The Best Web Browsers for Browser-Based Online Entertainment
It’s unlikely that you pay much attention to web browsers even if you regularly use them to access websites or to play games online. However, to make the most of your time enjoying online entertainment, it makes sense to examine the web browser you use. The most popular is not always the best option.
When watching online videos, playing games, or utilizing social media, make sure that you are using the best web browser for online activity. Some browsers just perform better than others and using the right browser eliminates problems.
Best browser for online gaming
Google Chrome is one of the best options if not the best choice for online gaming. It is fast and well optimized to deliver a smooth performance even for extended periods of playing. As a property of the world’s number one internet company, you can expect Google to regularly update Chrome for bugs, security threats, and performance issues. Hence, if there are issues, Google should implement fixes promptly.
However, Chrome has already stopped support for Flash. As such, if the games you intend to play are Flash-based, obviously Chrome is not going to be a good choice. If you want to play an online casino with Flash games, for example, using Chrome is not the best option. While you can still force-install Flash into Chrome, it’s a significant inconvenience as opposed to just using a different browser. You may be tricked into installing malware as you install the Flash plugin in Chrome. Flash is no longer included in Chrome’s official collection of browser extensions and plugins so you would have to look for the installer online or elsewhere. Here’s where the risk lies.
Moreover, the installation of the Flash plugin may have issues with other extensions or with Chrome itself, that it may create performance problems. There’s a reason why Google decided to do away with Flash support entirely. It tends to create issues or slow down the Chrome browser. Excellent alternatives to Chrome for web-based gaming are the new Mozilla Firefox or Safari.
Best browser for online video streaming
A recent benchmark testing conducted by Ghacks show that Chrome and Microsoft Edge are the top performers when it comes to video streaming. Meanwhile, Mozilla Firefox and Opera turn out to be the worst performers among popular web browsers. The online video streaming tests by Ghacks include tests for the performance of browsers in running Javascript and loading pages from servers.
It’s important to take note, however, that the video performance tests don’t take into account the display size of the device used. If you want to stream videos through your large screen smart TV, resolution support is an important factor. There is a notable difference between 720p and 1080p on a large display. Unfortunately, Chrome, Firefox, and Opera max out their Netflix playback support at 720p. Only Microsoft Edge, Safari, and even the near-obsolete Internet Explorer support 1080p playback on Netflix.
On the other hand, findings from the product ranking site Slant.co show that Firefox is the best (among popular major web browsers) followed by Opera, Chrome, and Safari. There are no specifics for this ranking, only that it uses data from users as of September 2018.
Best browser for social media
Some would probably say there is no such thing as the best social media browser. The fastest web browser is likely the best one to use for social media. However, out of the box, without installing extensions or new plugins, it can be said that Chrome is arguably the best social media browser. It is fast and rarely encounters performance issues.
Microsoft Edge is a similarly fast browser, but it has this annoying quirk of suspending and reloading pages every so often. If you minimize an Edge window, by default, the browser automatically suspends the sites or pages loaded in that window. As such, you would have to reload the page as you go back to the Edge page or window. This can be rather annoying if you work with multiple windows as you access social media while doing something else in another browser or application.
Firefox and Chrome are also good browsers to use for social media, but as mentioned earlier, they are not precisely the snappiest browsers around.
Best browser for power efficient online entertainment
In short, this is about the best browser when it comes to battery life. Many use laptops or mobile devices to enjoy online entertainment, so it only makes sense evaluating web browsers according to their power consumption.
In 2016, Microsoft did a test for browser power consumption, comparing Microsoft Edge with other major web browsers. The results showed that Microsoft’s browser works the best, with Opera and Firefox as runners-up. Chrome was found to be the least power efficient. That is not the best test to cite, but Chrome’s last ranking is not that surprising considering Google’s web browser is known for being CPU-intensive. More CPU use naturally means faster battery depletion. Also, other tests appear to support the finding that Microsoft Edge is indeed the leader in power efficiency.
Digital Trends did their own power consumption test in October 2017. Their results found that Opera and Edge are the leading performers when it comes to Netflix watching while Firefox is at the bottom. When it comes to web browsing, Microsoft Edge was found to be the most power efficient.
A more recent test published by Forbes in May 2018, by contributor Kevin Murnane, found that Microsoft Edge also aces this power efficiency test. Edge may have the lowest market share among the world’s leading web browsers, but it appears to have the edge when it comes to power efficiency. The Forbes test revealed that Edge lasts around 14% longer than Chrome and a massive 98% longer than Firefox.
So, which browser should you use? The answer to this question tends to vary for different users. However, based on some tests, Chrome and Microsoft Edge are the top choices. They are consistent performers regarding speed, reliability, and overall performance. Chrome has the notable advantage of being relatively power efficient. However, you cannot quickly dismiss Firefox and Opera as they also offer some noteworthy advantages. Firefox, for example, lets you install browser extensions that allow the downloading of media content, audio, and video, in particular, something upon which IP-protective companies like Google and Microsoft frown upon.
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