A huge part of what I do for a living involves using a web browser, and that’s a major reason I’m a bit skeptical about experimenting with them.
I have a specific setup that works for me on Google Chrome, and I haven’t made any significant changes to it in a long time despite the browser having serious lag issues.
However, this doesn’t prevent me from trying new browsers that I haven’t used and rating how good or bad they are compared to Google Chrome. I have done it a lot in the past just for fun.
I’ve recently tried another one, and the experience was so good, with no noticeable lag, unlike in Chrome, I started doubting whether Google’s web browser was the right choice for me.
After using the Samsung Browser (previously known as Samsung Internet) for a few weeks, I was convinced that Chrome wasn’t the right choice for me.
So, I switched from Google Chrome to Samsung Browser, and it completely fixed my browser lag.
Samsung Internet browser
Trivia challenge
Think you know Samsung’s built-in Android browser inside and out? Put your knowledge to the test.
FeaturesHistoryPrivacySettingsExtensions
In approximately which year did Samsung Internet first become available as a standalone app on the Google Play Store?
Correct! Samsung Internet was made available as a standalone download on the Google Play Store in 2016, opening it up to non-Samsung Android devices. Before that, it was only accessible as a pre-installed browser on Samsung Galaxy devices.
Not quite. Samsung Internet launched as a standalone Play Store app in 2016. Prior to that release, it existed only as a pre-installed browser exclusive to Samsung Galaxy smartphones and tablets.
What is the name of Samsung Internet’s built-in private browsing mode?
Correct! Samsung Internet calls its private browsing feature ‘Secret Mode,’ which stands apart from Chrome’s ‘Incognito Mode.’ Secret Mode can even be locked with a PIN, password, or biometric authentication for added security.
Not quite. Samsung Internet uses the name ‘Secret Mode’ for private browsing, not Incognito Mode (which is Google Chrome’s term). One of Secret Mode’s standout features is the ability to lock it behind a PIN or biometric authentication.
Which rendering engine does Samsung Internet use to display web pages?
Correct! Samsung Internet is built on the Blink rendering engine, the same engine that powers Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. Blink is a fork of WebKit that Google developed starting in 2013, and it powers the majority of modern browsers.
Not quite. Samsung Internet uses the Blink rendering engine, which is also the foundation of Google Chrome. Gecko is Mozilla Firefox’s engine, WebKit powers Safari, and Trident was the old Microsoft Internet Explorer engine.
What type of add-ons does Samsung Internet support to enhance browsing functionality?
Correct! Samsung Internet supports its own extensions available through the Galaxy Store. These include content blockers, dark mode tools, and other browser enhancements specifically packaged for Samsung’s ecosystem rather than the Chrome Web Store.
Not quite. Samsung Internet has its own extension system sourced from the Galaxy Store, not the Chrome Web Store or Firefox’s add-on library. While the browser shares Chromium roots with Chrome, it does not directly support Chrome extensions.
Which built-in feature in Samsung Internet helps users control trackers and intrusive content across websites?
Correct! Samsung Internet includes a Smart Anti-Tracking feature that uses on-device machine learning to identify and block cross-site trackers. It works without sending your browsing data to external servers, keeping privacy decisions local to your device.
Not quite. The feature is called Smart Anti-Tracking. It leverages on-device machine learning to detect trackers, meaning your browsing habits are analyzed locally rather than uploaded to the cloud, which is a meaningful privacy advantage.
What is the name of Samsung Internet’s feature that reformats cluttered web articles into a clean, distraction-free reading layout?
Correct! Samsung Internet’s Reader View strips away ads, navigation menus, and other distractions to present article text and images in a clean, minimal layout. You can also customize the font size, typeface, and background color to suit your reading preference.
Not quite. The feature is called Reader View in Samsung Internet. It simplifies article pages for easier reading and lets users adjust typography and background settings — a handy tool for long-form reading on mobile screens.
Samsung Internet allows users to sync their bookmarks and open tabs across devices. Which Samsung account service powers this sync feature?
Correct! Samsung Internet uses Samsung Cloud to sync bookmarks, open tabs, and browsing data across devices signed in to the same Samsung account. This makes it easy to pick up browsing sessions seamlessly between a Galaxy phone and tablet.
Not quite. The sync functionality in Samsung Internet is powered by Samsung Cloud. Samsung Pass is a separate credential management service, while Samsung Link was an older media-streaming service that has since been discontinued.
Which of the following video features does Samsung Internet offer that allows users to watch videos in a floating window while using other apps?
Correct! Samsung Internet supports Android’s Picture-in-Picture mode, letting videos pop out into a small floating window so you can keep watching while switching to other apps. This is especially useful for following along with tutorial videos while working in another application.
Not quite. The feature is Picture-in-Picture, a standard Android capability that Samsung Internet supports natively. It creates a small floating video overlay so you never have to fully leave a video just to multitask on your device.
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I noticed the difference right after switching to Samsung Browser
I love the UI of Samsung Browser, and I love it more than Chrome’s. While aesthetics is important, no one will choose it over performance, especially in a web browser.
The UI instantly caught my eye, but what impressed me more was how smooth it felt when I accessed a few websites in Samsung Browser. Everything felt faster and snappier.
I was still not convinced that the Samsung Browser was loading pages faster than Chrome on my Samsung Galaxy S21. So, I opened a stopwatch on my Motorola Edge 50 Neo to see how these two browsers compare in loading web pages.
It took me one second to load the Android Police website in Samsung Browser, while Chrome took almost a couple of seconds more to open our website.
The phone was connected to the same Wi-Fi, so I could safely rule out the possibility of network issues. I also ran the test multiple times and got pretty much the same results.
The difference was even more stark with other websites.
In my testing, Samsung Browser opened many sites twice as fast as Chrome. None of these browsers had ad blockers enabled.
I ran this test multiple times by opening many different websites, both on Chrome and Samsung Browser, and not once did Google’s web browser manage to beat the former.
I trust Samsung Internet with my passwords more than Chrome — here’s why
I switched to Samsung Internet; here’s what Chrome didn’t want me to know
Samsung Browser felt noticeably smoother than Chrome
The heavier the websites, the more noticeable the difference between them becomes, especially when scrolling.
Not only does Samsung Browser load ad- and image-heavy websites faster, but it also offers a superior scrolling experience.
The website that Samsung Browser loaded twice as fast felt buttery smooth to scroll on my S21, while Chrome stuttered when rendering new content.
So, the longer the web pages, the more painful it becomes to scroll to the bottom in Chrome.
When I used Chrome as my default web browser, I also came to terms with brief freezes while moving around pages.
I assumed this was normal for content-heavy websites. But little did I know that another Chromium-based browser had all the answers.
Before switching to Samsung Browser, I used to think Chrome wasn’t at fault for these issues, and it was more to do with the poor development of the website.
Even if that’s true, the Samsung Browser gave me the impression that it can compensate for some of those shortcomings and deliver a smooth browsing experience.
Samsung Browser isn’t perfect
While the Samsung Browser is a native part of the One UI ecosystem, it’s still nowhere close to being a perfect browser.
Samsung has enough time and resources to optimize its browser at the system level and deliver better performance.
It’s a much more difficult job for a developer to optimize a core piece of software like a web browser equally well for all kinds of devices.
You won’t get the same level of performance from the Samsung Browser on every Android device.
Another issue with Samsung Browser is the lack of universal availability. Google Chrome doesn’t feel as fast and as smooth as Samsung Browser, but it’s available on phones, PCs, Macs, Chromebooks, and Linux.
If you use Samsung Browser on your Galaxy and have a MacBook, you’ll need to use another browser on your computer.
This isn’t fun because your tabs, history, and browsing session won’t follow you between devices.
I don’t see myself going back to Chrome anytime soon
I have a Windows PC, a Motorola Edge 50 Neo, and a Samsung Galaxy S21.
The Samsung Browser app works well on all of these devices, and its limited cross-device features are good enough that I don’t miss Chrome’s universal ecosystem advantage as much.
I don’t have to worry about whether tabs, history, and browsing sessions follow between devices.
Unless Google’s web browser reaches parity with Samsung Browser in smoothness and fast loading, I don’t see any real advantage in going back to Chrome.
