The best Android browsers, 2014 edition: design, features, and performance

Preface

Three months from now, it will be a full year since we last took it upon ourselves to explore and compare mobile browsers in depth. This time around, we'll be kicking things into a higher gear. Heck, it's probably fair to say that this is a whole new ballgame, as the scope of examined categories is far larger. Said otherwise, while you and us will revisit the same type of synthetic and real world performance benchmarks, functionality, features, general UI responsiveness and design will, this time around, also factor in.

We had to take shortcuts, though. Simply put, there are just way too many browser apps available right now, and that makes it practically impossible to examine them all well enough. So we had to pick. But instead of simply relying on popularity, or speed, or features, we thought it's best to cover the entire spectrum, and also include newcomers, that may not have yet won themselves massive audiences, but chances are, they will.

But enough with the disclaimers. Let's talk facts.

Note: The test device of choice is the OnePlus One.

Interface and design

Last time we explored mobile Android browsers, the focus was on speed. That made a lot of sense back then, especially considering that less than a year ago, poor performance was still an overarching issue with most low-to-mid range smartphones. Today, things are different, and even the cheapest devices out there are speedy enough to mostly swing the discussion in the other direction -- the design of the interface, and how easy it is to use.

In general, it's absolutely correct to say that this is an area that has seen pretty much zero change in a long time -- what we have on our mobile devices is, for the most part, a miniaturized version of our desktop browsers. We have an address bar on top, tabs usually sit there too, and a giant box of white space waiting to be filled with content. We found it absolutely strange that of all the browsers we've tested, including the ones that didn't make the shortlist, only Habit Browser had the address bar located on the bottom, thus making it easy to reach. We're not saying its implementation is perfect, but with the average Android phone now dangerously close to the 5-inch mark, this is becoming an issue. But let's talk about the contestants in turn -- go right ahead into the slideshow below.

 

 

Best Android browsers: Interface and design

1. Chrome

Most of you will have come to know Google's Chrome browser by now, especially since most manufacturers ship their phones with the app included by default. But to say that the design of Chrome is anything close to a defining point would be completely wrong -- it's fairly pleasant to use and speedy, but nothing really sets it apart in terms of its UI.

Thankfully, this typical of Google approach also means that the browser is, honestly, completely problem-free. It does not lag when navigating pages or the interface. Panning, zooming, all of that is also done without a hitch, regardless if you're browsing an image-heavy page, or not (to the extent that your hardware can keep up, of course). None of that, however, gives Chrome a character -- you get the feeling that you're operating a tool, and that's not necessarily the case with the rest of apps on this list.

2. Firefox

Some of the browsers we'll talk about today are exclusive to Android, but that's not the case with Firefox (nor Chrome or Opera). The wealth of experience of the team behind Firefox at Mozilla Corp. means that Firefox for Android is, for most, an easy sell.

Like its desktop counterpart, Firefox for Android has a fairly simplistic look, too, but it's perhaps a tad more welcoming than Chrome with its looks and interface. It's not necessarily user-friendlier, though, and some options and settings will require newbies to test them out before figuring out what they do, but that's okay. As for navigation, this is also done without a hitch, and pages render very well on the whole.

3. Opera

Opera is the third and last Android browser on this list that can brag with an ancestry going back to the desktop browser era. Even today, Opera for desktop remains active, and the team is evidently continuing work on the mobile edition, too.

Opera has always been an acquired taste, and it's fair to say that we never quite warmed up to it, though we're perfectly aware that a lot of people feel differently. Like its two competitors above, Opera also offers a simplistic design, though one could argue that it's starting to age a little bit. Thankfully, this does not at all mean navigation performance is compromised -- it's actually excellent, even when talking about very heavy sites.

4. Dolphin

Dolphin is something different. It's one of the oldest mobile browsers available for Android, and year after year, it's managed to hang onto its spot as the logical alternative to the popular trio from before. If we learnt anything from our previous piece on this topic, it's that Dolphin's community is fiercely loyal. And that never comes free.

Design-wise, Dolphin is playful. It remains one of few browsers that embraces color, and its green interface is a pleasure to look at. It's more feature-rich than most of its rivals, and that means there's a learning curve to go through. Thankfully, navigating the interface and web pages proves to be silky smooth.

5. UC Browser

Like Dolphin, UC Browser also has a more welcoming interface, with blue being its trademark color. The browser's UI is well-designed, ergonomically spaced-out, and, thus, easy to make use of.

As for navigation, operations like zooming and panning are carried out without a second thought.

6. CM Browser

CM Browser is a newcomer to the Android browsing apps scene, but, boy, does it feel polished! The app offers by far the cleanest, most minimal interface of all on our list, and it's tastefully done, and does not feel barren.

The slick interface of CM Browser is only made more appealing by the fact that the app needs no help answering user input instantaneously. With some very, very rare hiccups serving as an exception, navigating the UI and web pages with this browser is a piece of cake.

7. Javelin

CM Browser may offer the most simplistic interface of all, but it's Javelin that can be said to offer the most visually-appealing one. You don't call this one slick -- you call it beautiful. Javelin's developer has used solid colors to achieve this effect, and more power to him.

We once again have frills-free interface and web page navigation here, so nothing out of the ordinary (this far).

8. Puffin

Ah, Puffin. Some will wonder why Puffin is on this list at all, especially considering its less-than-attractive interface. Folks who've used it will know, but we'll leave that a surprise for now (keep on reading).

Indeed, Puffin is arguably the worst-looking browser on our list today, and it's got some serious shortcomings. For example, navigating the UI is frustrating, as there's perceptible lag, and hiccups are common. The same goes for web page navigation. Scrolling, zooming, panning, all of this leaves something to be desired, though it doesn't feel like CloudMosa, the company behind Puffin, is much interested in this aspect of the browsing experience. With them, it's all about speed (again, keep on reading).

9. Next Browser

A product by the extremely talented and popular team behind GO Launcher, Next Browser is a natural draw for those who appreciate the devs' previous efforts. The interface is colorful and welcoming, but also minimal to an extent.

Hiccups while browsing image-heavy pages can be spotted, but, on the whole, scrolling, zooming, and panning leave little to desire.

10. Lightning Browser

Another newcomer to the scene, it's hard to argue that Lightning Browser's is very reminiscent of Google's Chrome. This means we again have a stoic, no-nonsense interface that is all about the content you're viewing, and less about the software through which you do that.

As for navigation, the UI is simple enough to appreciate, though we do wish scrolling and zooming were a tad smoother. Even then, we'd say the folks behind Lightning Browser did a decent job.

Features

Now that you've gotten yourself acquainted with the browsers above and their design language, most of you will naturally wonder what kind of features they bring to the table (heh). It's hard to cover everything everyone is looking for, but there are definitely a few essential features that all of us can and do make good use of. If they're available, of course.

Now, some of these browsers (Firefox, UC Browser, Dolphin, for example) support extensions, but making these a part of the equation would equal a logistical and practical horror. Besides, the average user will mostly never make use of them, unless the browser app presents these options in an-easy-to-grasp (and install) way (like UC Browser).

So what features are important for a browser, then? Again, this varies, but we'd say that most would agree that synchronization with your desktop browser is a pretty wicked feature, and one that makes a lot of sense. Unfortunately, not all of the browsers on our list offer this feature, which is a bit sad. Moving on, most of us like to have a way to browse the web anonymously, so incognito tabs have become something of a standard feature, but also one that not all browsers offer. Lastly, data compression is also becoming more and more of a worthwhile feature, now that the world is consuming increasingly gigantic amounts of data, all the while on a limited subscription.

* Dolphin's Ad blocker requires JetPack (standard on Android 4.3-4.4 devices). Flash support only through an addon.

* Puffin's Flash support lasts just 7 days. After that, you need to subscribe.

Again, this isn't an exhaustive list, but it covers the main bases. As you can count for yourself, UC Browser happens to be the most feature-rich solution currently on the market, and that has been the case for a while now. Dolphin, on the other hand, has a number of other, fairly unique features, like gesture support, so don't underestimate it at all.

UPDATE: Dolphin has since pushed an update that has made Private Mode and Full-screen mode available once again. The table above has been edited to reflect these changes.

Performance: what do synthetic benchmarks say?

With design and features out of the way, it's time for the moment of truth. After all, even the most visually-attractive browser won't last long if it doesn't offer its users great performance. 

The tests we've ran (more times than you'd care to know) are both synthetic and real world, but we'll start with the former. Before we go right ahead, a word, though. Sure, most of you have learned to doubt synthetic benchmarks, as they don't always paint a representative picture of real world performance (which we'll talk about in a bit). When it comes to browsers, however, synthetic benchmarks happen to be decent predictors of performance, especially since some of them are not just about measuring code-crunching speed, but also attempt to replicate real world usage scenarios, and watch how apps handle that (e.g. Browsermark). Let's see.