5 parameters for choosing devices for mobile app testing in India
Which phones should you test on? Five parameters for choosing test devices in India: your users' models, Android skin, memory tier, screen settings and network.
In this article
Originally published 2016. Rewritten October 2026.
Most bugs that reach users show up only on certain phones. You can't test on every model, so the devices you pick decide which bugs you catch. In India the choice is harder than almost anywhere else. About 94% of mobile page views there come from Android phones (StatCounter, September 2026). Most of those phones are budget and mid-range models from a dozen brands, each running its own version of Android. Here are five parameters to choose by, and a simple way to turn them into a device list.
1. The devices your users actually have
Start with data, not guesses. Google Play Console and Firebase show which Android models your active users run, App Store Connect does the same for iPhones, and web analytics shows browsers and screen sizes. Rank the models by share of active users and work down the list.
No data yet because you haven't launched? Use the market as your guide: budget and mid-range phones from Xiaomi's Redmi and Poco lines, Samsung's Galaxy A and M series, Vivo, Oppo and Realme, plus one or two iPhones.
2. The Android version and the brand's skin
Phone makers ship their own versions of Android: HyperOS on Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco phones, One UI on Samsung, Funtouch OS on Vivo, ColorOS on Oppo, realme UI on Realme. They differ in ways that break apps:
- How aggressively they kill apps running in the background, which stops uploads, syncs and notifications
- How they handle notification and autostart permissions
- How their built-in browsers and web views render your pages
Test on at least two different skins. Spread the Android versions too: one current version and one that's two or three years old.
3. Memory and storage
A phone with limited RAM closes your app the moment the user opens the camera or switches to a payment app, then reopens it from scratch. A phone with almost no free storage fails to install updates or save files. These are everyday conditions on budget phones, and they rarely show up on a developer's own device. Include at least one budget model in every test run.
4. Screen size and display settings
Small screens, larger system font sizes and display zoom push buttons off the screen or behind the keyboard. Dark mode exposes hard-coded colours, and high refresh rates expose jerky animations. Ask testers to run your key flows at least once with a larger font size.
5. Network and language
Your users switch between Jio, Airtel and Vi, between 4G and 5G, and between Wi-Fi and mobile data, often in the middle of a payment. Test OTP and payment flows on a real mobile connection, including a weak one. If your app supports Indian languages, test text entry with Hindi and regional keyboards as well.
Turning the parameters into a device list
| How many devices | A sensible spread | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | One budget Android and one iPhone | Redmi 13C, iPhone 11 |
| 4 | Two budget or mid-range Androids on different skins, one more Android, one iPhone | Redmi 12, Vivo Y28, Galaxy A15, iPhone 13 |
| 6 | Add another skin and an older or smaller iPhone, or a laptop browser | Realme C55, iPhone SE (3rd generation) |
Revisit the list every quarter. New models launch constantly, and your users' mix shifts with them.
99tests testers own the phones on our device list, from the Redmi 12 and Galaxy A15 to the iPhone 13. The packages cover two, four or six devices.
Sources
- StatCounter: mobile operating system market share in India. September 2026: Android 93.89%, iOS 6.05%. StatCounter measures page views, not devices.
