Android News
Mozilla: Firefox 4 is up to 3x as fast as stock Android browser
February 1, 2011 | by Andrew Kameka
Android Apps
We’ve been tracking Firefox since it was still being called Fennec. And while Androinica writers have internally praised what’s now known as Firefox for Android, storage size and speed have been issues that have kept some of us – present company included – from making it our standard browser. Mozilla says it has updated Firefox in a way that may force me to reconsider that.
Firefox for Android is faster than previous versions. So fast that Mozilla says that Firefox 4 is “faster than the stock Android browser” based on multiple benchmark tests. We’ve seen this claim made by other browsers and discovered that benchmark tests don’t always translate to real-world results. However, people who liked Firefox but craved speed can rest assured that the new version is faster than previous incarnations.
Mirroring the desktop experience, Firefox’s greatest strength is its expandability. The Android version of Mozilla’s browser supports more than 100 add-ons (browse the gallery) and syncs settings with desktops. Even if you don’t buy into claims that Firefox is twice as fast as the stock browser on one benchmark, and 3 times as fast on another, these are the types of powerful features to make it worth giving it a shot.
Thanks, Jordan
I still think dolphin is better. Firefox may be good at rendering, but it takes a long time to start up and is a resource hog. Dolphin HD has some great add-ons and firefox 4 features, and has had them for a long time. And if you want light-weight browsing, Dolphin Light is awesome. Lots of tabs, fast and efficient user interface. Firefox 4 is good, but let's see how well it compares to the stock browser in 3.0. I think Google should port Chrome to Android. Then we can talk about performance.
stock android browser DOES flash. Does the Firefox 4 for Android do Flash?
That's crazy. I'm going to download it right now.
Sorry, just marketing hype. Beta 4 is quite slow (even to start up). This is just a beta, hopefully it will get a hell of a lot faster for the final release.
I agree with some comments above. I tried Firefox this week and hated it. Well, hated using it would be a better phrase. A fast browser doesn't really count if you wait three times longer for it to load each and every time you use it. Sure the benchmarks happen from an already open browser. Home screen to page results were pathetic. I deleted it.
I am so disapointed with what I've seen so far, which sounds like the common tone here. I find myself using firefox less and less just in general. Chrome has sort of stolen my browser loyalty, and I weirdly tend to use the stock browser on the Android just as much as Opera Mini. My recent post 10 Best Android Websites for Apps and Information
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