The best browsers for your smartphone

Are there other considerations when looking for a mobile browser than a desktop computer? We went after him.

If we™ve tested desktop browsers before, the question arises as to what phone testing may be needed, but to no avail, developers say a whole different world of mobile. Although this segment is second in line, according to statistics, it is more important: 55-60 percent of web visits now come from mobile devices. It™s interesting, by the way, that mobile is primarily a smartphone, with the share of tablets devised for direct content consumption in the category being only around 5 percent.

If you™ve read our test before, the current contestants won™t be unknown either: Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera and Safari are the hard core. Partly because this five-tooth is covering 90 percent of the market, and partly because browsers offer many extra features that only work if you use the same program on a desktop PC.

The sixth player in our test is a cucumber egg: we have also selected the Samsung Internet, which, although used only on Android and most likely only by Samsung™s, still maintains its third place and market share of around 5 percent. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Chrome is also at the top of the mobile popularity list (68%), given that iPhones are far more popular than MacBooks, with Safari accounting for a higher share at 24 percent. Android is made with a lot of browsers, but one that works really well and has no major drawbacks, only a few.

Four of the browsers in the test use the Blink / Chromium engine, so we can't expect too much variance in knowledge, speed and compatibility this time around - the unique features promise to be exciting now, and of course the options for coordinating our activities with in mobile and desktop browsers. Or even to transfer work started on one device to another.

Of course, we also paid special attention to whether the mobile has important extra services, such as dark mode or data compression.

Just like power-saving operation or whether you can use VPN to hide traffic from prying eyes - VPN on a mobile is especially important when you're connected to a Wi-Fi network and browsing the web.

At the time of writing, we were testing browsers on Android OS; which program also has a version running on iOS, where knowledge and services may differ to a minimum. What™s definitely different, though, is the engine, as Apple can only use WebKit basics.

Dissenting opinion: Generational differences

The situation is that we choose one of the desktop and mobile browsers not necessarily on the basis of his knowledge, but rather on the basis of habit. For the "thirty-plus" age group, the PC is still the primary one, so give yourself a chance that the proven browser will be on your mobile phone, while the younger ones will be surfing the Internet on their phone - often without using a PC at all. It is quite clear that if you use both a computer and a mobile phone, it is advisable to use the same program, because synchronization between devices is really useful. Even if you don™t want to be able to push open tabs back and forth, it™s often great to have your bookmarks accessible anywhere, or to have your password flashed on your PC. By the way, the statistics show that while there are plenty of alternatives, Chrome, Safari, Samsung Internet, and Opera are carrying everything, with the exception of Firefox and Edge not being able to jump the 1 percent threshold on their own.

Chrome (Google)

Supported operating system: Android, iOS

+ Saves data, syncs perfectly with desktop Chrome

- No extensions, sometimes slows down

You hardly need to introduce Chrome to anyone. Because Google is required to install it on all phones running Android, it has a significant advantage, but fortunately the company doesn™t sit on its laurels and is constantly improving the app. One of the recent spectacular changes is that you can group web pages and switch between sites opened within a group using the icons that appear at the bottom of the screen. This system is especially useful on mobile phones with high screens, as the other method for fast switching (smoothing right and left in the title bar) on a hand-held device would be difficult to implement.

You can sync virtually everything between the desktop and mobile versions: you can send open tabs to your phone with a single click, and your bookmarks are automatically updated. It is very useful to be able to individually set what you want to synchronize from the seven data types. Saved webpages, on the other hand, are stored in bulk by Google: bookmarks added on a mobile computer are placed on a desktop, and bookmarks added on a desktop computer are stored in a separate folder. This is not necessarily a problem, as it provides a kind of basic order.

Among the mobile extras, the dark and Lite modes are worth highlighting. The latter downloads web pages compressed through Google™s servers, so we can reduce our browsing traffic by 50 to 60 percent. However, there are no extensions.

Edge (Microsoft)

Supported operating system: Android, iOS

+ Lots of settings, read mode and ad blocker

- No extensions, settings less clear

In our opinion, Edge has grown to be the best browser on PC - and Android has no particular problem with it after switching to the Chromium engine. Moreover, given that Microsoft has been using the Blink engine from the start, the Edge running on Android has always been really okay. If you use a Microsoft account, the mobile version is the perfect complement to the desktop version, as not only can data be synced between devices, but you can even transfer an open tab from your mobile to your computer.

This browser doesn't support plug-ins either, but you shouldn't miss out on this feature. For example, there is a well-functioning built-in ad blocker and password manager. Permissions and data collection settings are easy to manage, and you can even restrict access by webpage by clicking the info button in the title bar. You can also disable tracing using Edge.

We think the interface shows a mixed picture: the keypads are downstairs, which is a plus point, but the menu isn't really transparent with its iconic design. Important mobile features include data-saving loading and VPN, but there's a dark mode, and we don't have to do without a read mode. Microsoft has also integrated the software into the parental control platform, so for those who use Family Safety for the safety of their children, the Edge is not an option but an almost mandatory choice.

Firefox (Mozilla)

Supported operating system: Android, iOS

+ protection of personal data, organization of pages into collections

- VPN is a useful extra, but unfortunately it pays

Firefox is a logical choice for anyone who runs Mozilla on a desktop computer. Although both the desktop and mobile versions work without a user account, programs can only "chat" and sync data with each other if we create a Mozilla account for ourselves and sign in on both platforms. Firefox is one of the browsers that don't use Google's engine; however,

The interface is well thought out and can be customized within certain limits. For example, you are free to insert web pages on the home screen, and the toolbar can be placed up and down with a title bar so that one-handed use doesn't really get in the way. You can organize your saved web pages into Collections, which is a great way to group them by topic.

The browser, like the desktop version, provides greater-than-average protection for personal information (for example, you can request that your history and cache be cleared at each exit), and there is a VPN. The latter can only be used if you subscribe to this service, in exchange for not only protecting the browser. For those who want to completely hide from prying eyes, we recommend the Firefox Focus version, even though some features don't work for greater data security.