Best Web Browser for Android

Posted on August 3, 2015 by resourcefulman

There is no shortage of great web browsers for Android, and which one you use depends largely on personal preference. However, if we had to pick one, we think Chrome is your best bet for speed, cross-device support, and integrated features.

Google Chrome

Platform : Android Price : Free download page

Functions

Tabbed browsing in a familiar, mobile-friendly Chrome interface
Browsing gestures including drag to refresh, double-tap to zoom in, and swipe left / right on the toolbar to switch or open new tabs.
Supports Chrome Sync, which allows you to access and sync open tabs, browsing history, search history, and bookmarks across devices.
Integrates with Android voice search for hands-free search and results
Customizable home screen with shortcuts for frequently viewed sites
A smart address bar that automatically fills in search results and browsing history as you type, and offers suggestions if you’ve made a typo or mistake.
Built-in support for Google Translate , which can automatically translate pages from other languages to your preferred language.
Autocomplete forms, allowing you to fill out email addresses and other information without having to enter it all manually.
Browsing in incognito mode without saving search history or pages
Configurable text scaling for accessibility and the ability to override page instructions to disable scaling
Ability to switch between mobile and desktop versions of sites from the menu bar (if the page supports editing)
Chrome “Data Saver”, which compresses and optimizes page requests to save bandwidth (directing them through Google servers first).
Customizable search (if for some reason you want to use a different engine than Google)
One-touch sharing from the menu bar to any other app on your Android device
Search on a page via “Find on Page”
Google Cloud Print support
Built-in Do Not Track support

Where is it best

Google Chrome may not be the most feature-rich browser you can download, but it is definitely the fastest and most well-integrated with Android. Plus, it’s so well integrated with the desktop version of Chrome that if you’re using it there (and of course trust Chrome Sync ), it’s worth using just to be able to grab your phone or tablet and pick up where you are. stopped. on your computer or vice versa. Chrome Sync removes the need to use third-party tools to send yourself links, open tabs, and bookmarks, which is a huge benefit.

Built-in support for Google Voice Search and Google Translate is also a huge benefit, and while Google Voice Search can be configured to send your searches to another browser if you have one installed, it’s a seamless experience with Chrome and Chrome. knows that your voice query is a search query and will display an appropriate response, whether it’s local weather, a nearby business, or just the word you want to define, or the website you want to search for.

From there, other useful Chrome features, many of which are hidden deep in the settings menu, are available if you need them, and disabled if you don’t. The biggest advantage of Chrome is that it is most likely already installed on your Android phone, and it is very fast and well optimized for the platform, unlike many third party browsers with long startup times, slow loading times and poorly implemented sync options.

Where it fails

Chrome’s biggest flaw comes in two forms: First, the price you pay for its light weight is that it is also somewhat featureless compared to its competitors. If “better” is synonymous with “more features” for you, then Chrome may not be what you want. It doesn’t have extensions or add-ons like the desktop versions of Chrome (or even some of its competitors, which we’ll talk about in a minute). If you are looking for these additional features, or are required for your mobile browser, you will want to look elsewhere.

The second biggest disadvantage of Chrome for Android is that, like Android, it is well integrated into the Google ecosystem. This is both good and bad. For some people, especially considering that you are already using Android, it doesn’t really matter. For others, sharing Chrome and Android gives Google a ton of information that you might prefer not to have, or that you would rather not have anyone, especially if you care about your browser’s desktop privacy . Fortunately, if you’re concerned about the privacy and the amount of data Google receives from your network and search activity, Chrome’s Android privacy settings allow you to turn off features such as URL prediction and turn on Do Not Track.

However, given Google’s stance on things like ad blockers and other privacy protection extensions that you can install on your desktop, don’t expect to see things like HTTPS Everywhere, Disconnect (especially since Google removed them from Google Play. because they blocked malware and adware) or any extensions or plugins available for mobile version of Chrome anytime soon.

Competition

Firefox for Android (free) is fast, free, open source, and a great browser if you’re using Firefox on your desktop. It can use Firefox sync to sync your bookmarks, open tabs, history and passwords with you, and it also has a nice add-on library so you can get things like HTTPS Everywhere for mobile Firefox . If you can find it for your desktop, it’s probably available for Android, including AdBlock Plus, LastPass, Readability, and more. The ability to install extensions means you get a desktop-like experience where your add-ons run inside the browser rather than sending you to another app, which is really great for things like your password manager. The interface is very clean and easy to use, but not useless (most of the buttons are simply hidden in the sidebar that you can swipe to), and the home “panels” can be customized to your liking, just like the default sharing buttons. … Firefox’s “Reading Mode” and Night Browsing make reading the Internet a clutter-free, ad-free, hassle-free experience. Its privacy controls – expected from Mozilla – are unmatched. Firefox for Android plays videos without any problems and may be better than when loading pages. It was a strong contender here.

Opera (free) has always been good, fast and focused on making pages load quickly on any device and any connection. Opera’s layout is spartan, but it doesn’t have to be glamorous to get in the way and show you the web pages you want to see. Instead, you get a streamlined interface, full speed dialing, a Flipboard-like home screen with your favorite sites waiting for you, and more. There is a private browsing mode and a built-in download manager. Plus, as always, Opera can compress sites before they load with Opera Turbo , which saves your data and makes your pages load faster. Recent Google Play reviews are all over the place, users are complaining that useful features from previous versions have been removed (like the ability to save images or download videos from YouTube), but I have to hand this over to the Opera team for trying to support users. in response to reviews on Google Play.

Dolphin Browser (free) is as powerful as it gets and was our previous pick as the best browser for Android. This is in part thanks to the extensive third party add-on library. Just like Firefox and Chrome on the desktop, you can add a range of features to the browser to suit your specific needs, be it auto-complete passwords, block ads, adjust page brightness, browser full screen, add a speed dial page, and more. … Dolphin Connect gives you all the sync functionality of Chrome or Firefox without limiting you to one browser elsewhere (thanks to the Dolphin Connect extension for Chrome and Firefox ). Apart from that, the add-on store is filled with add-ons and modules for the most popular sites on the Internet. You even get a lot of control without installing anything, from changing the user agent (to load the desktop version of websites), changing the text size, font size, default scaling, and more. You also gain control over web content and scripts, automatically block pop-ups, and more. Dolphin’s custom built-in gestures are also very handy.

However, as always, Dolphin’s biggest feature is its speed. It’s fast on almost all types of devices (and especially good on older low-power phones), and Dolphin Jetpack replacing (and optional) the view engine you install separately makes Dolphin really fast. It’s more resource-intensive and power-hungry (so it’s not required), but we’re not joking about improving speed.

So why is Dolphin no longer our favorite? Well, while at its core, Dolphin is still a great browser, it looks like the developers are paying less and less attention to it, and each new update introduces a few more bugs and issues that weren’t there before. Recent reviews on Google Play seem to confirm our experience: many people still love this browser (and don’t get us wrong, we love it too), but others report that it has lost a huge advantage over its alternatives. several years ago and now it lags behind in improvements and regular updates. Dolphin seems like a great product to stand on its own, and coupled with the simplicity and integration of Chrome with Android, it seems like if you want to go where there are updates, new features, active development and improvements, it’s time to get past Dolphin.

Some other well-known browsers include Maxthon for Android (free), which boasts fast speed and viewing for tablets (as well as a dedicated version optimized for tablets ), as well as a packed RSS reader and options to quickly switch site views, as well as UC Browser (Free) which has a fairly simple framework but has a lot of add-ons, built-in ad blocking and is focused on video playback. If you’re looking for more alternatives or more on each of these, check out our five favorite Android web browsers .

Of course, these are not the only options. Google Play scans Android web browsers, many of which are single-function and focus on one thing (ad blocking, privacy, video, etc.). Others are just adware in disguise that records your browser history and sends it to no one knows where. Be careful, if you’re looking for alternative browsers, check out reviews (and third-party reviews!). Check out the permissions and make sure you pick exactly the features you really need, not just the features the browser promises.

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