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Android-based OS and emulator that allows you run mobile apps and games on your PC

Android-based OS and emulator that allows you run mobile apps and games on your PC

Vote: (37 votes)

Program license: Free

Developer: Phoenix StudioChaozhuo Tech

Version: 3.6.1.564

Works under: Windows

Vote:

Program license

(37 votes)

Free

Developer

Version

Phoenix StudioChaozhuo Tech

3.6.1.564

Works under:

Windows

Pros

  • Handles graphically advanced games
  • Runs mobile applications on PCs
  • Includes common keyboard shortcuts

Cons

  • Doesn't support Play Store
  • Lacks Chrome browser

Phoenix OS is a PC operating system that's based on Google Android. Unlike most blends of Android, Phoenix is designed to run on x86_64-series hardware. That means you can run it on a traditional Intel or AMD-based PC without ever needing to open the machine.

The software itself complies with the GPL-2.0 standards and is based on the Android-x86 project, so it provides many of the same advantages that a garden variety Linux distribution does. However, unlike traditional GNU/Linux it promises full compatibility with Android's own ecosystem. You're free to install mobile applications and games without having to download an emulator.

That means that high-end mobile games like PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds will actually play at more than 30 FPS as long as you have the right kind of hardware. Phoenix OS is going to really fly on a quad-core Pentium system that has 4-8 GB of memory. With this kind of configuration, you could even play games that graphically complex with an integrated adapter. That's something that you wouldn't normally be able to do with a standard OS.

While those system requirements do seem rather steep, they're not out of the realm of possibilities for many gamers. On top of that, you can run Phoenix OS on a far more modest PC without any repercussions. Tests have shown that puzzle games run without lag on even lower-end PC hardware, so you shouldn't run into any issues with these or RTS titles. Perhaps more importantly for business users, Phoenix OS can run mission critical applications without a strong CPU.

Unlike mobile Android-based operating systems, Phoenix supports multiple overlapping windows like a traditional desktop interface. You're free to switch between apps the same way you would with any standard Linux desktop environment. Over time, the operating system can even allocate system resources intelligently so you won't have to worry about running out of RAM when you're switching between several different applications.

Once background processes get terminated, Phoenix OS will close them off and free up the resources they were previously consuming. While this might not sound very impressive to those used to working with desktop and laptop computers, it's actually a feature that many flavors of Android lack. You'll even be able to recover from crashed applications fairly easily, which again is more of a chore when working with classic Android distros.

Since Phoenix OS ships with a fully-featured file manager, you'll be able to purge out any documents you create without having to request permission from the app that created them. It offers a global file search as well as the ability to access documents over a network. You can even use the mouse to drag and drop objects if you don't have a touch screen. Phoenix OS also gives the option of using common Windows and Linux keyboard shortcuts, so you won't have to resort to touch gestures if you don't want to.

Unfortunately, the problem of mobile advertising plagues Phoenix OS in much the same way that it plagues actual mobile devices. You may find that you have to close banner ads each time you launch an application. This minor annoyance is more than offset by the freedom to play Android games at a high FPS rate with strong PC hardware. Considering the fact that it ships as an EXE file, you won't even have to spend that much time getting it to work.

Pros

  • Handles graphically advanced games
  • Runs mobile applications on PCs
  • Includes common keyboard shortcuts

Cons

  • Doesn't support Play Store
  • Lacks Chrome browser