No tests were carried out. This post is just based on my experience as an end-user.
Microsoft Edge vs Google Chrome for Windows 10: Highlights
Highlights: Edge was released with Windows 10. The advantage that Microsoft Edge has over Google Chrome on a Windows 10 computer is that it comes as part of Windows 10 operating system and hence has built-in support of Cortana, the AI based Microsoft Assistant for the operating system.
Load time of Edge vs Chrome Prefetch Feature
Loading time of Edge is much less than that of Chrome as it is already part of the Windows 10 operating system and so gets pre-loaded. When Chrome is used, it takes time to come up with the home page before allowing you to browse. However, speed of opening websites is faster on Chrome for most websites as Chrome uses an algorithm that guesses what all links you will be clicking on the current page and prefetches data related to the links. You can turn it off from Settings if you face problems. You might face problems with Chrome Prefetch feature as it may lead to higher resource consumption. You can check Windows 10 Task Manager to see how the disk and CPU usage increases over time when you are using Google Chrome instead of Microsoft Edge or any other browser(s). If you are facing problems with Google Chrome High Disk Usage, disable prefetch. Here is more about the Prefetch Feature in Windows 10.
Is Edge really faster than Chrome?
Microsoft claims Edge is 37% faster compared to Google Chrome. While it is true that the load time of Edge is less, browsing speed depends on a number of factors – what all processes are running in the background? How long has the browser session continued? Is OneDrive backing up files at the same time? Is any other cloud app (e.g., Google Backup and Sync) open during browsing? Are Windows Updates being installed while you are browsing? There can be many factors that affect your speed of browsing. Other than those listed above, it could also be a complex, slow website. This is to say that the claim of 37% faster speed of Edge was the result of tests performed in a controlled environment where background processes were eliminated. The tests were carried-on on Surface computers of the same configuration with same tabs open in both.
Edge vs Chrome – Reading View
Edge and Chrome both are good are providing reading views, but Edge offers few things also and hence is my favorite for reading long articles and eBooks. While the dark mode of Windows 10 already highlights the Edge window to give you a better-focused window, the Line Focus feature in Edge further narrows distraction by highlighting just a few lines, based on your cursor. The read mode of Edge also contains a dictionary. You simply highlight a word to see its meaning. You have to right-click and select “Search on Google…” in Chrome. This, in turn, translates to active googling of words for meaning. In Edge, you just highlight by double click or double tapping the word you want to be defined and the meaning appears in a balloon just above the word.
Browsing Options in Edge vs Chrome
While both Chrome and Edge have their own settings and preferences section where you can set up your preferences while browsing, you can control Edge better than Chrome. You just have to make changes in the Internet Options in Control Panel to make things work per your wish.
Complicated websites and E-commerce websites
Edge sometimes fails to render websites that are high on resources. Some say that it does not work properly on some banking sites. If it is too much of CSS and ActiveX Controls, you may find Microsoft Edge crashing or hanging. It needs not to be explained that one of the future upgrades will certainly fix this issue. The problem, in my opinion, is due to the metro interface of Edge. The older websites just do not blend in with the interface, and the way Edge renders websites. These websites render okay on Google Chrome, perhaps, because of backward compatibility which is less in Edge for security reasons.
Summary
Edge is good as it is developed keeping the future in mind. It might prove some problems on traditional websites that are yet to be updated for the current Internet. This is more of the Internet’s problem than that of Edge. The Microsoft browser is meant for current and future style websites. Other touch-based apps function well within Microsoft Edge as it is a Metro-style application. Google Chrome fails there. With some tricks, Chrome manages to speed up browsing but ends up troubling your hard-disks and SSDs. SSDs have a limited number of write operations, so I think Chrome is too hard on SSDs. Both browsers are good, but if you need or are using touch interface, Edge is the one for you.
