Edge is Microsoft’s latest web-browser application designed for the Windows 10 Operating System. This web-browser is compatible with Windows 10 PC system only and not with the previous or older Windows Operating Systems. It is currently the best web browser available for Windows 10 systems.
If you are using a Windows 10 PC, and get confused about settings up a default web-browser, then Microsoft Edge Web Browser Review will clear all the doubts that arise in your mind. Let’s get on to the details!
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Microsoft Edge Web Browser Review
Microsoft Edge was launched in the year 2015 as a replacement to Internet Explorer which was the default web browser app on Windows systems. As mentioned above, Edge is compatible with Microsoft’s latest Operating System i.e. Windows 10.
The same web browser is available as a mobile app for Android and iPhones, but it is not available for Mac systems yet. In such a short period, Edge browser has gained massive popularity and is currently the best web browser application for Windows 10 users. The same browser is giving tough competition to the leaders like Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.
Most people get confused between the top three web browsers i.e. Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Edge. They don’t know which web browser should they use on their Windows 10 Systems and always search for the useful information about it. Well, this article will give you the right information about all the web browsers and will also let you know why you should switch to Microsoft’s Edge browser from Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.
About Microsoft Edge Web Browser
Microsoft Edge Web Browser’s current version is running on EdgeHTML engine which is soon going to be replaced with a new engine called Chromium. The Chromium edition of this web browser is set to launch this fall. The Chromium edition is available as Preview edition and you can download it from the official website for testing purpose.
The review of the Microsoft Edge Web Browser focuses on the current version i.e. EdgeHTML Engine running version, but it will also give you some information about the Chromium version of the browser as well.
In terms of features and privacy, Edge stands out on the top position compared to other web browsers. The browser itself comes with some advanced security features which are set enabled by default. You don’t need to worry about the safety of your web activities, as this web browser will protect you from spying activities by the third-party tools and advertisers when you explore different websites.
Microsoft Edge Compatibility
As mentioned earlier, the current version of Microsoft Edge Web Browser is compatible with the Windows 10 Operating System only. But the upcoming Chromium-based Edge Browser will also support Windows 7 and later versions as well as Mac systems.
The same browser is available for Android and iOS mobile platforms as well. It is compatible with Android 4.4 or later and iOS 10.0 and later mobile operating systems.
Of course, there are so many alternatives to this web browser available on the web world and that’s the reason why people get confused between choosing the right one. If we talk about the alternatives, you can go with the Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Opera and Safari for Mac systems.
Since Microsoft Edge is the latest Web browser app, it is packed with tons of extraordinary features which you can’t find on any other browsers. The following list of its features will explain to you why this web-browser is better than the Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox web browsers.
Key Features
Microsoft Edge Browser is available for Windows 10 and Mobile Platforms. We will discuss the list of its features for both the platforms.
The design and interface of the Edge browser are user-friendly as it serves a familiar environment. The browser supports hundreds of ready-to-use extensions which you can add from the extensions library. You will get a limited number of extensions on this browser. The developers are constantly working to add more extensions to the library to make their UI smoother.
What’s new in this web browser is it comes with a built-in Screengrab feature and Notes-taking tool. You can quickly write down a note or can grab a Screenshot of a web page from the built-in tool or its functionality.
There is a special read aloud tool available on the browser. This tool uses Microsoft’s own Speech translation tool which translates the texts using text to speech feature.
Apart from this, the browser has a specialized reading list that lets you add webpages to it. You can read out those pages in your free time just by clicking on to the list. The list saves the web pages in such a way that you can explore them offline. They don’t need the Internet connectivity or support for an additional app.
Moving on to the Mobile Platform, the browser has a decent interface for mobile users. The home page comes with a big search engine bar and a list of icons of your favorite apps and webpages. You can set or customize the home page as per your needs.
You can personalize your web-surfing the way you want with the customizable options. The ready-to-use translator tool helps you to translate texts from 60 different languages. Built-in ad-blocker, password manager, Hub view, data sync and many other more features are available to use from the mobile device.
There is a picture-in-picture video support feature also available on the browser which you can enable from the Settings menu. You can minimize the video screen and can browse other websites within the same screen. You don’t need to close down a video to visit a different site.
With Edge Browser on your Mobile phone, you can enjoy the personalized web browsing with your favorite websites and tools.
Functionality
Microsoft has designed this web browser with simplicity. Since the browser doesn’t come with an extra set of features and tools, it comes with a decent interface for both, Desktop and Mobile platforms.
If we talk about the Desktop version of the browser, it looks similar to other browsers. You will not see major differences between the different browsers. You are already familiar with the environment served by this browser. On the top side, you will see tabs, bookmarks, address bar, extensions etc. Each tab has a down arrow that lets you preview the Tab, it makes it easier for the users to switch between the tabs.
You can open up the Settings menu from the upper right corner. You can also pin tabs and can scroll down multiple tabs. You can also keep some of the tabs aside by simply dragging them to the new tab. You will not face any troubles while using this web browser on a PC system.
On the other side, the mobile app of the browser also serves decent user interface. Just like Google Chrome, it will show you the main homepage with a big search bar and the Microsoft’s logo. You can also add icons of your favorite tools and websites on the home page.
The Address bar and bookmark list are located on the top side. The home button is given at the upper left corner. There is a special newsguard feature available on the app for mobile devices which gives you the results about the content quality of a particular webpage.
The main controls of the browser are located at the bottom side of the page. You can open tabs, can make changes to the browser from the Settings menu etc. A new tab, New inPrivate Tab, View Desktop Site, Read aloud and many other features are included and you can explore them from the bottom side of the page.
Performance
When it comes to the performance of this web browser, it is not that good compared to its competitors. Google Chrome is the best and super faster Web browser to date. The desktop version is slower than other browsers; however, the mobile version of the same browser runs smoothly.
Security
Edge Web Browser is using Microsoft’s own system to protect its users from malware attacks and other malicious activities. It also protects users from phishing done by emails and pop-up ads. When a website is not secured with HTTPS, you will be warned with a message.
Compared to Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox browsers, the Edge browser offers the same security features to protect your information, identity and data. You can set up things as per your needs from the Settings menu. You are allowed to customize the default functions of this browser.
Privacy
Microsoft Edge Web Browser is designed to offer a secured web-browsing platform. As mentioned above, the browser comes with a lot of security tools which are enabled by default. For security purpose, the browser collects your personal data and web browsing activities. However, you can limit the data collection or can disable all such tools from the Settings menu. The same set of features are available on the Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.
Conclusion:
Microsoft Edge Web Browser a new web browser, but still serves all the latest security and privacy features with a set of useful tools. It’s a decent web browser which is specially designed for the Windows 10 users. However, compared to Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, the list of its tools and extensions are still limited.
The browser runs slower on the desktop which is one more thing users will not accept if they use Google Chrome. But on mobile, it runs faster than Chrome and other web browser applications.
Microsoft is currently working on a new Chromium-based browser. The Chromium browser will be much faster and will include a new set of tools to make it the best web browser for PC systems. If you are a Windows 10 user, then you should definitely use it as a default web browser, you won’t be disappointed!