Once you have acquired your dream smartphone or tablet, the next thing that always comes into mind is what software choices you will opt for. To many experienced individuals who use the internet, they end up using the software that comes with the device. They might also have some prior knowledge of other software but it is a good idea when you have knowledge of other existing software so that you can choose what suits you most.
The choice of a browser can be determined by how palatable the browser is to the user. A good browser has to be appealing to the user. Besides, it also has to be able to meet the basic requirements of what a browser has to do. It should be able to boost even slow and quite often unresponsive webpages by speeding up things like loading of images, enabling third-party plug-ins, and saving of passwords.
Teacher.co.ke comes to your aid in this aspect as we have picked 10 browser options that we believe are quite user-friendly and great for your mobile device. Ultimately, it is up to how a user feels or enjoys while using a particular browser as compared to using other browsers.
1. Opera
Opera Mobile browser is developed by the team that also develops Opera for Windows Operating Systems and MacOS. It gets news features and debugging through free updates. Some of the features this browser has been:
- An integrated ad blocker that closes out ads from webpages.
- A search bar that is also capable of scanning QR codes.
- A great news feed on the homepage that always recommends news stories for you to read.
- It has an Incognito mode when you need to do private browsing.
- An integrated data saver that comes in handy especially if you are using a limited data plan.
- It incorporates tabbed browsing
- It has a password management system and it is capable of autocompleting forms if you allow it to do so.
- Opera is also capable of synchronizing your sessions across all your signed-in devices.
2. Google Chrome
This browser comes with many features. Chrome’s default homepage suggests news articles it thinks you may be interested in. Links to your favorite websites will also be provided. An incognito mode is also provided for your private browsing. You will also be able to save a webpage for offline viewing. This is useful if you want to read some content later. Google Chrome also warns you in instances where there are dangerous links. Google Translate also comes in handy, ensuring you can keep reading that content written in a language you may not necessarily understand.
You will also benefit hugely if you have a Google Account. This is because after you have signed in, your browsing history, tabs, and bookmarks will be synced. Chrome will also remember your usernames and passwords, and do auto-completion of your web searches.
Even without signing in to your Google account, you can also enjoy tabbed browsing from Google Chrome. This allows you to switch between webpages with a few tabs.
A Data Saver is also available on Chrome and it saves your Data bundles by compressing fonts, images, and other web objects to enhance your browsing experience. According to Google stats, it also reduces your data usage by 60 percent.
3. Firefox
This browser is a product that is the nonprofit Mozilla Foundation. It supports add-ons, which are third-party tools that make your browsing experience better in many ways. Besides this feature, Firefox also comes with an integrated AdBlock Plus, a password manager LastPass and a text-to-speech engine Speechify just to mention but a few. Firefox’s add-ons also include themes that you can use to change the look of the browser. This helps you to personalize your browsing experience.
A night-viewing mode is also provided by Firefox to help reduce your eye strain from blue light. A set of privacy controls is also available that enables you to block ad networks from tracking your browsing history. Bookmarking, tab-syncing, and password-saving features of Firefox are also of high quality.
4. Firefox Focus
For general purpose browsing, Mozilla Firefox is a great option. However, on the other hand, if you are looking for something that is more security-oriented, then Firefox Focus is the go-to option. The app has a streamlined user interface that hides ads, shows you how many tracking programs have been locked out on any web page, and always reminds you to erase your browsing history frequently.
Firefox Focus enables you to browse the internet safely like a ghost and in the knowledge that you will avoid ad-tracking and other such nuisances. Even better, the app only takes up 4 Megabytes of your mobile devices’ memory.
5. Dolphin
Dolphin was developed and launched four years ago and it has survived by having features like Dolphin Sonar. Dolphin Sonar enables you to search for things that have a voice. (e.g. “Go to Google.com”). Besides, you can also share content with many social media sites. This browser has a built-in artificial intelligence assistant. Gesture browsing in this browser allows you to bookmark webpages with finger gestures. The Webzine feature aggregates over 300 web sources in many disciplines into an offline “magazine-style” format. This is Dolphin’s answer to Flipboard.
Like in other browsers, Dolphin also integrates features like add-ons support, password syncing, and private browsing. The syncing is also done via Dolphin Connect. You simply log in to your corresponding Google or Facebook account and then install the corresponding Firefox or Chrome extension on your computer, and your browsing data like tabs, history and bookmarks will sync in the background. On iPhones, Dolphin is also one of the best browsers for this operating system.
6. Ecosia Browser
In case you love trees, well this browser is a browser that aims to make a difference. Searches made trees. Up to 80% of Ecosia profits go towards the planting of new trees. Ecosia intends to have planted a billion trees by the end of this year (2020). The impact of the Novel Coronavirus on this initiative remains to be seen. You may as well make that 2021. Planting trees is a good reason to use this browser. It is based on Chromium, so if you are used to Chrome, the change will not be that much of a fuss as the features will be those you are already used to. All tree-buying receipts for Ecosia are published on their website together with their financial reports so you can be sure your money is not being wasted.
7. Samsung Internet Browser
This Browser is cleverly titled has many useful features. It supports content blockers like AdBlock and Disconnect. It also has a high-contrast mode for viewing which is useful for users who have impaired vision. Samsung Internet Browser also has an in-built download manager. This browser can also synch bookmarks, saved pages, and tabs even with non-Samsung devices through a corresponding Chrome extension. It is most suitable if you are using a Dex Station or Gear VR headset. It works automatically with both of these devices. This browser also comes with Amazon’s web assistant to help you with online shopping. It is compatible with android devices with 5.0 Lollipop or later.
8. Microsoft Edge
Just because you have seen the “Microsoft” title, it means we are talking about serious things. You may already be used to the Microsoft Windows versions of Microsoft Office, but this browser is a great product from Microsoft too.
You can use this browser on any device, you can resume whatever you were doing on the other device, and then you can find all your passwords, reading lists, and favorite sites on this browser too. Hub View makes accessing favorite or new content very easy. Text reading mode also comes in handy when you are trying to read on something important. Microsoft Edge also has an integrated QR scanner and the voice search option is available. However, it has to be said that it lacks some features available in other browsers but if you have been using Microsoft Edge on another device, then it is a good idea to have it installed.
9. Phoenix Browser
The Phoenix browser provides a customizable browsing experience. It is a fast and smooth browser like most browsers but it has a lot more features than ordinary browsers. It has many options that aim to reduce your mobile data usage like being able to save whole webpages so you can view them later. It also has a “no image mode” that strips out all data-heavy pictures for those on a low budget.
The Phoenix browser also enables you to download videos from streaming websites. However, Phoenix is prohibited from doing so from YouTube. Therefore, you will have to pay up for that YouTube Premium subscription option.
10. DuckDuckGo Privacy Browser
Do you feel insecure online? The search engine of this browser saves you from the clutches of Google’s Search tracking. For those concerned about privacy, you can easily browse on their phones without worrying about anyone spying on you. DuckDuckGo’s browser necessitates the use of encryption, trackers, and blocks, and yet they will never track your searches. A score of A to F is used to grade individual websites. When done browsing, hit the Fire button and it will wipe all open tabs and data with one click, touch, or push.