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Five Reasons to Try Microsoft’s New Browser

Patrick Devaney

Patrick Devaney

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Could it be time to ditch the all-consuming Google Chrome and move on to Microsoft’s new browser, Edge? Google Chrome has dominated for a while, and one of the main reasons is how easily you can transition your browsing across all of your devices with the Google browser. A handy mobile version of the browser allows you to easily sync all of your bookmarks, history, and passwords across your PC and mobile phones and tablets. Microsoft Edge has just stepped up to offer the same ease of use to its users.

Via: Microsoft

Windows last week released Edge for iOS and Android, in preview form. It has since been downloaded thousands of times and has even exceeded the 10,000 user limit for Apple’s TestFlight, which helps developers distribute beta releases.

Five Reasons to Try Microsoft’s New Browser

But why would you bother changing to Edge simply because it now offers something that Chrome has offered for a long time already? Well, let’s have a look at the top five reasons to use Microsoft Edge.

Why you should use Microsoft Edge

1. It’s clean and simple

Via: Microsoft

Microsoft Edge offers a much cleaner and simpler interface than Google Chrome. It offers almost unrivaled efficiency when it comes to conserving your battery power, which is especially important if you’re on a laptop. If this feature carries over to the mobile app it’ll be a huge deal. I don’t know a single person who doesn’t want the battery on their smartphone to last longer.

2. Speed, speed, speed

Edge’s simplicity translates into one other very important factor: Speed. Edge is one of the fastest browsers around, with load times even faster than Google Chrome. If you switched to Chrome for speed and efficiency, the new Microsoft Edge mobile app definitely puts Microsoft’s web browser in the “worth a try” category.

3. Cortana comes built-in

Cortana is Microsoft’s version of Siri or Google Assistant. She responds to voice commands, and she is gaining skills all the time. One cool trick is that you can ask her to identify images on the internet for you. And if you’re used to using Cortana on your PC, then the fact that she is built into Edge will make switching between devices even easier.

4. Reader mode and ebooks

Whoever said you can only use one browser? The reader mode on Microsoft Edge is a standout feature that sets it apart from other browsers. Even if you’re not going to use it for browsing the web, you can still use Microsoft Edge to read long-form articles or just anything that requires more than a cursory glance. By removing all non-essential elements from the page, Reader mode really does improve the reading experience of its users. It is also great for recipes if you use your tablet in the kitchen.

Via: Microsoft

5. You can write on web pages

This one could be especially good for business users. This feature makes it easy to highlight design elements on certain websites with simple instructions drawn directly on top of web pages. This hasn’t been all that useful for PC users without touchscreen devices, but Edge’s new mobile app will give this quirky feature a whole new lease on life.

If you want to get your hands on the preview version of Microsoft Edge, you can click here.

What do you think of Microsoft Edge? Have you been using it on your PC, and do you think you’ll be trying out the new mobile app? Let us know in the comments.

Patrick Devaney

Patrick Devaney

Patrick Devaney is a news reporter for Softonic, keeping readers up to date on everything affecting their favorite apps and programs. His beat includes social media apps and sites like Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Twitter, YouTube, and Snapchat. Patrick also covers antivirus and security issues, web browsers, the full Google suite of apps and programs, and operating systems like Windows, iOS, and Android.

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