Emulators vs real devices in Testing Fundamentals - Test Execution Compared

Test Overview

This test compares running a mobile app test on an emulator versus a real device. It verifies that the app launches and a key button is clickable on both platforms.

Test Code - Appium with unittest

Testing Fundamentals

from appium import webdriver
import unittest

class TestAppOnDevices(unittest.TestCase):
    def setUp(self):
        # Setup for emulator
        self.emulator_caps = {
            'platformName': 'Android',
            'deviceName': 'Android Emulator',
            'app': '/path/to/app.apk'
        }
        # Setup for real device
        self.real_device_caps = {
            'platformName': 'Android',
            'deviceName': 'RealDevice123',
            'app': '/path/to/app.apk'
        }

    def test_on_emulator(self):
        driver = webdriver.Remote('http://localhost:4723/wd/hub', self.emulator_caps)
        button = driver.find_element('id', 'com.example.app:id/startButton')
        button.click()
        self.assertTrue(button.is_enabled())
        driver.quit()

    def test_on_real_device(self):
        driver = webdriver.Remote('http://localhost:4723/wd/hub', self.real_device_caps)
        button = driver.find_element('id', 'com.example.app:id/startButton')
        button.click()
        self.assertTrue(button.is_enabled())
        driver.quit()

if __name__ == '__main__':
    unittest.main()

Execution Trace - 10 Steps

Step	Action	System State	Assertion	Result
1	Test starts for emulator setup	Appium server running, emulator device ready	-	PASS
2	Driver connects to emulator and launches app	App is launched on emulator screen	-	PASS
3	Finds start button by id on emulator	Start button visible on emulator app screen	Element with id 'com.example.app:id/startButton' is found	PASS
4	Clicks start button on emulator	Button click triggers expected UI response	Button is enabled after click	PASS
5	Driver quits emulator session	Emulator app closed	-	PASS
6	Test starts for real device setup	Appium server running, real device connected	-	PASS
7	Driver connects to real device and launches app	App is launched on real device screen	-	PASS
8	Finds start button by id on real device	Start button visible on real device app screen	Element with id 'com.example.app:id/startButton' is found	PASS
9	Clicks start button on real device	Button click triggers expected UI response	Button is enabled after click	PASS
10	Driver quits real device session	Real device app closed	-	PASS

Failure Scenario

Failing Condition: App fails to launch or button not found on device

Execution Trace Quiz - 3 Questions

What does the test verify on both emulator and real device?

A That the start button is clickable and enabled

B That the app crashes on launch

C That the device battery is full

D That the app icon is visible on home screen

Key Result

Always verify that your element locators are correct and that the app is fully launched before interacting with UI elements on both emulators and real devices.