Microsoft has recently performed some study on various browsers in the area of battery efficiency. They picked the usual popular browsers – Chrome, Firefox and Opera. They then compared them against their latest browser – the Edge. Microsoft says the Edge is especially optimized for mobile devices such as the Surface Book and the Surface Pro 4.
Their quote:
“You can simply browse longer with Microsoft Edge than with Chrome, Firefox, or Opera on Windows 10 devices”
You can read the this article to find out the details of their test methods. This is the chart they came up with:
All the tests were performed on the Surface Book which means the results probably apply well to the Surface Pro 4 as well.
Given the above, and if you care about longevity, its a no brainer to go with the Edge, right? Even the Wall Street Journal’s article confirmed that the Edge lasts longer than Chrome.
Well, a day later, Opera fought back, posting an article on their own blog, refuting Microsoft’s claim. Here’s what they posted:
Both Microsoft and Opera posted videos running their own tests.
Looking further into details, it does appear that Opera has used several methods to conserve battery. They offer a ‘power saving mode’ (the Edge doesn’t have one) and some of what it does may not suit your need. Of course, Microsoft has decided not to use this mode. Also, an insider build was used which may or may not point to anything.
Me? I use Chrome. I use Chrome’s bookmark synchronization heavily. I’ve built up a huge collection of bookmarks over the years in a hierarchy format. This can be used on any platform as long as I stay with Chrome. If someone comes up with something that lasts 50% longer than Chrome, I would use it alongside Chrome for those special occasions.
As for you guys, which browser do you use on your Surface device?
[poll id=”3″]Oh and by the way, my wife and I are currently on vacation and we will be for another 10 days. Here are two of many pictures I’ve taken so far. Can anyone guess where we are? 🙂
Kent Beck link to his wiki
