Microsoft claims Edge Browser 'Most Battery Efficient'

Microsoft claims its Edge browser uses far less battery power on laptops than rivals such as Google Chrome. The claims come as it publishes details of further tweaks to the browser's power demands.

To back up its claims, Microsoft has released the results of tests it carried out using its own Surface Book computer, along with data gathered remotely from Windows 10 computers. As with any such non-independent tests, it's always worth remembering that not only could the setup of the tests be designed in a way that favors Microsoft, but there's no way of knowing that Microsoft hasn't done previous tests that gave less favorable results and chosen not to publish them.

Edge Could Last A Third Longer

The first set of tests involved using a browser to cycle through popularly used websites such as Amazon, Facebook, Google, Wikipedia and YouTube and measure the average power use. According to Microsoft, the baseline for its machine - meaning the power it used while not running any browser - was 318 milliwatts, or mW.

Running Microsoft Edge in the tests used 2,068 mW. That compares to 2,819 mW for Chrome, 3,077 mW for Opera and 3,161 mW for Firefox. Microsoft notes that its calculations suggest a 36 percent longer battery life for Edge over Chrome and 53 percent longer for Edge over Firefox, though this only applies to web browsing.

Real Customer Use Less Clear

A second set of figures from Microsoft shows a different picture. These are based on the actual figures measured on Windows 10 computers that "phone home" with usage data to help Microsoft improve its services.

These figures represent average power use overall, not just while web browsing. They showed computer running Microsoft Edge at 465.24 milliwatts, Chrome at 719.72 mW and Firefox at 493.5 mW, with no figures published for Firefox. (Source: windows.com)

These may be misleading comparisons however as the pattern of usage across people running different browsers may vary. People who have actively switched browsers might be more intensive users who run more demanding tasks than simple web browsing.

Whatever the true picture, Microsoft is working to improve Edge's battery use. The browser will soon try to work out which Flash content is "non-essential" and not play this until the user actively clicks to do so. Microsoft is also planning to co-ordinate and reduce the way in which background browser tabs (the ones you aren't currently viewing) connect to the Internet to get updates. (Source: arstechnica.com)

What's Your Opinion?

Have you tried Edge on a Windows 10 machine? If so, did you notice an improvement in battery life? If not, do Microsoft's claims make you more likely to try it out?