20 Best Browsers for Android with Interesting Features

The browser is one of the most important applications on any device. It is difficult to overestimate its importance when surfing the Internet. But choosing the one that is most suitable for you from dozens of options in the Google Play Market is not easy, because you need to take into account a lot of options that are not always clear.

We tested all these browsers and compiled this rating to make it easier for you to choose. And although Chrome is the fastest on the Android platform, in terms of functionality it is as simple as two pennies. Mozilla has the best extension library, but its loading time is too long. UC is pretty good, but its advertising is too annoying. So overall, Yandex.Browser is the best choice in our opinion. It is beautiful and safe, has a voice search function and the entire interface is completely in Russian.

Google Chrome

Of course, we cannot ignore the most popular browser for Android - Google Chrome. Many people buy gadgets with Chrome already installed and continue to use it. And, by the way, they act very wisely!

The browser allows you to synchronize with other computers and gadgets. You can open an unlimited number of tabs in it. It introduces deeper integration with Android and functionality suitable for both casual and advanced users. You can always try out new features by downloading the next beta version of Google Chrome.

Yandex browser

Yandex.Browser is our favorite. Compared to its competitors, it has a number of advantages, which we will now tell you about. For example, there is an ergonomic and beautiful home page on which you can change the background image or bookmarks, which are made in the form of tiles (notably, the search bar is at the bottom).

Built-in AI will track your activity on the Internet and change the news feed in the Yandex.Zen recommendation service in accordance with your interests. Voice search options are more accurate than Google's. The speed of the browser itself is also one of the best. It received a score of 515 out of a possible 555 in the html5 tests, beating Firefox and Opera. Only Chrome could surpass it.

It also supports add-ons from the Opera extension store. Although this particular feature needs improvement, since not all add-ons are compatible. There is a built-in ad blocker (Adguard). There are quite a few ads (they are only present in the news feed) compared to other browsers, like the same UC (which literally bombards you with advertising messages on the home screen). And finally, this browser has a turbo mode, which will be extremely useful for users with low Internet speeds, because... compresses images on websites (without loss of quality) for faster loading.

Microsoft Edge

Launched simultaneously with the original version of Windows 10. An analogue of the once popular Internet Explorer. You can link several devices to one account to gain access to bookmarks, history, and passwords. Data is transferred automatically.

The built-in Bing system allows you to use visual and voice search for instant results. The program provides the user with a package of tools to protect personal data: AdBlock Plus, tracking protection, Incognito mode. Immersive Reader removes pop-up content.

Advantages:

• fast page loading;
• single account for smartphone, tablet, PC (automatic synchronization);
• wide choice of interface design;
• "reading" mode;
• complete elimination of advertising;
• The control panel is located at the bottom for comfortable use.

Flaws:

• no sorting of bookmarks;
• works slower on a weak device;
• consumes a lot of battery power;
• the application does not allow you to remove unnecessary search services;
• after changing the vertical page orientation to horizontal, it does not optimize the text.

Tor/Orbot

The Tor browser is available on the Android platform and can be installed from the Google Play Market, but it is hosted under a different name - Orbot.

Orbot is software that allows mobile device owners to access the Internet, instant messaging and email services without worrying about their activities being monitored or blocked by Internet providers. For encrypted instant messaging, install Gibberbot, which can connect to the Tor network and the Off-the-Record cryptographic protocol.

Orbot includes Tor and libevent. This software also provides local HTTP proxy server and standard SOCKS4A/SOCKS5 proxy servers on the Tor network. Orbot can silently pass all TCP traffic through Tor networks on your phone, provided it has been granted all the necessary permissions and system libraries.

For Android devices from version 2, you must root your device and update the iptables (command line utility) firmware to be able to silently proxy all TCP traffic.

For unmodified, non-rooted devices, you will need to manually reconfigure HTTP and SOCKS proxy settings for specific applications. You can also download Firefox with the Proxy Mobile Add-on from the Google Play store or install ND Browser (works only in text mode). These two methods will pass traffic through Tor networks on unrooted devices.

Dolphin

The Dolphin browser has gained popularity among Android users because it has a decent set of functions. Themes, flash, ad blocking, incognito mode and some tertiary functions like gesture control are supported.

Support for add-ons and extensions has been implemented. Dolphin has a lot of fans. This browser satisfies the requirements of most users and it more than deservedly ranks high on the list of the best.

Firefox Focus

The main goal of Firefox Focus is to ensure maximum user privacy. That's why you won't find browsing history, tabs, a list of most visited websites, or similar features available in most modern browsers.

Instead, Firefox Focus comes with a large set of tools to help you "cover your tracks": it blocks cookies and prevents sites from remembering user actions. In addition, it erases all information about the session immediately after it ends. Using a special button, you can do this manually at any time.

Firefox Focus blocks all plugins running in the background, which improves the speed of the browser and the loading of web pages. You can choose the elements that you allow to work - for example, disable the code of web analytics systems, but enable cookies, without which problems with certain sites often arise.

Comparative review of Android browsers

Hello, Habr. We have prepared for you a comparative review of 10 browsers for Android, assessed by functionality, performance, and design. It is appropriate to note that there are many more than ten mobile browsers. There are too many of them to make a full-fledged Top of 2014 in one publication. Instead of relying only on popularity (or speed), the shortlist included applications that represent the entire range of technologies implemented in mobile browsers, including newcomers that have not yet gathered a large audience of users (based on the article The best Android browsers, 2014 edition: design, features, and performance)

Interface and design

Popular mobile browser tests for Android focus on speed.
This made sense when most smartphones lacked performance. Now everything is different, and even the cheapest devices provide enough speed to focus in a different direction - on interface design and usability. Browser creators are notoriously lazy in this area. We see that mobile browsers rarely change in appearance and, for the most part, are mini-versions of our desktop browsers. For all of them, the address bar is located at the top, the tabs are located exactly as on the desktop version, the page display area is identical for all applications. It's strange, but of all the browsers we tested (even those that weren't shortlisted for this article), only Habit Browser's address bar moved away from its usual location and ended up at the bottom of the display. We don't think this implementation is perfect, but on the average Android smartphone the display is now dangerously close to 5 inches in size, making it increasingly difficult to reach the top address bar.

Chrome

Google's Chrome is familiar to most users, as many phones have the app installed by default. Chrome's interface is nice to use, but it doesn't really stand out in any way. A typical Google approach, which has proven itself on the positive side, because there are no problems with the speed of operation and interaction with the interface. Scrolling pages, zooming, everything works quickly and smoothly, no matter how “heavy” the pages you are viewing (of course, if you have a modern smartphone).

Firefox

Mozilla's wealth of experience cannot be denied. Firefox is one of the most popular browsers for PC and one of the best browsers for Android. It works quite quickly and supports synchronization of tabs and bookmarks in the mobile version with the desktop version of the browser. Like its PC version, it has a simplified interface, although not as elegantly light as Chrome.

Opera

Opera is the third and final Android browser on this list that boasts family ties to the "grown-up" desktop version. Like its competitors above the list, Opera offers a simplified, if slightly dated, design. Fortunately, following the “old school” only means convenient navigation and excellent speed performance, even when it comes to working with very “heavy” sites.

Dolphin

This is a completely different league. This is one of the oldest mobile browsers available for Android, and year after year it remains a good alternative to the popular trio. Dolphin boasts a thoughtful design. It remains one of the few browsers that plays with interface colors (green is the color of life). It is more multifunctional than most of its competitors, but fortunately, support for various gestures, integration with social networks, and the presence of synchronization not only between different devices, but also between different browsers, do not negatively affect its speed.

UC Browser

Like Dolphin, UC Browser has a more relaxed interface. The browser UI is well designed, interface elements are arranged ergonomically, making navigation easier. There are also no complaints about the speed of the browser.

CM Browser

CM Browser is new to Android, but it already has something to boast about. The application has the most minimalistic interface, but it is implemented tastefully. You can start using CM Browser instantly, without wasting time learning the “functionality”.

Javelin

We found this browser to be the most visually attractive. It's simply beautifully made and feels a little better than just a tool for work. There are no frills in it, the interface is simple, navigation is easy.

Puffin

Many may wonder why the Puffin even appeared on this list, especially given its unattractive design. Indeed, Puffin can be considered the worst browser in our review, it has serious flaws. For example, working with the user interface is accompanied by long freezes even on top-end devices. The same goes for working with web pages. Scrolling, zooming, working with a panoramic view - all this leaves much to be desired. So what did this “renegade” forget in the article “The best Android browsers”? We'll talk about this a little later.

Next Browser

Colorful and at the same time minimalistic interface. You may notice a delay when viewing images on some pages; not everything is smooth with scrolling and scaling.

Lightning Browser

Chrome from Google. The interface is no frills, additional functionality is hidden where you cannot immediately find it. As for navigation, the interface is quite simple and works with small friezes.

Peculiarities

Once you have become familiar with the appearance of the presented browsers, you naturally want to learn more about the supported functionality.
Some browsers (Firefox, UC Browser, Dolphin) support extensions, but it is simply impossible to describe them all at once. In addition, the average user will never use something that does not work right away on the principle of “installed and works as I need.” So what do we really need from a browser? Synchronization. Unfortunately, not all browsers on our list support this feature. Anonymity. Incognito mode has become a kind of standard, but not all browsers offer it. Finally, data compression is still a pretty interesting feature. We've collected all the popular features and tested how our browsers handle them.

* Adblocker Dolphin requires JetPack (on Android 4.3-4.4). Flash is only supported via addon.

* Puffin only supports flash for 7 days. After that - guess what.

* Firefox only supports Flash when the plugin is installed.

As you can see, UC Browser and Dolphin turned out to be the most feature-rich. On the other hand, Dolphin has a number of other rather unique features (for example, gesture support).

Performance

Even the most visually attractive browser will not last long on your smartphone if it does not work well. Of course, synthetic tests and the real world are not the same thing. Tests do not always paint a representative picture of actual performance. On the other hand, some tests not only measure the speed of work in “parrots”, but also try to simulate scenarios of real user actions.

Synthetic tests

1. SunSpider

Developed by Apple back in 2007, SunSpider remains part of the standard browser benchmark suite. SunSpider analyzes the browser's ability to process JavaScript code. And here is the only reason why Puffin is on the list of the best browsers. Puffin does a great job by using cloud computing. As for the rest, we are pleased to note the success of newcomers, surpassing even Google's Chrome.

2. Mozilla Kraken

Like SunSpider, Mozilla Kraken attempts to measure the performance of browsers running JavaScript. However, this test is, so to speak, more hardcore. It’s not surprising that Puffin is back at the helm, but Firefox has unexpectedly merged, even though the browser was created by the same company as Kraken. Dolphin confidently takes last place for the second time.

3. Browsermark

This benchmark analyzes the overall performance of browsers (and strives to show it as real).

Once again, Puffin is ahead of the competition, Chrome is regaining lost ground, and Dolphin continues to disappoint.

(*the bigger, the better)

4. Peacekeeper

Peacekeeper (created by the Finns at Futuremark) also tries to measure the actual performance of browsers.

Yes, your eyes don't lie, Puffin delivers amazing results again. Firefox is unexpectedly lagging behind.

(*the bigger, the better)

Peacekeeper can also check browsers to ensure they are compatible with the HTML5 standard. With the industry seeing HTML5 as the next logical step forward, it's important to understand whether your browser can handle the new code.

Firefox shows one of the most decent results (along with UC Browser). Other browsers cannot be called fully HTML5 compatible.

(*the bigger, the better)

Page load time

We will look at the loading speed in two different states - with a new page and a previously opened one.
Important rule: browsers must load all page content. 1. “Hot loading” (loading pages that you have already visited)

Synthetic tests don't lie - Puffin is truly king when it comes to (hot) page load times. Chrome, which still opens the page quickly, still lags behind.

Unfortunately, Firefox and Dolphin (Opera too) lag far behind the leaders.

2. “Hot loading” (mobile version of the site)

3. “Cold boot”

How well does your browser handle pages you visit for the first time?

Wow, Puffin lost the title of “fastest” for the first time. However, this was an isolated case and on other pages this strange browser regained the palm. As for the rest, we see fairly similar results, although Firefox and Javelin perform worse. Dolphin finally managed to emerge from the bottom and take the place of the middle peasant. CM Browser showed a very decent result, and Chrome deservedly won everyone.

4. “Cold loading” (mobile version of the site)

Memory consumption

In our latest test, we tested how our browsers handle memory usage. Most modern smartphones have at least 1 GB of RAM, but many people still use other phones that have, for example, 512 megabytes. For these devices, eating up memory is the last thing they need.

(*in megabytes; the smaller the better) As you can see, with the exception of Firefox, Puffin, Chrome, and Opera, the rest showed a similar result with Lightning Browser, which turned out to be the “lightest” of all. In other words, if your device has enough memory, then Lightning Browser will be a good choice - it is a simple, feature-rich and fast browser.

*Note: Please be aware that memory consumption varies depending on the device.

Conclusion

We used the OnePlus One smartphone to test all browsers.

If we exclude anomalies like Puffin, we see roughly average results across all browsers. Yes, we can say that Dolphin, Opera, and Firefox are generally slower than the others, while Chrome and CM Browser have proven to be some of the fastest. CM Browser pleased me with its simplicity and speed. On the other hand, Dolphin, despite its speed problems, offers very interesting functionality.

The biggest disappointment in this test is Puffin. The developers clearly focused on the wrong thing, but could make one of the best mobile browsers in the world.

In general, we can say that the most popular does not mean the best. If you don't want to waste time choosing an Android browser, none of the browsers on our list will disappoint you (we're serious, you might even like Puffin).

Firefox

Firefox has come a long way since its introduction to the software market. And currently it remains one of the most advanced browsers for Android. It boasts impressive functionality, including: synchronization (bookmarks, history, etc.), privacy, easy-to-use bookmarks, resource sharing, Chromecast digital streaming support, access to a number of add-ons and extensions that improve your surfing experience.

Opera Touch

Opera Touch is ideal for those who find it difficult to use large smartphones. Instead of the usual set of buttons at the bottom of the window, this browser supports control with just one button. It is enough to hold it and move it in a certain direction to perform different actions. This way you can switch to another tab, refresh pages, and do much more.

Opera Touch also has several other useful tools. For example, My Flow allows you to quickly share content between Opera on your PC and your smartphone, and a special option blocks unwanted websites that use device resources to mine cryptocurrencies in the background.

Setting up your browser to open mail.ru email links

Not all users like the interface of the mail.ru application - many prefer to read mail in the browser version. Especially those who regularly work on a PC or laptop. They have the ability to change the default settings so that the email client opens in an Internet browser (standard or user-installed).

The procedure for changing the method of opening email links is as follows:

• open the smartphone settings;
• go to the “Applications and notifications” tab;

• open the “Default Applications” menu item;

• click on the text “Follow links”;

• look for the line “Mail.ru Mail” in the list, tap on it;

• select the option “Open supported links”;

• in the new window, click on the “In another application” button and select the browser option that we want to use to view mail. Or select the “Do not open” option, and then every time you go to an address leading to mail.ru, a window will appear with the ability to select the desired option for opening it

  
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This option is not applicable on Xiaomi smartphones, so owners of these phones should use the Hidden Settings for MIUI utility, which we have already mentioned.

Opera Mini

Opera Mini is a lighter version of the browser designed to work on devices with low specifications. Immediately after installation, you will have access to an incognito mode, a smart content download function with mobile traffic tracking, a night theme, the ability to change search engines, data synchronization between devices and much more.

The download function is unique and has several operating modes. Open the Opera Mini menu, then go to Settings → Downloads. A column will appear with data downloaded over the past week. You can leave everything as is or choose maximum data compression modes to reduce mobile traffic costs.

In high compression mode, the browser will pass the web page through a proxy server and deliver a lighter version of it to your phone. But with maximum compression, this process will be even more aggressive, which can lead to incorrect display of sites. Use it only when you have very little space or when the internet connection is too poor.

10. Maxthon

A free web browser created by a Chinese company. The mobile format is functionally similar to the PC version; it is possible to synchronize data between a smartphone and a computer. That is, bookmarks and search history from one device will be transferred to another.

The main goal of the application is to reduce mobile traffic consumption. The additional Maxthon 5 plugin saves page data and files so that the user can access them offline.

If desired, you can change the theme of the interface. There is built-in protection against advertising and spam. Compatible with Android, iOS, Windows Phone.

Pros:

1. Stability.
2. Low traffic consumption, the ability to control it.
3. Synchronization with the browser on other devices.
4. Simplicity, ease of use.
5. Data protection (fingerprint login, password manager, built-in email address manager).
6. Instant blocking of pop-up windows (spam, advertising).
7. Eye protection mode.
8. Private browsing.
9. Customizable quick access.

Minuses:

1. Some functions do not work correctly.
2. May crash under heavy load.
3. Difficulty installing third-party plugins.

DuckDuckGo Browser

The main goal of DuckDuckGo Browser is to protect your privacy and inform you about how safe a certain website is. The assessment is based on several analysis methods: the presence of HTTPS encryption, pop-up ads and the presence of trackers. This information appears next to the address bar.

You can configure the application manually by blocking various elements. Thus, the Fire button closes all personal data of the user, like Firefox Focus, although when closing a session, information about browsing sites is not automatically deleted.

Linket Browser

Lynket browser is for those who are tired of Android's custom tabs. They were initially disorganized due to lack of attention from Google. Today they have two important disadvantages: they interfere with multitasking and are deleted when returning to the application.

Lynket fixes this with an interesting approach: it displays each link in its own tab. This makes it easier to work by quickly switching between them. Moreover, the browser adds these links to your history, so you won't lose them even if you accidentally delete them.

Custom tabs can also be run in the background, which is basically similar to a minimized Facebook Messenger chat. Lynket uses Custom Tabs functionality, which allows you to use the architecture of any other browser and synchronize existing data with it.

Samsung Internet Browser

Samsung Internet is one of the most interesting browsers for Android. Mainly because it is an OEM application that many would call functionally redundant and resource intensive. It features support for gestures, plugins, quick menus, and some Google Material Design elements. Some plugins even allow you to block ads. The browser is currently available in beta version. But still, this is Samsung, so we hope that an improved version will appear in the near future.

Via Browser

Via Browser is built on Chromium WebView. Its main feature is simplicity, but the functionality is not limited, so users have many options for customizing the appearance. In Via you can customize almost everything.

Tap the three-bar icon and select Options to open the settings screen. Here you can set any background image, change the background transparency and even change the browser logo.

If privacy is important to you, keep in mind that there is an incognito mode available here, as well as automatic deletion of history after closing. Even navigation buttons can be assigned specific tasks (long touches). For example, the “Back” button can be reassigned to scroll the page up, and the “Forward” button can be reassigned to scroll down.

Via also has more advanced features. You can change the network protocol, block pictures when using the mobile Internet, save web pages and much more. This is an excellent choice for older phone models because the application takes up only 2 MB of memory.

How to set the default browser on a standard Android phone

As you know, the basic Android OS uses the Google Chrome browser by default to launch network links, since both the Android OS and Chrome are Google products. However, the functionality of this operating system allows you to set any default web browser to open the desired types of links.

To do this, do the following:

1. Go to your phone's settings;
2. Select "Applications" (or "Applications and notifications");
3. Next, click on “Default Applications” (or an equivalent option). If this option is not in the list, tap the button with three vertical dots on the top right and look for the “Default Applications” option in the menu that opens;
4. In the default application menu that opens, select “Browser”;
5. Select the default browser Android will use to open links.

Monument Browser

Monument Browser is fast and reliable, it was created in order to get the maximum pleasure from reading and surfing the Internet. Open the menu and select Settings to open the options screen. The search bar moves from top to bottom, and it is possible to change the network protocol or change the default search engine.

There are also several interesting features available when visiting sites - to explore them, open the menu and select "Extras". Night mode and reading mode are also available, in which the fonts change or the voice-over of the article text is turned on. You can also save any article in PDF format or take a screenshot of it.

In addition, the application has a built-in ability to download audio, video and entire pages for working with them offline. Open the menu, then turn on Media Downloads to activate this feature. While watching a video, picture-in-picture technology will automatically turn on.

Changing how apps open links

On Android OS, supported associations can be changed. This is done in the “Default Applications” settings menu item: in the “Default Applications” window there is a “Follow Links” menu item. By clicking on it, you will open a list of programs for which there are reference associations. This means that if you click on the URL of an Odnoklassniki or Facebook social network site, it will open in the corresponding application, and not in a web browser.

You can remove such an association by clicking on the name of the social network and selecting the “Open supported links” option. A list of possible actions appears. Select “Do not open in this application”, and then you will view these social networks in the default navigator, not the application. If you select Always Ask, you will be prompted with an option to open each time you open a URL.

Phoenix Browser

Phoenix Browser uses Chromium-based WebView technology and is a lightweight solution with built-in ability to download videos for later viewing without opening other tabs.

After installing the application, you will see the news from your region, your favorite games and the most visited sites appearing on the home page. However, there is a small problem with advertising alerts. If they're annoying, just turn off the settings in the Home Page Manager, and don't forget to turn off notifications completely.

Phoenix Browser has several interesting features. To access them, open the menu, then click on the “Tools” icon. Turn on the “Personal Space” mode - all history and videos will be stored in a separate database. This way, other users will not be able to view your sites or videos.

Overall, this browser has both pros and cons. Do you travel often and like to watch videos offline? Phoenix should definitely be installed on your phone!

Hermit

Hermit allows you to create small applications of the most visited sites. It comes with a rich library of pre-built programs, as well as a set of presets. If you can't find any of them, just enter the website address and Hermit will make an application out of it.

When you create a shortcut to a site in Chrome, it simply functions as a browser tab. And in Hermit, such shortcuts work like real applications that you can even customize. For example, some of them may work in the full version, while others may work in the mobile version.

It is also possible to turn off the display of pictures and set up a personal theme. Hermit also works with alerts from the RSS feed, allows you to create bookmarks for individual sections of the site, supports night mode and reading mode, and much more.

If you are the owner of an old Android device, then you simply must try this browser. It helps reduce battery consumption and save memory space.

How to choose a browser for a smartphone and tablet

When choosing a program for viewing Internet sites, answer yourself the most important question - what tasks should it solve, in addition to the main one? For regular web surfing, any Android smartphone has enough built-in Google Chrome capabilities. But if you, for example, are deeply immersed in the Yandex environment and use many of its services and devices, then Yandex.Browser with the Alice voice assistant will be the best choice for you. Want maximum privacy? Mozilla Firefox, Vivaldi and Tor should be on your priority list.

When choosing a mobile browser, it is important to pay attention to the technical requirements:

1. Android version. You can find it out from the application description, for example: Android 5.0 and higher.
2. The amount of free space on the phone. If it is not enough, the Play Store will pause the download.
3. Amount of RAM. The requirements are not indicated in the description, but in practice it quickly becomes clear that using Chrome or Firefox on smartphones with 1-2 GB of RAM is extremely inconvenient. For comfortable surfing, it is better to immediately choose lightweight browsers for weak devices.

Some browsers have multiple versions. For example, Opera has a lightweight Mini build that saves traffic and Touch, an application optimized for one-handed operation. Yandex Browser has a Light version, which weighs less than 1 MB. The functionality of the versions differs, despite the same engine.

Cake

When a user searches for something on the Internet, there is a high probability that he will click on the first link. A free browser called Cake takes this feature of human psychology into account and therefore completely removes the search engine results page. Instead, you can go directly to the first site from the search results, and from there, use swipes to other pages. The normal search mode is also available. Remember that the lower a site’s ranking, the further it ranks in search results. Cake also preloads links that are most similar to the one you open.

Reset to factory settings

What does reset to factory settings mean? When you buy a new device, it is configured by default from the developers. The phone does not yet have any downloaded applications, contacts, personal files or personal settings. This means that none of the programs are configured by default, that is, when opening web documents, the system displays a notification on the screen with which program to open the selected action. That is, in this way you can cancel previously made settings for Google Chrome.

Remember that a factory reset will remove all apps from when you bought the phone, as well as undo settings and clear any junk. The “Reset to factory settings” function is located in the phone’s “Settings” menu, at the very end. Canceling all previously made settings, as well as completely cleaning the device, helps not only to cancel unnecessary actions with the system, but also to speed up the phone’s operation and give it a “second wind” if you notice that it has become slow or incorrect.

Brave

Brave is one of the newest browsers for Android. It appeared in 2016 and is distinguished by rich functionality. It has a built-in ad blocker. In addition to blocking ads, you can configure blocking of third-party cookies and scripts. The establishment of secure connections using the HTTPS protocol is fully supported.

Individual settings for individual sites are provided (if you, of course, need such a function). The browser also tries to optimize connection speed and phone battery consumption. Brave also includes most of the basic features, such as bookmarks, history, and privacy (incognito mode).

FOSS Browser

FOSS Browser is an open source browser based on WebView technology. Its main task is maximum control over all stages of work. The search bar, tab previews and the entire navigation bar at the bottom of the screen can be controlled with one hand.

The home page contains links to saved sites, bookmarks and history. After visiting any page, open the menu and click on the “Share” button to send a link, screenshot or PDF file with one click.

In addition, the browser is equipped with an interesting security setting. Press and hold the menu button to open the Quick Navigation dialog. Here you turn on/off JavaScript, cookies, location, images and much more for each individual site. You can even save passwords from any web applications into an encrypted database.

In addition to the standard theme and the ability to customize the interface, you can easily create a white list of sites that will have access to your location, JavaScript, cookies, etc. For reliability, export all this information.

Puffin – a convenient browser with Flash support

Puffin is a popular cross-platform browser, which, due to built-in support for Flash technology, is perceived in functionality almost the same as desktop solutions. Allows you to play games on social networks Facebook, VK and other sites directly from your phone. This is the main distinguishing advantage of the browser. It consumes quite a lot of RAM and quickly burns up battery power during the same games, which is quite natural. It works smoothly, but is not a speed champion. Often the site freezes for a couple of seconds before loading, then opens all internal pages of the domain without noticeable delays. Allows you to access sites prohibited by Roskomnadzor and provides a free proxy server.

Puffin allows you to select a default search engine, but it does not synchronize with data from any accounts (Google, Yandex, etc.). Allows you to store passwords within the device memory and prevent the display of pop-up windows. The interface is pleasant, extremely convenient to use, there are small settings that increase usability (dark theme, scale of open tab window elements, incognito mode, etc.). You can also turn on the mouse cursor, forcefully activate the keyboard on any of the screens, a gamepad for games, print a document, quickly share any page in instant messengers, social networks, cloud storage, by mail, etc. There is a traffic saving mode and the ability to select storage for downloaded files (including cloud files). A good alternative browser for entertainment, but not for work or shopping.

pros

• Allows you to play Flash games on any site, as well as watch movies;
• Has a really nice interface;
• Scrolls pages smoothly, there is a button to quickly move up or down;
• Supports connecting a gamepad for flash games;
• Customizable traffic saving mode;
• Ability to save downloaded files to Dropbox, OneDrive and Google Drive;
• Virtual mouse and trackpad support.

Minuses:

• Shows full-screen ads in the free version, although infrequently;
• Demanding about the hardware of a smartphone;
• Consumes quite a lot of energy and traffic, especially when Flash is enabled;
• The free version limits Flash use to daytime;
• The initial loading speed of some sites is very slow (3-4 seconds wait);
• Does not support any extensions or synchronization with cloud accounts;
• No support for secure payments.