Dev: Opera Software ASA
Price: Free
Rating: 5/5
This is the second week in our mobile web browser face off, and I must say that the browsers keep getting better. If you recall, last week we reviewed Google Chrome, which was a great mobile browser with fast speeds and a clean interface.
This week, we will review the Opera mobile web browser. Right after installation, I can tell that Opera is faster than Chrome. Plain and simple, it just is. The sleekness of Chrome is matched by the Opera browser. Both are beautiful and modern, and make it a pleasure to surf the web on your mobile device. The UI seems to be a bit more polished in the Opera browser, with no lag in the pinch-to-zoom function and immediate response to your commands. The Opera UI is just smoother than the Chrome UI.
There is a huge difference between Chrome and Opera, and that difference is what puts the Opera browser over the top. Efficiency. The Opera browser is, hands down, the most efficient mobile browser I have ever used on any device. The speed dial feature is brilliant. It places your most frequented pages on the opening page of the browser. This is extremely convenient for impatient users like me.
Another efficient feature is having the menu button directly on the start page. This is marked with the big red “O” and has everything you need in one tab. The Opera browser even has Google as its default search engine, also on the start page. There are other features of the Opera browser, such as the Opera mobile store, where you can download free apps and games.
But what truly puts Opera at the top of the browser list is its efficiency. It’s so much easier to navigate and surf the web in comparison to Chrome or any default browser. I would love to see an incognito tab in Opera; this would force me to give the Opera mobile browser a 6/5!
Currently, Opera is the reigning champ of mobile browsers, thus I’m giving it a perfect score of 5/5. Will the next browser have what it takes to challenge Opera for its throne? Tune in next week kiddos!
I use Firefox on the PC but I prefer mobile opera to mobile Firefox.I totally agree with your comments.it is incredibly efficient. And like you, I miss an incognito tab which the mobile Firefox does offer.