The topic of “browser speed” often comes up when comparing options, but as the Internet becomes more advanced, it becomes increasingly important to find proponents of web standards like HTML5 and CSS3. I decided to run a not-so-involved test among some popular (and free) browsers on the Google Play Store on my Verizon Galaxy Note 2 running Carbon ROM 1.5. The apps are all updated as of the test run today (3/6/2013). Here are the tabulated results:
| Acid3 | CSS3 Test | HTML5 Test | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stock 4.2.2 | 100/100 | 369/937 (48%) | 316 + 3 bonus |
| Chrome (beta) | 100/100 | 572/937 (65%) | 415 + 11 bonus |
| Dolphin | 100/100 | 369/937 (48%) | 316 + 3 bonus |
| Firefox (beta) | 100/100 w/ error | 507/937 (58%) | 403 + 14 bonus |
| Opera (beta) | 100/100 | 570/937 (64%) | 450 + 11 bonus |
| UC Browser | 94/100 | 349/937 (44%) | 294 + 8 bonus |
Based on the results, Opera and Chrome’s beta browsers are at the top. Obviously more goes into web browsers than how well they conform to modern standards. How “quick it feels”, syncing options, gestures, and media compatibility are just a few additional features which sway users from one browser to the next. Since they’re all free apps, try them all for yourself! I’ve decided to give Opera beta a run myself. 🙂
