Here’s the Deal

ARC Welder vs Droid4X

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When comparing ARC Welder vs Droid4X, the Slant community recommends ARC Welder for most people. In the question“What are the best ways to run/emulate Android on a PC?” ARC Welder is ranked 5th while Droid4X is ranked 9th. The most important reason people chose ARC Welder is:

Even though it's a developer preview, it's likely to evolve quickly as Google is developing it. Since Google is also behind Android, it makes sense to use a more official way of running APK. If they don't work, you may check with the developer so it may eventually work.

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Common Questions

What are the best ways to run/emulate Android on a PC?

Pros

Pro
Developed by Google

Pro
Cross-platform

Works on Chrome 41+ on Windows, Mac, Chrome OS and Linux.

Pro
Allows running apps in a Chrome web browser

It installs as a Chrome App and runs on most operating systems (Windows, Mac, Linux, Chrome OS), even thought x86 support will be put in maintenance mode soon.

Pro
Can run dual operating systems smoothly

Flip easily between Windows an Android OS with ease and no performance degradation.

Pro
Install apps 3 ways

Drag and drop to install or use the apps store or run .apk apps directly to install.

Pro
GPS simulation

Pro
Remote controller options

Use your smart phone to remotely control your Droid4X games (or customize your keyboard)!

Pro
Touch screen support

Very responsive touchscreen for great game play.

Pro
Free

Pro
Great integration with Windows + tablets

Allows for hard or virtual (screen) keyboards, customize RAM and CPU's used, window size or full screen, swipe between Windows 10 and Droid4X, and allows for 1 folder share (local or LAN) as SD

Pro
Amazing graphics

Graphics are exceptional (high end games as well as low end).

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Cons

Con
Discontinued

Discontinued after December 2020.

Con
Not all Google Play services are yet supported

ARC Welder supports OAuth2, Google Cloud Messaging , Google+ sign-in, Maps, Location, and Ads APIs from Google Play services.

Con
Only supports "arm" apk files

"x86" apk files don't work as of 20150422.

Con
Keyboard input is spotty

Con
No accelerometer emulation

Con
Orientation mode has to be selected before running the app

Con
A single app can be loaded at a time

Con
Win 10 sleep mode issues

Coming out of Windows 10 sleep mode tends to lockup this emulator. Restarting the emulator seems to be the only option (emulator appears to still be running, but the Android OS is frozen - apps/icons, menu's, google store, etc. )