Chromium-based Microsoft edge: performance analysis

Although Microsoft Edge was a great web browser, it did not quite materialize. Now, Chromium- based Edge returns . We analyze it.

Microsoft does not throw in the towel with Edge. And is that, if you can not with your enemy, ally yourself with him. For this reason, the company has returned with its explorer, but this time based on Chromium. This is a light version or, with less detail, than Chrome, but it's still the same. So, we have decided to analyze this very good looking browser, although we ask ourselves this question , will it be worth it?

Chromium based edge

Many associate Chromium with Chrome, but it's not exactly the same. It is an open source version of Chrome that does not have the codecs that the Google browser carries. We could say that it is like "the beta of Chrome", since it is not so polished. Chromium was born so that the community gave ideas to Google in order to improve the browser.

Microsoft decided to participate in this project, referring to a browser that consumed less resources. After all, any improvements made to Chromium will benefit Chrome. In this way, Microsoft has decided to base its new Edge on Chromium to give users a browser very similar to Chrome, which consumes less resources and shares almost the same interface.

We have tested it and we encourage you to do it through this link.

Interface

So that you can see better the differences between Chrome and Edge, I have decided to show you images of the two in the same situations.

Before starting with the interface, say that it installs really fast, detail that I wanted to point out. As for its interface, it allows us to choose between three main ones. I have opted for the dark because it is the one I like most of all and because I use it in Google Chrome too. Long live the dark theme!

Edge

Chrome

Without the window frame I could say that I am facing Google Chrome, but with less detail in the design. Edge seems to me more minimalist than Chrome. The tab system, the drop-down menus on the right, extensions, applications… it 's all the same as in Google Chrome. So, in this sense, few differences are found. So are the configuration menus of both.

Edge

Chrome

The main extensions are the same, so Edge has a fairly complete market and very similar to Google's. That said, Google has many more, as is logical.

It seems that Edge adds an additional option called " applications ", something that catches our attention already having the plugins or "Extensions". Its operation seems strange to me because I cannot understand the usefulness of the applications. We have to get into a web, access the applications menu and install the web application that we are visiting. I show you.

It is about installing a specific application on a specific web page. I do not find it a clear utility, except that it allows us to differentiate the windows by their color and by their icon, since in the taskbar it seems that we have opened an Amazon application.

It can be useful when we have many windows open and find it difficult to get to the one we want because they all have the same icon in the taskbar.

Finally, tell you that the default search engine is Bing, not Google.

Setting

Personally, I like Edge Chromium's settings menu more than Google Chrome's. Likewise, I must say that in both they are difficult to find certain options, although in Edge the sections are better structured.

Chrome

Edge

At first glance, Edge seems more accurate, as more complete. In Chrome we have the classic entire configuration menu divided by sections that we can access by left-clicking on the left. Whereas in Edge the menus are divided, in Chrome there is a single menu divided into sections.

The interface is a theme that suits your taste, personally I like Edge settings better. In addition, your search engine works perfectly in case you do not find any option.

Edge

As for the configuration options, they seem super similar to me, so the Chrome user of all life will have no complications to configure Edge. I could emphasize each of the sections, but believe me, there are hardly any differences.

performance

This is the key that many of you are here for. Will it consume less resources than Opera, Chrome or Brave? Does it work faster? Weight less? And a long etcetera of questions that you will ask yourself.

Well, as for the RAM that Chromium-based Edge consumes, I am sorry to disappoint you, but the results are not very satisfactory. Say that I have opened both Chrome and Edge with the same windows and open. When I say the same, I say "identical" because they are the same web pages. Here is the result:

Google Chrome consumes 498.8 MB of RAM, while Edge consumes a total of 590.7 MB. Let me tell you that my computer has 8 GB of RAM and that Edge Chromium has fewer extensions installed than my Google Chrome. I do not understand why it consumes 100 MB more of RAM, the truth. Also mention that there are no apps installed on Edge.

Regarding the loading speed, they offer practically the same, almost without differences. To give you an example, I tried to access Mediavida in both and Edge fully loaded the web in 1.06 seconds and Chrome in 0.92 seconds. Likewise, it is not entirely accurate because I have measured it with the stopwatch of my mobile. In addition, it will also influence the DNS we have, where we are and the connection speed.

Conclusions

We come to the end of the analysis and I have drawn certain conclusions that may interest you. I could summarize Chromium- based Edge with a phrase a friend of mine would say: "He has good intentions, but poor execution."

On the one hand, it has good intentions because Microsoft has recognized that the Chromium system is the best. They have adopted its interface, its structure of extensions, tabs, windows, bookmarks; everything we see in Chrome. They have even improved it with a couple of strokes, making the configuration menu clearer.

On the other hand, the great criticism of Chrome has always been the consumption of resources. It seems to us that both consume practically the same, although we have tested both and Edge consumes much more RAM when we put it in a bind. We can see a difference of almost 1 GB, which seems to us quite considering that Chrome does not consume little. However, when we do not open many tabs we can see a lower RAM consumption.

Will people migrate to Edge? My opinion is that not for two main reasons: it consumes more resources and Google Chrome is part of the ecosystem of many users who use mobile and PC. Google took advantage of a time when Mozilla was not performing spectacularly and Internet Explorer was disastrous. Edge is a great native browser, but I think the user will use it as Internet Explorer: to download Google Chrome.

We hope that this analysis has helped you to dispel doubts and to get a little closer to what Chromium- based Edge offers. If you have any questions, you can ask us in the comments section.

What is your favorite browser? Why? Do you think Edge will manage to attract more users?