Microsoft is keen on proving that Windows 10 browser, Edge, really does have an edge over other browsers when it comes to battery life.
In a series of battery test experiments, the Redmond-based software giant just proved what everyone has long suspected that Google's Chrome browser sucks the life out your laptop's battery. As stated in its blog post, the company demonstrated how edge outperforms other browsers in terms of keeping your portable PC stay longer after unplugging it from a power source. Microsoft used a variety of method to test each browser's energy efficiency.
To test its claims, Microsoft quantified the difference in browser performance by means of employing a two methods to measure power consumption. The first lab-controlled experiment cycled through popular browsing sites like Facebook, YouTube, Wikipedia, and Amazon. The second test, on the other hand, measured how the length of HD video streaming, The Verge reported.
The results weren't really surprising as it confirmed what people already knew. As expected, Google Chrome lasted just 4 hours and 19 minutes. Microsoft's Edge browser, on the other hand, stretched for 7 hours and 22 minutes as per ARS Technica. In the middle were Mozilla Firefox (5 hours and 9 minutes) and Opera in battery-saving mode (6 hours and 18 minutes).
Apart from the abovementioned experiments, Microsoft also employed other means of testing power efficiency beyond just measuring how long each browser runs. The company also looked into measuring how much energy Wi-Fi, CPU, and GPU consumed in a test workload. As revealed in the experiment, 2.1W was drawn in Edge, 2.8W in Chrome, 3.1W in Opera, and 3.2W in Mozilla Firefox. The lower the power draw, the longer the battery life.
Overall, the energy efficiency tests pointed to Edge's superiority in terms of giving Windows 10 users 36-53% extra life on their batteries according to a report by First Post. Moreover, the Windows 10 Anniversary Update will reportedly feature an energy update that further enhances Edge's capability to streamline its power consumption.
Also, Flash is currently being placed under energy consumption observation. If Flash appears to drain too much battery life, it will be automatically halted by Windows 10 following the Anniversary update roll-out. Other browsers like Chrome also implemented their own means of limiting Flash's impact on browsing experience by ending support to non-critical Flash content.
