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Choosing the best browser for Android is not an easy task. All modern mobile browsers run on the same engine - WebKit and therefore, by and large, they are the same. And the difficulty that the user faces when choosing the main browser lies only in the presence or absence of certain additional functions or features. In this article we will look at the 5 most popular browsers and try to figure out what advantages each of them has. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that this top cannot be considered the absolute truth in the last instance, since it reflects my preferences, and my opinion may not coincide with yours, and the positions of this top for everyone can vary in a completely unpredictable order.

In 5th place in our top is a browser from Chinese developers. UC Browser is not just a browser, but a powerful multifunctional web combiner. The developers did a good job and included in UC Browser everything that a person might need on the Internet. It's kind of the Swiss Army knife of the browser world. At your disposal is a download manager, an advanced bookmark cataloguer, a convenient bar with frequently visited pages, themes and even a night mode, and in the settings menu your eyes will run in different directions from the abundance of different options. In general, UC Browser offers a huge number of various functions and capabilities. But, unfortunately, not everyone needs all these delights, and sometimes such an abundance of functions can confuse an inexperienced user and make your smartphone slow down. Besides this, I don’t think that everyone will need all this abundance of functions and features in a mobile browser, which most often requires opening 1 - 2 links. That is why UC Browser is in last place in our top.

4th place: Dolphin Browser

Download Dolphin Browser for free on Google Play

In its concept, it has some similarities with UC Browser. Dolphin Browse is an equally powerful harvester that includes a huge range of additional functions. Moreover, Dolphin Browser supports the installation of additional extensions. With the help of these same extensions, the functionality of Dolphin Browser can be brought to a transcendental level. There are a great many extensions for Dolphin Browser on the developer’s website, I think everyone will find something useful for themselves. Such flexible customization, supported by excellent design and well-thought-out ergonomics. Dolphin Browser supports gesture control and, with the proper skill, you will have a very convenient and powerful tool at your disposal. In general, Dolphin Browser is a very nice and powerful tool, although it also has objective disadvantages. All these wonderful advantages require a large amount of RAM and a significant amount of processor processing power, so I can only recommend it to very discerning users who have powerful smartphones.

What, in general, does the Opera browser do in this top and why did Opera mini, and not the older version of Opera, receive the honor of getting into this top? Now I'll try to explain. Good and fast mobile Internet is not available everywhere and not always. That's why I always keep Opera mini handy; this browser is capable of great compression of traffic, passing it through its servers. This opportunity is simply irreplaceable in isolation from civilization. But here you have the right to object to me and say that the above-mentioned UC Browser and Dolphin Browser have mini versions of browsers, and almost all modern browsers can compress traffic. However, not all modern browsers have a full-fledged desktop version for large computers. The fact is that I am an active user of the desktop version of the Opera browser, and at the same time I use Opera along with Chrome, so the ability to synchronize bookmarks and passwords with the “big brother” is simply a killer feature for me. In addition, Opera mini itself is a very fast and convenient browser, perfect for a phone! Opera mini will definitely appeal to all owners of not very powerful gadgets, and users of EDGE networks will definitely appreciate it.

This browser is the best for many reasons! It can sync bookmarks, passwords, and even browsing history with other versions of Chrome on any platform. That is, you can easily start surfing on an Android device, and continue from the same place on any other device, be it a PC on Windows, Linux or Mac, a tablet or even a smartphone on iOS. This is why I love Chrome. Please note that all bookmarks, passwords and open pages remain with you on any device, you just need to log in to your Google account. In addition, I like the mobile version of the Chrome browser because it can translate pages, a feature I use very often. By and large, Chrome should occupy the first position in my top, but despite all its advantages, I gave it only second place. That's because Chrome on Android doesn't work as well as we'd like. The browser mercilessly consumes RAM and processing power of the processor. Once again I emphasize that for me personally, the main criterion when choosing a mobile browser is its speed and therefore I give first place to the AOSP browser.

This browser leaves behind all other participants in our top in terms of page loading speed. The AOSP browser interface is very minimalistic and is not overloaded with unnecessary buttons, switches and tabs. In addition, the browser can work in full-screen mode, when nothing but a web page is displayed on the smartphone screen. But the most important advantage of the AOSP browser is its speed; even the heaviest pages load very quickly and scroll perfectly. In addition, the AOSP browser can perfectly scale text, that is, adjust it so that it takes up all the free space on the screen.

To summarize, I note that each browser from this top is good in its own way. My choice fell on the AOSP browser and in everyday work I use it most often. It is my deep conviction that a mobile browser, first of all, should be fast and lightweight. This is exactly what the AOSP browser is.

Having conquered a huge segment of the multimedia device market, the Android operating system has firmly established itself in tablet computers, cameras, serious phones, laptops, players, and so on. The advantages of the platform are obvious - ease of manipulating applications, convenience when working with files of any format, full Internet support using 3G and Wi Fi technologies, power and efficiency. It's no wonder that a whole army of developers is concerned with creating the best web browser for Android OS.

We, in turn, will try to cover the question of which browser is better for Android, since Internet surfing is one of the main purposes of mobile devices. The presented review is based on an analysis of most specialized resources and user ratings.

Ergonomics and design– the most important indicators in evaluating software for Android OS mobile devices. And this is understandable - the small screen size and the touch method of entering information dictate their requirements for the design and layout of control tools (tabs, drop-down menus, etc.). Therefore, a simple and understandable presentation of the main browser functions is one of the components of user success.

Operation speed– another of the main elements influencing the choice of software. It is clear that the latest web development standards should not negatively impact productivity. Work in this direction is complicated by the difference in technical characteristics of one or another device, imposing its own limitations on the capabilities of web browsers.

Functionality– this concept should be understood not as the ability to comfortably browse web pages, but as the presence of various functions, for example, for working with user bookmarks, storing passwords, a download manager for various files, etc.

Additional features– the arsenal of this toolkit can vary significantly between different applications, and the choice of these parameters is directly dependent on the preferences of a particular user.

Best browsers for Android (top 5)

Sleipnir Mobile Web Browser

In our review, this free application is given fifth place. Sleipnir Mobile is fast, smooth and lightweight, intuitive, and has all the functions necessary for an Android browser. Customizable tabs and a wide range of options make browsing fruitful and fast. You will also be pleased with the ability to synchronize bookmarks between devices, and support for flash, etc. The lack of Russian localization significantly reduces the rating.

OverScreen Web Browser

The fourth position is OverSkreen, which managed to win the recognition of users with a large set of functions that make it possible to view and interact with several user tabs at the same time, easy customization to suit your needs, and providing a safe environment for comfortable Internet surfing. In addition, the application has its own Adobe Flash, which is very important for fans of games and online videos. A nice interface, an expanded bookmarking system and pop-up tips are three more pluses for your karma. However, there was also a fly in the ointment - in this case, it was also the lack of Russification.

CM Browser

Third place rightfully goes to , which owes its popularity to its small size (only 1.7 MB), good optimization and high-speed operation. The average set of functions did not in any way affect the comfort when browsing websites, protection from malicious downloads, the presence of a translator and font size adjustment. Users voted with fifty million downloads, which best indicates the demand for the application.

Firefox Browser

In our ranking it came in second position, which is supported by its well-deserved worldwide popularity, which fully applies to the mobile version. Fast and smart, it ensures complete web browsing security. Support for “Do not track” functions coupled with “Awesome page” helps display recently visited tabs. Accelerated page loading, synchronization of bookmarks and passwords between devices, a fabulous smart search system and convenient customization are strong arguments in favor of the browser from Mozilla.

Opera browser

Judging by the comments of users, “Opera” clearly does not reach the first place, but it would also be unfair to send it to third. Therefore, we considered it justified if “Firefox” shares the second step of the pedestal with “”, delighting you with a cool interface, quick opening of pages, navigation tips and interesting new products in the form of a selection of special news available directly from the start page. Overall, it's definitely worth a try.

Google Chrome browser

"" consistently tops all rankings, having all the necessary features and tools for an excellent mobile web browser. There is voice search, and the use of the address input line for quick searches, and synchronization, which allows you to transfer saved passwords or bookmarks to all devices at the user’s disposal. In addition, text scaling, form auto-filling, faster browsing and full JavaScript support, etc.

However, it is worth taking into account the administrative resource, because Google Chrome, being the brainchild of the transnational giant Google, is installed by default in most smartphones on the Android platform. That’s why many people don’t try to experiment according to the principle “they don’t seek goodness, they don’t seek goodness.” But in vain! After analyzing user reviews, we came to the conclusion that Chrome could well be complemented by two more worthy applications.

UC Browser HD (UC Browser)

It will delight you with an excellent file manager with powerful download management, convenient web browsing, RSS news function, cloud synchronization, smooth and intuitive web surfing, automatic text enlargement and many more “goodies” and consistently stable operation.

Dolphin Browser

It’s completely justified to settle down in the company of the best browsers for Android devices. “Dolphin” captivates with a fair number of add-ons and add-ons, the ability to synchronize data with Twitter, Google, Facebook and Evernote accounts, its own cloud service Box, a nice design and much more. In addition to fast operation, you will probably be pleased with the Sonar voice function and the ability to create a backup copy of the settings available on your gadget on an SD card.

According to statistics, the average smartphone user spends 80% of their time on the Internet. Therefore, we thought that it would be useful for everyone to learn how to do this as efficiently as possible, with a minimum amount of time, with maximum convenience and ease of settings.

In this article we will analyze and compare best browsers for Android.

The data that we will present was manually tested by us over 3 weeks of an ordinary smartphone user on a Samsung Galaxy Note3 (N900).
To test the performance of functionality related to HTML5 technologies on an open browser page, we used the resource html5test.com - the higher the score, the more functionality the browser performs on an open page in many different parameters.

We will measure browser performance in everyday tasks close to real-life use using the BrowserMark service, especially since it was created by independent developers.

In addition to the data, we also draw conclusions on ease of use and ease of settings.

1. Google Chrome

53MB, 1 billion+ downloads, rating 4.2

When you first start it, it immediately prompts you to log in with your Google account (gmail.com), which you should have in any case, since you use Android. If it so happens that you do not yet have a Google account, then see the article “”. Synchronization is automatically turned on, which does not require special settings, and in a few seconds you will have all your bookmarks (including from a PC, if you use the Google Chrome browser). After synchronization, even passwords are updated. In our opinion, the Google Chrome browser is an impeccable leader among its mobile competitors in terms of ease of settings and ease of synchronization.

It is also worth noting the built-in page translation function, which is significant makes it easier to use foreign sites.

RAM consumption is one of the lowest, not far behind the leader - the Dolphin Browser and is 171 MB versus 150 MB for the same tasks.
With all previous merits Google Chrome browser It also shares 1st place with the Opera browser for Android in the BrowserMark test and 1st place in the html5test test, which makes the Google Chrome browser also the most productive in everyday tasks. In our opinion, the Google Chrome browser takes first place in almost all indicators; moreover, it is installed by default on all Android devices, and is as convenient as possible for everyone in everyday use.

2. Firefox for Android

38MB, 100 million+ downloads, rating: 4.4

A big advantage over other browsers, except Chrome, is that you can log in to synchronize with any account, regardless of email. But in order to synchronize everything with your gmail account, you need to install the PC version on your computer, log in with the same account, go to the libraries and select import data from another browser. After importing to the PC and new synchronization on the smartphone, all bookmarks, passwords and history became available.

At the same time, the browser is easy to use and configure, everything is in an intuitive place.
According to our tests, Firefox for Android produces average results, inferior to the Opera browser for Android, but in terms of RAM consumption and unlimited synchronization with your mail compared to other browsers, as well as positive impressions from using the Firefox for Android browser makes it 2 -m on our list.

3. Opera browser for Android

28.6 MB, 50 million+ downloads, rating: 4.3.

There is an introduction right away, it opens express panel with your favorites and is very easy to set up quick access to all the sites you use. Convenient switching to history for quick search of all your actions. Synchronization with the PC version of the browser is not difficult; all settings from passwords and history to the location of sites on the express panel are updated. But the inconvenience is the lack of synchronization with other browsers, including your Google account. But if you are using Opera for the first time, then you can customize it completely simply and clearly “for yourself”, spending up to 15 minutes.
In our opinion, it is a pretty decent browser, since its test results are almost equal to the Google Chrome browser and are inferior to the leader only in terms of noticeably higher RAM consumption. The only disadvantage we can highlight is the lack of synchronization with your Play Market account.

4. Yandex browser for Android

30 MB, 10 million+ downloads, rating: 4.4.

For synchronization, the browser uses only a Yandex mail account, so you don’t have to think about logging in with your Play Market (gmail) account.

The ease of setting up the start panel and general use of the browser is at a high level and everything is intuitive.

I really didn’t like that Yandex installed its panel in the status bar of a smartphone without an agreement (it may be useful, but not all smartphone and tablet users know how to disable it).
According to all the tests we conducted on the browser Yandex browser for Android shows average results and, in our opinion, it is inferior to Firefox for Android in terms of the lack of restrictions in synchronization with almost any account, including Google.

5. Dolphin Classic Browser

16.2 MB, 50 million+ downloads, rating: 4.6

1st page - looks like quick access icons and is configured in the same way as the usual desktop settings. To add, use the + button, after which you can select from the list of services or add the required site by clicking the add url button and specifying the link and name of the site.

When going to websites, the PC version opens instead of the mobile version, right down to search engines, even if there are such settings, the user should not waste his time on this.

If you have previously used other browsers (including PCs), then switching to this browser will be quite lengthy, since there is no correct synchronization of passwords, accounts, etc. Synchronization with this browser involves exchanging data only between your mobile devices where Dolphin is installed, since there is no version for PC.
Moreover, in the tests we used, Dolphin Browser shows the worst results, being ahead of everyone else only in terms of economical RAM consumption.

General table of data for mobile browser testing:

	Google Chrome	Opera for Android	Yandex. browser	Firefox for Android	Dolphin Browser
Downloads, million	1000	50	10	100	50
Rating on Play Store	4,2	4,3	4,4	4,4	4,6
RAM consumption, MB	171 (2 )	237 (5 )	233 (4 )	192 (3 )	150 (1 )
Test by html5test	518 (1)	507 (2)	493 (3)	473 (4)	417 (5)
BrowserMark test	1300 (2)	1335 (1)	806 (4)	1103 (3)	413 (5)
Flash support	-	-	-	-	-
Grade:	4 - 1	8 - 2	11 - 4	10 - 3	11 - 5

Standard browsers on Android devices often do not meet the everyday needs of demanding users. There are a lot of high-quality and functional Internet browsers on this operating system. We have collected the best browsers for Android in this article.

Firefox rightfully bears the title of one of the best mobile browsers on Android. Over the years of presence on this operating system, Mozilla's development has acquired a lot of functions and received an improved modern interface. Firefox for Android is a balance of functionality, convenience and speed of use. The mobile browser from Mozilla is inferior in speed to the same Google Chrome, but many of the features of Firefox are made much more pleasant and convenient.

Firefox's own Gecko engine supports almost all modern web standards, and there are also extensions for it with additional functionality, just like in the desktop version of the browser. Among the main functions of Fiefox: synchronization of all data between browsers using a special account, safe surfing, convenient start panel, a lot of extensions, reading mode.

The most popular browser not only on computers, but also on mobile devices is Google Chrome. Not surprising, since it is almost always pre-installed on the most popular mobile OS. Chrome has deservedly gained its popularity - it is fast, relatively functional, simple and convenient, and it is also well integrated with Google services and the desktop version of the browser (there is full synchronization of data and tabs). Integration with Google services can sometimes be useful, for example, translating text on pages using Google Translate or voice search.

Chrome also takes care of user safety - the browser has a built-in filter for sites that may be dangerous for Android devices. There is some kind of data compression technology. It is not as perfect as Opera's, but it still saves a lot of data transmitted both over Wi-Fi and the mobile Internet. There is an incognito mode for anonymously visiting sites. Perhaps the only drawback of Chrome at the moment is the lack of extension support. For those who want to try all the new features first, there's Chrome Beta and Dev. These browser versions are updated faster and more often - all innovations are tested in them.

Mobile browsers from the Norwegian company Opera are also one of the most popular, functional and fastest-growing on the Android platform. Over the many years of their work, these guys have definitely been able to come up with a formula for an almost perfect Internet browser for smartphones and tablets. Opera has almost everything that an ordinary user needs: fast surfing, a convenient classic express panel, data synchronization with the desktop version, anonymous mode, convenient search with hints from the address panel, and one of the main features is traffic compression.

The guys from Opera have done their best with traffic saving technologies. Mobile Opera with Turbo mode activated can reduce mobile Internet costs by two or even three times. For those for whom traffic consumption is especially important, there is Opera Mini - in it, saving is enabled by default, but this sometimes affects the appearance of sites. Also, the mini version is much lighter and faster than regular Opera. Another strong point of the browser of the same name is its beautiful and pleasant appearance. Opera has always been famous for having one of the most stylish interfaces in browsers. If you want to compress all traffic on your device, then pay attention to the application.

Dolphin is an alternative browser for Android with a lot of additional features and functionality out of the box. Among these, it is worth noting support for Adobe Flash, which almost everyone has abandoned, but is still used in many places, the use of various themes to change the interface, support for unique add-ons, and control of convenient and simple gestures. All this is available immediately - no additional settings. Dolphin is also fast, secure, free and always up-to-date - the developers release browser updates almost every week.

Puffin is a mobile web browser that is similar in concept to Dolphin. Here, too, there is a beautiful and convenient interface, there are many possibilities, and Puffin is as fast as the “dolphin”. Basically, the Puffin browser is suitable for weak devices, since it provides a special technology for “lightweight” web surfing - pages are first uploaded to the Puffin cloud service, optimized there and then appear in a lightweight form on the device’s screen. At the same time, the quality and appearance of the pages practically do not suffer from broken layout or reduced quality.

Also worth noting in Puffin are a number of additional features:

full Adobe Flash support for games (virtual joystick on the screen);
traffic encryption via cloud service;
mouse emulation;
the ability to upload files first to the cloud and then to the device;
installing extensions;
interface themes.

The Puffin browser is an excellent choice for weak devices, but the functionality in this Internet browser is not limited.

The Russian company Yandex has succeeded in creating its own browser for Android mobile devices. Yandex.Browser for this platform is an excellent solution for users from the CIS. This Internet browser is absolutely imbued with integration with the services of Yandex itself and other local social networks/portals. For example, the search bar in the browser suggests the necessary sites and understands queries perfectly, and inside the application you can also view information about the weather and traffic jams.

According to statistics, the average smartphone user spends 80% of their time on the Internet. Therefore, we thought that it would be useful for everyone to learn about the most popular web browsers for mobile devices, as well as visually compare their functionality and speed.

In this article we will analyze and compare the best browsers for Android, and also tell you where to download them.

The data that we will present was manually tested by us over 3 weeks of an ordinary smartphone user on a Samsung Galaxy Note3 (N900).

To test the performance of functionality related to HTML5 technologies on an open browser page, we used the resource html5test.com - the higher the score, the more functionality the browser performs on an open page in many different parameters.

We will measure browser performance in everyday tasks close to real-life use using the BrowserMark service, especially since it was created by independent developers.

In addition to the data, we also draw conclusions on ease of use and ease of settings.

Google Chrome for Android

Developer: Google LLC

It is also worth noting the built-in page translation function, which is significant facilitates the use of foreign sites
RAM consumption is one of the lowest, not far behind the leader - the Dolphin Browser and is 171 MB versus 150 MB with one open tab: but when two or more tabs are opened, Chrome begins to eat up tons of memory, so for weak devices we do not use it we recommend.

With all previous merits Google Chrome browser It also shares 1st place with the Opera browser for Android in the BrowserMark test and 1st place in the html5test test, which makes the Google Chrome browser also the most productive in everyday tasks. In our opinion, the Google Chrome browser takes first place in almost all indicators; moreover, it is installed by default on all Android devices, and is as convenient as possible for everyone in everyday use.

Minuses

It can work slowly on weak devices because it is very demanding on the amount of RAM

Fast browser Firefox

Developer: Mozilla

pros

stylish and easily customizable interface
smart search
private browsing
high speed
extensive list of add-ons and themes
easy synchronization with other devices

Minuses

It is very rare that elements of the site being viewed may not be displayed correctly (this is especially true for “small” or “amateur” sites where there are layout errors)

Opera browser: news and search

Developer: Opera

In our opinion, it is a pretty decent browser, since its test results are almost equal to the Google Chrome browser and are inferior to the leader only in terms of noticeably higher RAM consumption. The only disadvantage we can highlight is the lack of synchronization with your Play Market account.

Minuses

when using the “traffic compression” mode, there may be problems with the correct display of sites, and some may even become inaccessible (this is a feature of traffic compression technology via VPN)

Yandex.Browser - with Alice

Developer: Yandex

For synchronization, the browser uses only a Yandex mail account, so you don’t have to think about logging in with your Play Market (gmail) account. The ease of setting up the start panel and the general use of the browser are at a high level and everything is intuitive.
I really didn’t like that Yandex installed its panel in the status bar of a smartphone without an agreement (it may be useful, but not all smartphone and tablet users know how to disable it).

According to all the tests we conducted on the browser Yandex browser for Android shows average results and, in our opinion, it is inferior to Firefox for Android in terms of the lack of restrictions in synchronization with almost any account, including Google.

pros

protecting user data from public Wi-Fi networks and unsafe sites
huge list of extensions; unique customizable news feed
page and video loading acceleration mode; change of design
convenient reading mode and much more

Minuses

Despite protecting your data from attackers, Yandex will itself, by hook or by crook, collect your personal data and use it for personal purposes. You can be sure that big brother is watching through this browser like through glass.

Dolphin browser

Developer: Dolphin Browser

When going to websites, the PC version opens instead of the mobile version, right down to search engines, even if there are such settings, the user should not waste his time on this. If you have previously used other browsers (including PCs), then switching to this browser will be quite lengthy, since there is no correct synchronization of passwords, accounts, etc. Synchronization with this browser involves exchanging data only between your mobile devices where Dolphin is installed, since there is no version for PC.

Moreover, in the tests we used, Dolphin Browser shows the worst results, being ahead of everyone else only in terms of economical RAM consumption. In our opinion, it is in last place in the ranking due to the difficulty of switching from other browsers and the frequent opening of the stationary version of sites (if a mobile one is available).

pros

flash support
work in full screen mode
a huge selection of themes to change the browser interface
built-in plugin store; high page loading speed
unique gestures for each site; incognito mode, which allows you to visit sites anonymously
synchronization between devices

Minuses

There may be problems with the correct display of sites; an absolutely similar problem occurs on UC Web

Rating of mobile Android browsers:

	Google Chrome	Opera for Android	Yandex. browser	Firefox for Android	Dolphin Browser
Downloads, million	1000	50	10	100	50
Rating on Play Store	4,2	4,3	4,4	4,4	4,6
RAM consumption, MB	171 (2 )	237 (5 )	233 (4 )	192 (3 )	150 (1 )
Test by html5test
BrowserMark test
Flash support
Grade:	4 - 1	8 - 2		10 - 3