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What this reproduces

CSS viewport geometry, exactly. Every breakpoint, media query, reflow, overflow, column collapse and tap-target size behaves here as it will on a real device of that width, because it is that width — the page is rendered in a frame set to the device's CSS pixel dimensions, not scaled down from a desktop render. Touch emulation is on for widths under 900px via the site's own pointer: coarse rules.

What it does not

The rendering engine underneath is whatever browser you are running. An iPhone is WebKit; if you are in Chrome this frame is Blink, and the two differ on font rendering, scroll momentum and a handful of 100vh and sticky-position quirks. It also cannot reproduce devicePixelRatio, the dynamic toolbar resize on mobile Safari, or real touch and gesture events.

The honest rule

Trust this for layout, spacing, wrapping, reflow and tap-target size — that is geometry, and geometry is exact. Confirm anything involving motion, sticky elements, 100vh, or the cinematic canvas scenes on a real handset before you rely on it. A preview that claims more than it can deliver is worse than no preview.