I know this is a highly subjective question and I'm pretty sure something similar has been asked on gdgt before so let me elaborate on what I mean by "best Android browser."
I'm not looking for any fancy features or integration with the desktop browser but am rather looking for the fastest Android browser that will also render all pages correctly.
Here are the browsers I currently have downloaded/am looking at - stock Gingerbread, Firefox, Opera Mini, Opera Mobile, Dolphin HD, Dolphin Mini. (Also Skyfire but that one's claim to fame seems to be Flash support which I really don't need/want).
So what do you use and why?
Question about
What is the best Android browser?
top answers
JasonTsay's pick
I have tried all of these but Firefox. I always end up sticking with the default browser for the bulk of my browsing, and using Opera Mobile to fill in the gaps for sites that do not render properly in the default browser. Notice I refer to it as the default browser, rather than the stock browser, since only the Nexus phones (as far as I am aware) actually come with the stock browser and the other phones come with manufacturer modified versions, some more than others. I hated the HTC modded browser, but the Motorola one on my Photon is pretty close to stock.
mark as good answer
9 people like this answer
Clicking the mark as good answer button helps us highlight the best answers.
JasonTsay's pick
I always come back to the stock browser for a couple main reasons:
- It's quicker
- It's less bloated
- It consistently renders pages more accurately.
- Google has done a great job of keeping it updated.
mark as good answer
3 people like this answer
JasonTsay's pick
In terms of rendering pages reliably, I'd have to say the stock browser is the best, especially when it comes to mobile sites. I've always had weird rendering issues with Opera and Firefox on my Android phone which is the primary reason why I don't use them as my default. It seems like most sites with mobile versions optimize their pages for the stock browser in Android. With sites that have different versions of their mobile-friendly web pages, the stock browser in most cases always gets the best, most capable version. Just check out google.com on stock vs Opera.
mark as good answer
3 people like this answer
JasonTsay's pick
This is deja vu no? I wish I could provide more but I use the browser so infrequently on my phone I don't have a huge basis of comparison when it comes to page rendering. The biggest things I've noticed when switching browsers is just load time and feature set. Like you I look for the least amount of features since I just want to browse a website, not have 20 add-ons. That being said here are the two I've used most recently:
xScope - find it to be fairly quick with loading pages and doesn't have the added bloat of Dolphin.
Miren - I found this one to be equally as quick as xScope but I noticed sometimes pages wouldn't load the mobile page but rather the normal page zoomed out.
xScope - find it to be fairly quick with loading pages and doesn't have the added bloat of Dolphin.
Miren - I found this one to be equally as quick as xScope but I noticed sometimes pages wouldn't load the mobile page but rather the normal page zoomed out.
mark as good answer
3 people like this answer
JasonTsay's pick
I can offer a little bit about "... the fastest Android browser...". I was curious about this, so I used the Sunspider benchmark to do some testing. First, though, a couple of points:
Dolphin: 5479.8ms
Firefox: 2556.1ms
Miren: 4915.5ms
Opera Mobile: 2587.4ms
Stock: 5935.4ms
Safari on a friend's iPhone 4: ~4800ms
Firefox on a dual-Xeon 8-core workstation: 338.1ms
Who knew that Xeons are faster than Snapdragons? :-)
Now, all that said, I use Dolphin the most, by far. It has a really good interface and broad rendering support. However, I discovered Miren in the last couple of days and have been slowly exploring.
- Sunspider is very easy to use. Just go to www.webkit.org/perf/sunspider/sunspider.html and click "Start SunSpider 0.9.1 now!" Perhaps other folks could see if they get similar rankings?
- Sunspider is a Javascript benchmark. While JS is a huge part of browser performance, it's still just a part. Caveat emptor, YMMV, IANAL, BBQ, etc.
- These are done on an Evo 3D running the OS it came with-- no rooting, etc.
Dolphin: 5479.8ms
Firefox: 2556.1ms
Miren: 4915.5ms
Opera Mobile: 2587.4ms
Stock: 5935.4ms
Safari on a friend's iPhone 4: ~4800ms
Firefox on a dual-Xeon 8-core workstation: 338.1ms
Who knew that Xeons are faster than Snapdragons? :-)
Now, all that said, I use Dolphin the most, by far. It has a really good interface and broad rendering support. However, I discovered Miren in the last couple of days and have been slowly exploring.
mark as good answer
2 people like this answer
JasonTsay's pick
I've tried all of the ones you listed, and I keep coming back to stock. All other browsers seem to be laggy and the features that they offer don't really add much to what I am looking for in my mobile browsing experience.
mark as good answer
2 people like this answer
community pick
Currently I'm using Dolphin HD; for whatever reason Firefox, Opera Mini and the stock browser all crashed fairly often. Dolphin HD has been rock solid.
mark as good answer
6 people like this answer
Miren! Fast as heck and stable with a great feature set (without the bloat) and nice UI once you get used to it. Don't make any decisions till you have tried this gem (i've tried em all)
mark as good answer
4 people like this answer
I read about most popular browser at : www.androidhoneycombs.com/Most-Pupular-Android-Bro...
And I use Boat mini web browser and yes I love it It's simple and preety interface with fast website loading. you have to try it
And I use Boat mini web browser and yes I love it It's simple and preety interface with fast website loading. you have to try it
mark as good answer
1 person likes this answer
Browsers: Opera mini, Maxthon Mobile browser.
Reason:
I use Opera mini, because it is fast and light weight. it takes roughly 800kb of space on my phone. It also has desktop sycronising of bookmarks you should also check out Maxthon mobile browser because it sycronises your favourites/bookmarks.
Reason:
I use Opera mini, because it is fast and light weight. it takes roughly 800kb of space on my phone. It also has desktop sycronising of bookmarks you should also check out Maxthon mobile browser because it sycronises your favourites/bookmarks.
mark as good answer
0 people like this answer
I am a huge fan of Dolphin HD, I really like all the available plugins and gesture support.
mark as good answer
0 people like this answer
I always go back to the stick browser but xscope pro is pretty quick and reliable. I'd consider replacing the stock browser with it but it somehow seems like more if a hassle.
mark as good answer
0 people like this answer
+1 for xscope pro. the only thing I wish they'd add is an option for is to always go full screen upon opening it.
mark as good answer
0 people like this answer
I use Miren Browser. I like the default browser, but until it gets tabs, not interested. Miren is very minimalistic, has great homepage w/customizable shortcuts and of course tabs. It has always worked well for me on my EVO and now my Motorola Photon.
xscope pro was a free download on Amazon one day so i tried it and it's nice, but things seem a little more "congested" on that UI so I rarely use it. In my opinion, Miren is the one to beat.
xscope pro was a free download on Amazon one day so i tried it and it's nice, but things seem a little more "congested" on that UI so I rarely use it. In my opinion, Miren is the one to beat.
mark as good answer
0 people like this answer
Skyfire is one that nobody has mentioned here yet. I have used a little bit, and it seems to work well. Also there is Miren which is pretty good. FireFox seems a bit strange and laggy, but it might be a contender sometime soon.
mark as good answer
0 people like this answer
follow this question
share:
Related questions
18 users following this question:
This question has been viewed 2025 times.
Last activity .
Tips for giving the best answers
Sometimes it's just little details that separates a great and not so great answer! Here are a few simple tips to keep in mind:
- 1
- Be complete and thorough. Don't skimp on the details!
- 2
- Try not to answer with a question. Because that's not really an answer, right?
- 3
- A little research goes a long way. Back up your claims and assumptions!
- 4
- Try to be patient, tech questions can be complicated.
- 5
- You are awesome for both reading this and answering questions.