Is there a repository of Android Emulator AVDs?

Question

I need to test web apps on a representative selection of Android phones and tablets. I don't have the budget necessary to purchase a large selection of physical devices. I'm looking for a collection of AVD files to use with the Android SDK emulator to accomplish this. Does anyone know of an existing repository or collection of these? Or do I have to make each one individually figuring out their specific resolutions, memory, Android versions, etc for each? I've created one based on the Nexus S definition provided in the SDK's AVD Manager, but I need Samsung, HTC, etc ones too and am not sure where to get them. Each phone manufacturers dev portal is a little different and I haven't found anything as straight forward as "Here's the link to our AVDs" on them. Thanks.

Answer 1

If you aren't required to use the AVD from the SDK, you should checkout genymotion. They use a dedicated virtual machine to emulate real devices, so it's really really fast. They've also custom made a bunch of real devices (phones and tablets) such as the Nexus 4, Galaxy S4, HTC One, and Xperia Z. It looks like they mostly support API 16+, but there's a preview for API 9 at the time of writing this.

Answer 2

Yes, there is this one, thanks to https://github.com/j5at and other guys:

https://github.com/j5at/AndroidAVDRepo

Answer 3

Or do I have to make each one individually figuring out their specific resolutions, memory, Android versions, etc for each?

You will need to define whatever emulator images you want yourself. The norm is to define some emulators with a mix of resolutions and OS levels, not necessarily specifically trying to hit any particular device model.

Bear in mind that there are plenty of virtual test services that you are welcome to take advantage of as well. You should already be familiar with these, as they are commonly used in Web development for testing browser/OS combinations that you do not have at your disposal.

Each phone manufacturers dev portal is a little different and I haven't found anything as straight forward as "Here's the link to our AVDs" on them.

There are no dedicated emulator images for the vast majority of Android devices on the market.