The browser wars continue as Microsoft is again claiming that its Edge browser is superior to Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Opera when it comes to battery life.
Back in June, Microsoft started a rather aggressive campaign to promote its Edge browser, pitting it against its rivals and claiming that it easily comes out on top in terms of battery performance, particularly in scenarios involving streaming media.
Opera struck back at the time, conducting its own tests and claiming that its browser was in fact superior to Microsoft Edge. Google is now touting significant battery performance improvements as well, with its latest Chrome 53 build.
Microsoft is still certain that its Edge browser is the best, however, and it just released another video and accompanying report to prove its point.
"The Microsoft Windows team measured the time it took four identical Surface Book laptops to run fully through their batteries while streaming video from Netflix. The results were recorded with a camera and a time lapse was made available publicly," says Microsoft.
According to the company, the test showed that Microsoft Edge lasted 23 percent longer than Opera, 45 percent longer than Google Chrome and 69 percent longer than Mozilla Firefox.
Based on these results, it seems that the latest Edge browser version running the Windows 10 Anniversary Update has a strong edge against rivals, at least in this Netflix streaming media race.
In this test, Firefox was the first one to go to sleep, lasting for just 312 minutes. Google Chrome 53 braved the power battle for 365 minutes, and Opera lasted for 429 minutes with battery saver, while Edge kept the lights on for 527 minutes.
At the same time, the test indicates that Microsoft's new Windows 10 Anniversary Update could be helping devices be more energy-efficient, consuming less power.
Another test, meanwhile, measures the power usage in the CPU, GPU and Wi-Fi chip in simple browsing scenarios, and it seems that Microsoft Edge comes out on top again.
What Microsoft fails to mention, however, is that its Edge browser still lags behind its rivals in other areas, such as stability or a wider support for extensions. Efficiency and battery-saving is arguably important, but it's not all it takes to be a top browser.
Nevertheless, Microsoft has been aggressively trying to boost the popularity of its Edge browser and prove that it can take on the cool kids, Chrome, Firefox and Opera. Have you tried out Microsoft Edge with Windows 10 Anniversary Update? If so, what do you think of it? Share your opinion in the comments section below.
