-> New" .

Also notice the bottom line of the screen under "Device Definitions" . There are two icons informing which are generic definitions and which are custom ones. If you don't find any generic definitions closer to the real device you are targeting build a custom one as per the real device.