Android Browser WAR!

Wow, Its been a long time since I have blogged! Just thought I would drop in and put up a post about some Android browsers!

So, today, I was bored and tired of doing homework :D and I decided to do a little research on Android browsers. Ever since I got my Droid X I have used Dolphin Browser HD (using version 6.1.0 as of this post) and I really like this browser. However, I have noticed that version 6 seems to be a little bit slower than the older versions. After doing some Googling, I decided to try Opera Mobile Browser (Not the mini version), Firefox Mobile, Dolphin, and the stock Android browser just to see what some load times would be like. So, here are my results.

Opera: This is a very interesting browser. It has a clean interface and somewhat reminiscent of a regular desktop browser. However, the system they use to organize tabs is not the greatest and I hated that you had to use an onscreen button to access the settings and bookmarks (this button is always onscreen and it takes up too much screen space).

Benchmark: I forgot to write down the exact times, however if I remember correctly, timed from opening the app to fully loading Google was about 3 secs. Then, from clicking the link in Google to loading ESPN mobile was approx 10 or 11 secs.

Firefox: Firefox has many interesting features, but the two that really grabbed my attention was: Lots of add-on's which is unusual for a mobile browser, and the ability to sync your bookmarks from Firefox on your desktop. The interface is very nice, swiping to the right shows a visual of your tab's and swiping to your left shows the settings/bookmarks and some other features. The menu button on your phone lets you access the hidden settings button and the browser automatically zooms in to full screen while you are browsing. My biggest downside to the Firefox mobile browser was that the add-on's were either not working correctly or not installing. Also, Firefox mobile does not currently support Adobe Flash.

Benchmark: Opening to Google was 8 secs and Google to ESPN was 7 secs.

Stock Browser. I have not used the stock browser on my Droid X for a very long time and I am still not very impressed. It is a very clean user interface, but the lack of quick access to tabs and no add-on support means that it is not an option for me.

Benchmark: Opening to Google was 8 secs and Google to ESPN was 11 secs.

Dolphin: The Dolphin browsing experience is not so different from a regular desktop browsing experience. Tabs are located at the top, with a close button on each individual tab and a + sign that allows you to create a new tab at the end of the tab row. Swiping to the right shows your bookmarks, history, and most visited (organized separately). Swiping to the left shows a full screen option, add-on button, 3 installed add-on's and a tab manager. The menu button on your phone brings up quite a few more options. Dolphin also automatically hops into full screen mode once a page has loaded, and the full screen option allows you to use the entire screen (the browser covers your notification bar). Dolphin also has some advanced features when you exit, allowing you to clear the cache and the browsing history when exiting the application.

Benchmark: Opening to Google was 4 secs and Google to ESPN was 13 secs.

Conclusion:
While it is not the fastest all around, I will personally continue to use Dolphin Browser. It has a simple browsing experience yet many advanced features for people that enjoy that sort of thing. My favorite feature of this browser is how easy it is to switch between mobile and desktop versions of web pages. After installing the add-on for this feature, all you have to do is swipe left and tap the add-on button in the sidebar. Dolphin will automatically switch and load the mobile/desktop version of the page! Opera and Firefox also have this feature however, Opera's is buried deep with in its settings page and I never got the Firefox add-on to work.

If I was unable to use Dolphin, I would probably choose Firefox next. Hopefully the usability of add-on's will increase, but even if they don't, this browser was very snappy for me. Also, the ability to sync bookmarks (which should be baked into Android imo) is an awesome feature.

Winner: Dolphin Browser
Runner up: Firefox Mobile Browser