Database Users

Android’s Browser Is Way Faster Than Safari on the iPhone

A not very interesting article, but I did gloat just a bit.
Gizmodo said:
Blaze Software conducted a ridiculously comprehensive browser speed test between Android and iPhone to determine which platform has the faster browser. After 45,000 tests, they found that in terms of straight line browser speed, the Android browser smokes the iPhone.
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(and of course the comments are a riot, filled with the usual "arguments" and trolling.)

sweet, android fanboys have another flag

As a web developer I can tell you that iOS is faster in terms of JS performance, over twice as fast (iPhone 4 vs. Nexus S). They said that iOS's new javascript engine doesn't help load times - well... um, that's not the point. If I develop a Javascript intensive (think animations, etc) web app, it will run smoother on iOS than on Android.
I've always thought that load time tests are crap shoots too. Way too many uncontrollable variables - WiFi or 3G connection, ping times, server response from the site you're requesting. Testing rendering time (local file) or actual JS performance is a way better indicator of browser peformance - otherwise just test data connection not browsers for load times.

Award Tour said:
As a web developer I can tell you that iOS is faster in terms of JS performance, over twice as fast (iPhone 4 vs. Nexus S). They said that iOS's new javascript engine doesn't help load times - well... um, that's not the point. If I develop a Javascript intensive (think animations, etc) web app, it will run smoother on iOS than on Android.
I've always thought that load time tests are crap shoots too. Way too many uncontrollable variables - WiFi or 3G connection, ping times, server response from the site you're requesting. Testing rendering time (local file) or actual JS performance is a way better indicator of browser peformance - otherwise just test data connection not browsers for load times.
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I like browsing on my iPad 2 more than my Evo. I think Safari is quicker when I'm using it.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

Faster dosen't always make a web browser better... I'm not a huge fan of the stock CM7 browser.

iPhone/iPad browser = webkit
EVO browser = webkit
How is this a browser comparison?
Edit: now that I have already posted, I'll actually read the article lol

They weren't testing with the safari browser
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news...-iphone-in-real-world-web-tests-says-firm.ars
read the bottom "Update" section

Jeremiah239 said:
Faster dosen't always make a web browser better... I'm not a huge fan of the stock CM7 browser.
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I don't like the stock browser either. I've found Xscope to be the fastest browser I've ever used.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

netstat_EVO said:
iPhone/iPad browser = webkit
EVO browser = webkit
How is this a browser comparison?
Edit: now that I have already posted, I'll actually read the article lol
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Just because both are Webkit doesn't mean they are the same.
For example, iOS has more supported HTML5 standards than Android. They may be both Webkit but one can support older or newer standards/features of Webkit. On top of that, Javascript engines are something else entirely. The one in iOS is currently much faster. If you remember back in 2010, Froyo used to be the fastest. Altogether it's perplexing why Google didn't bring in Chrome's engine (or some scalable variation of it) into Gingerbread. I use Chrome exclusively because of it's JS speed (among other things).

eh dont care either way

BrianDigital said:
eh dont care either way
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So, your contribution to the conversation is "I just like to hear myself talk."

BrianDigital said:
eh dont care either way
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I think it matters. Faster REAL browser performance, not this unreliable load time BS, will bring what I really want: true open HTML5/JS web applications with great user experiences. You could have super impressive apps that no longer require the App Store or Android Market and that are cross platform as long as your browser is compliant. Just go to the website, create a shortcut on your homescreen and have full on and offline access.

m4xwellmurd3r said:
I don't like the stock browser either. I've found Xscope to be the fastest browser I've ever used.
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this +1
although sometimes I switch over to dolphin because xScope seem to have issues with a few sites...
bronxknight28 said:
They weren't testing with the safari browser
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news...-iphone-in-real-world-web-tests-says-firm.ars
read the bottom "Update" section
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I heart Ars.
and completely unsurprised by this, something smelled fishy about the claim.

Android web browser isn't that bad, but compared to my dads 3gs that he had, and even his iphone 4, Safari did not load faster than what the Android browser did, but it was a hell of a lot smoother even with flash uninstalled off my Evo. Apple may not have had the fastest hardware and doesn't have the fastest right now, but they sure know how to optimize it.

the stock browser sucks. i only use opera mini or miren.

ok, never mind

Award Tour said:
. Altogether it's perplexing why Google didn't bring in Chrome's engine (or some scalable variation of it) into Gingerbread. I use Chrome exclusively because of it's JS speed (among other things).
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Amen to that. I sort of shrugged when it didn't make into GB (figured it was a phone thing) but I was genuinely shocked to see it not make it into the HoneyComb tablets. That still seems like a major face-palm to me.

The browser on the MIUI rom is smooth as mess.
Though MIUI is known to copy a lot of stuff from iphone, I still make my phone look different... but it is good to get the smoothness that the iphone achieves.

I believe the reason the gui of Ios is smooth because unlike Android, it's hardware accelerated.

HW Accelerated Web Browser ?

so with the new gingerbread roms does it enable the hw acceleration for the web ? as i see jumps from 2.2 to 2.2.1 for samsung vibrant was significant in terms of web browser speed.
its almost like iphone .

i know opera browser has hw acceleration its super-extra smooth

It's easy to be super smooth when you don't have to deal with flash.

darinmc said:
It's easy to be super smooth when you don't have to deal with flash.
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Haha, true! Also when you use compression (Mini does, and I think it's optional in Mobile).
I wonder why more apps don't use hardware acceleration. Why have such a powerful GPU if it's essentially only going to be used for games?

darinmc said:
It's easy to be super smooth when you don't have to deal with flash.
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Opera does use flash you can enabled it always on. Which I do on flash sites. The opera mini can't though haven't seen anything else. That has hardware acceleration blame Google for not implementing it yet.
Sent from my demonSPEED Glacier using XDA Premium App

Even with Flash turned off, android default web browser looks very slow and jerky (in terms of zooming and panning). And NO, web browser in gingerbread is not hardware accelerated.
I'm trying out Opera Mobile on my Legend, using CyanogenMod 7 (which is based on gingerbread), and its reeeaaaally fast (in terms of zooming and panning and even text re-flow) compared to the default browser! How i wish something like this can be implemented on the default browser. I've turned off Opera Turbo, so i think my connection doesn't pass through opera servers. Although there are some websites which opera doesn't render correctly (e.g. gmail.com)
How possible is it for someone to implement hardware acceleration on the UI of the default android browser, without google implementing it? does anyone know?
I'm really not a programmer, so if someone is able to do it, then MANY will be very very happy, i guess!

raydm said:
so with the new gingerbread roms does it enable the hw acceleration for the web ? as i see jumps from 2.2 to 2.2.1 for samsung vibrant was significant in terms of web browser speed.
its almost like iphone .
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I believe samsung is implementing hardware acceleration on their android web browser on their recent OS releases. Im not sure though when did they started doing it (right).

About Opera mobile - is it possible to enable google search via the address bar?

kimbernator said:
About Opera mobile - is it possible to enable google search via the address bar?
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on my phone, opera looks like this (see attached).
beside the address bar is the search bar, isnt that good enough? or does it look different on your phone?

WOW!!! Dolphin browser 7 is stupid fast!!!

It's like the stock browser on steroids. I gave up on this browser month's ago and never thought i'll go back affer the countless FCs and lag. What did they do differently this time?

I tried the HD a while back and then uninstalled it, after it kept FC'ing me in Google+ trying to read Yegges post. Has it improved that much?

Opera is still faster. I used to love dolphin HD, but one day I installed every browser I could find and ran some tests. The conclusion, opera was blazingly faster. I also downloaded this new Dolphin and still prefer Opera.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda premium

ThEiiNoCeNT said:
Opera is still faster. I used to love dolphin HD, but one day I installed every browser I could find and ran some tests. The conclusion, opera was blazingly faster. I also downloaded this new Dolphin and still prefer Opera.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda premium
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Can't figure out how to force opera to display deskop settings.

Opera button-Settings-advanced-user agent
You better make sure you have the right opera also, because they have an ultra fast one that only displays in mobile views.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda premium

The problem with opera is that the fonts are too small compared to stock

klau1 said:
The problem with opera is that the fonts are too small compared to stock
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So just change the settings

how do you do that? there is just zoom
and if you use zoom on websites with tables, the tables will also become bigger, requiring an excessive amount of horizontal scrolling. which makes it pointless

klau1 said:
how do you do that? there is just zoom
and if you use zoom on websites with tables, the tables will also become bigger, requiring an excessive amount of horizontal scrolling. which makes it pointless
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The stock browser fonts are bigger because it uses what it refers to as a "wide viewport." Basically it just enlarges the page to make the fonts and other UI elements match the rest of the Android OS, which are huge compared to the standard fonts and UI elements of desktop operating systems. For instance, the typical task bar on a desktop OS is 24 pixels tall, while Honeycomb's notification bar is 48 pixels tall. If the fonts appear small on your tablet screen, it's because the tablet screen has a much higher DPI than a typical desktop monitor, and current websites are not designed for such a high DPI. Opera is simply displaying the pages as they were originally intended to be displayed on devices of 1280x800 resolution. The problem is that 1280x800 screens used to be 14-15" instead of 10.1".

where have you found v7?? I only see dolphin HD v6.2, dolphin mini 2.2 and for pad v1.0 in the market...

It's not going to be stupid fast, it's going to be the same speed as the stock Android browser, BECAUSE DOLPHIN IS THE STOCK ANDROID BROWSER.
How hard is it to understand that DolphinHD is justa skin on the standard browser, using the same rendering, the same javascript engine, just with a different UI.
Opera Mobile will smoke dolphin, as it's the only mobile browser to use hardware acceleration (not even stock one does), and it very fast anyway.

Tried all browsers. I like Opera best because of the GUI and because it's the fastest IMHO.

Browser, browser, all I want is one with a good working ad blocker.

34Ford said:
Browser, browser, all I want is one with a good working ad blocker.
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Firefox + adblock plus works as good as the desktop version in terms of ad blocking. Sucks in all other terms though.

It can be downloaded from Android market? It seems I only get Dolphin HD 6.2 when I search browser.

CrazyPeter said:
It's not going to be stupid fast, it's going to be the same speed as the stock Android browser, BECAUSE DOLPHIN IS THE STOCK ANDROID BROWSER.
How hard is it to understand that DolphinHD is justa skin on the standard browser, using the same rendering, the same javascript engine, just with a different UI.
Opera Mobile will smoke dolphin, as it's the only mobile browser to use hardware acceleration (not even stock one does), and it very fast anyway.
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Opera mobile does not use hardware acceleration hahaha. Scrolling websites on opera is like 15 frames per second while default browser scrolling is silky smooth like iPad.

cowballz69 said:
Opera mobile does not use hardware acceleration hahaha. Scrolling websites on opera is like 15 frames per second while default browser scrolling is silky smooth like iPad.
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Then there is something wrong with your opera. Scrolling in Opera is silky smooth on all but the most intensive web sites.
the only reason I keep Dolphin installed is because the Flash Hardware Acceleration fix does not work on Opera, when that is finally fixed, dolphin will be gone too.
3.2 was suppose to bring hardware acceleration for stock browser, but I don't think it did.

For those looking for an ad blocker... Search the market for AdFree....
Seems to work great for me....
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk

gottahavit said:
Then there is something wrong with your opera. Scrolling in Opera is silky smooth on all but the most intensive web sites.
the only reason I keep Dolphin installed is because the Flash Hardware Acceleration fix does not work on Opera, when that is finally fixed, dolphin will be gone too.
3.2 was suppose to bring hardware acceleration for stock browser, but I don't think it did.
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open gl rendering is built in to the browser since honeycomb was released, Opera mobile does not have open gl rendering, disable open gl rending in default browser and it will scroll just as bad as Opera.

cowballz69 said:
open gl rendering is built in to the browser since honeycomb was released, Opera mobile does not have open gl rendering, disable open gl rending in default browser and it will scroll just as bad as Opera.
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Opengl and other technical assertions aside.... You are in the absolute minority of users who actually has a better experience with the stock browser. In there lies the truth. If everyone was experiencing the same performance as you seem to be saying your getting, then threads like this and other browsers in fact would not exist! It's simple supply and demand.
Stock browser blows for the vast majority of users, whether on stock or custom roms /kernels.

Best browser for SM-60x?

What browser do you use? I am trying to find the a browser that has the following features:
1. Smoothness. Must have hardware acceleration enabled. I find that UC Browser HD is good in this section.
2. Has good HTML5 support (tested from html5test.com). I find Dolphin has the best.
3. Has fast javascript.
4. Supports gestures.
5. Supports proper fonts as set by site. For example UC Browser uses system fonts and it sucks..
6. Supports flash.
From my findings so far with Exynos (P600):
UC Browser is the smoothest because of hardware acceleration, has gestures, has flash, html5 support is good but not good at rendering fonts.
Dolphin with jetpack is close in smoothness but swiping up and down is too fast and the page goes to its top or bottom by a slight touch. Has the best html5 support and the gestures are not so great as UC.
Chrome beta is a bit behind in smoothness, great html5 score but lacks in gestures and no flash. I don't even discuss Chrome (plain), it is very jerky.
Firefox is a big dissapointment. I think however that Note 3 is great with firefox. I need some opinions from the Note 10.1 2014 Snapdragon users for Firefox (P601, P605).
Maxthon sucks bigtime. Your opinions please and if there is a dev that can suggest a speedup for a browser is welcome.
PS: I use a SM-P600 and have CleanRom and Bindroid kernel.

Dolphin with JetPack is a very good combination for html5 support but without jetpack is far from Opera Browser...
i have tested a lot of web browsers and the best browsers i found were Opera Browser, Boat Browser, and UC Browser (this one always freezes with no reason)

Opera, for overall smoothness. I use Outlook. Com to check my emails and Opera does the best rendering for that site too. Only gripe is the tiny fonts.

Opera the best for me .
Sent from my SM-P601 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

I use different browsers for different things but my list in no particular order
Chrome
UC Browser HD
Opera
Firefox
Dolphin w/ jetpack
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Opera is perfect for me..I was using Chrome .
Sent from my SM-P600 using XDA Premium HD app

You guys might wanna try Habit Browser (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jp.ddo.pigsty.HabitBrowser). It is fast&smooth and extremly customizable. Probably the most feature packed browser in existance.
It takes some time to set it up and the menus might overwhelm at first but once you're done its amazing.
UC might become my primary browser in the future, but there are some issues (like font size) that need to be worked out first.

I use the aosp browser on this tablet and all my devices I find it fast enough and I like the quick controls
Sent from my C6806_GPe using XDA Premium HD app

Boat browser for tablets

vincey2kr1 said:
Boat browser for tablets
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with floating windows is the best!!!

Naked Browser is the fastest.

vincey2kr1 said:
Boat browser for tablets
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fantasmanegro said:
with floating windows is the best!!!
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After reading your post I decided to give Boat a try. I must say I am impressed. So impressed I deleted Dolphin
Sent from my SM-P600 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

I am using different browser. They are: Chrome, Firefox, Stock Browser and Skyfire Web Browser.
But I use Chrome most often because it is synchronized with my PC chrome and it supports pages translation..

You got the right man here.... uc browser ftw dude xD..... i contacted the developers several times and they listened and added my features .... like the scrolling button which appears when you scroll very hard ... that comes from me telling them haha xD im their nr 1 tester xD.... I tested like almost every browser .... some come close but fail at smth....
And dude I advise you dont upgrade to kitkat... because you will have to stick with dolphin which freaking sucks your battery dry by playing flash.... 10 percent in 1 minute no lies happened to me.... if you have trouble with font size try ...exposed module "app settings" its awesome...you can even enable fullscreen mode which hides the status bar.... i am all about that stuff.... if you have more questions contact me... ill give you some advise.... those previous comments really have no clue what browsers to use ...... uc is the best ... i kinda would have wished for a decent firefox browser... but that thing is just so bad...... Uc browser dude there is nothing better... i even use an older version of it on my note 2 .... i wanted a browser which comes close to firefox on desktop.... uc is the choice.... other browsers have issues that casual user dont notice but there are there.... these ppl will recommend you any kind of random browser .... uc nails it for a great UI ... adblock and widget buttons... and much more.... it comes closer to perfection every update ... try contact the devs for the font issue..... it doesnt bother me ... so....

I use Firefox Beta because I can syncrhonize it with my desktop-firefox and it's the only browser that does not corrupt downloadsand websites of my university.

i use aosp brower
so so fast

Floating boat+lecture notes = no lag while writing and using web.
If anyone has used boat, and found something better then I'll try it .

I use boat browser on all my devices as my default.
_______________________________________
sent from my mobile office while swerving down interstate 64. Since I cannot keep my eyes off the road to long, please excuse my typos.

The Apostle said:
I use boat browser on all my devices as my default.
_______________________________________
sent from my mobile office while swerving down interstate 64. Since I cannot keep my eyes off the road to long, please excuse my typos.
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I tried it and love it, especially how fast and fluid it is, but is there any way to sync chrome bookmarks? Chrome has broken me bad in that regard.
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

There is no point just saying which browser someone uses without mentioning their model. The P600 is exynos which behaves differently than the P601/P605. Please state your browser along with your model as smoothness is subjective to the processor.

What Browser do you use on your Pixel Phone?

Just curious as to if you all still just chrome? i noticed that Chrome uses alot of battery and wanted to know if there are any better ones out there for battery life?

Chrome. Even if it uses more battery (which I have never noticed), it simply works better than any other browser - and that means more to me than a couple % on battery.
Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

Dolphin. Works fine for me.

Samsung Internet is honestly the best for general user experience.

Using Chrome Beta. If you use it on your PC it's the best combo. It's fast and looks pretty good.
Gesendet von meinem Pixel 2 mit Tapatalk

Edge. It's a solid mobile browser!

Samsung internet browser. With add-on. Really fast and solid. With night mode look even better.

Brave - based on Chromium, includes adblocker and anti-tracking built in.

Dolphin
I'm still using Dolphin as my main browser for Android. I have ran into a problem with its ad blocker on 8.0 and 8.1 in that it crashes the browser. I noticed that the app hasn't been updated since July 2017 which suggests it isn't fully compatible with the newest versions of Android. Since I'm now rooted, the adblock problem isn't an issue for me.

chrisnewton said:
Just curious as to if you all still just chrome? i noticed that Chrome uses alot of battery and wanted to know if there are any better ones out there for battery life?
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Microsoft Edge. Works really well. I like it better than chrome

Opera, in Tablet UI mode.
I like having a tabbed interface, and it's my favorite of the browsers out there that offers a true tabbed interface.

Edge on Android uses the same rendering engine as Chrome... So the only difference from Chrome is the front end features.
There are no benefits in speed, battery, or memory usage.
Really the same as any of the other browsers that use blink as their rendering engine...
Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

Brave. Build on Chrome(ium), adblocker and anti-tracking tools built in.

Chrome for the best compatibility on sites. I find Firefox best for add blocking with the add blocker plugin which stops adds and videos from auto starting. Opera is fast and allows text refomatting when zooming in. They also offer a free VPN companion app for those times when you don't want snoopers. I use all three of them.

I like Firefox, but last time I used it on Android it seemed pretty slow. But it has been a while, so maybe I'll try it again.
Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

JasonJoel said:
I like Firefox, but last time I used it on Android it seemed pretty slow. But it has been a while, so maybe I'll try it again.
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The Pixel 2 is powerful enough that Firefox runs OK. Not the fastest, but more flexible than most.
Chrome annoys me because it won't let me set my own startup page from the phone, and I've no interest in signing-in and linking to settings I've set from a computer (I don't use Chrome as my desktop browser anyway, and don't want to clutter my phone with the bookmark collection I have there so am not interested in syncing between devices). Edge is the same, but at least it lets me turn off the "news feed". I just dislike corporations who think they know what I should want and make it harder than it needs to be to override them.

Aloha ! The best

Firefox. Not because it's the best (although with the latest version it has improved a lot), but because it's my everyday browser and all devices sync between them.

I mix Firefox beta, chrome, and Firefox focus. At high DPI setting, regular Firefox gives me tabbed interface. Focus for quick private search. Chrome for best compatibility with tricky webpages.
I don't have objective measurements, but Focus and the latest Firefox beta feels very snappy, on Pixel 2, or 1, or even 6P.

Chrome basically because of chromesync between phone, windows and os x.
And password sync with android
Sent from my Pixel 2