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[Q] What Browser is best? and why?

Hi all, I'm new to the android world, with the nexus s being my first android operated phone maybe even my first smart phone, had a Nokia n97 previous although it wasn't quite the smartphone advertised but thats another story.
The title says it all really I'd just like to know what browser you would recomend and why. I used to use opera on the n97 however there wasn't the selection available there is for android. I see dolphin hd pop up alot around the forums.
So please share your favorite browser and you reassons why. e.g speed, UI, customise ect
Cheers for everyone who takes part.

Firefox or Dolphin HD for the add-ons
Opera for speed
Stock browser for all-round

Stock browser for speed (less lag)

I also like the stock browser but I'm also a big fan of xScope Browser.

I usually use the stock because it seems the best all around as one of the above stated but to save pages I use Opera and I've been testing out some others as well

Im really liking the Dolphin mini beta at the moment. I find it quicker than stock and still runs everything perfectly.

For me the stock browser is the best atm :
- Firefox : looks promising, but way too slow for day-to-day use, needs optimizations
- Opera : don't like the rendering, almost impossible to click on links (try browsing Google Reader...), not really faster than stock (with turbo mode off)
- Dolphin / Dolphin HD : too bloated for me

The stock browser has been impressive so far. I haven't run into any problems so far
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

The only thing that bothers me in the stock browser is the navigation through open windows. I'd love to have some proper tabbed browsing.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

nicholasbgr said:
The only thing that bothers me in the stock browser is the navigation through open windows. I'd love to have some proper tabbed browsing.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
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+1
(adding more for 10 char limit)

I've extensively used the stock browser, Opera Mobile, and FireFox (nightlies and latest stable). I primarily use Opera Mobile (not mini) for almost everything because of how ridiculously smooth its pinch zoom and panning is compared to everything else out. To see its advantages, simply go to an image-heavy page like Gizmodo and try panning and zooming on any other browser (the newest FireFox included). To me, its smoother/better user experience is important than the javascript speed advantages in FireFox.
I have run repeated tests on both my N1 and my NS and have found that in SunSpider, the fastest is FireFox by a healthy margin, followed by the stock browser, distantly followed by Opera. However, in my experience, page loading has always been similar across all three, meaning that js speed doesn't factor that much in rendering most pages.
Extensions are a big draw in FireFox, as is Flash in the stock browser, but I find that Opera does everything I need natively. Plus, flash support is supposedly going to be added (as well as to FireFox Mobile).

x scope 6 is solid its fast and all around just great I know its not free but I think its the best one out at the moment until firefox comes out of beta and adds flash it may be king

stock for me.

Dolphin HD has a lot of add-ons that I thought sounded interesting and installed on my Galaxy S and Nexus One, but I never really used any of them, so that's a pointless feature for me. I found Dolphin HD to be bloated and much slower than the stock browser on any of my phones, even without add-ons.
I've kept the NS on stock based on past performance with Dolphin.

seems like I haven't really gave the stock browser the chance it deserves, to be honest dismissed it almost straight away.
Back to stock for me to give it a real test. Although I'm hoping firefox lives up to it's desktop browser standards.
Also quick question which is non related but I don't see the point in starting a new thread. I need to return my phone due to the back button not lighting up. I was just wondering if there is a away to save all my data to when I get my new phone i can put all my data back on. E.g phone numbers, sms msgs photos angry bird progess, music ect.
thanks again for any help.

I prefer the built-in browser for everyday use. I have one website that I get from a real estate broker which has some fancy frames in it that doesn't render correctly in the stock browser, for this site I use Opera mini.

i'm still can't decide which one is best
using (in no special order):
Stock 2.3 Browser
Opera Mobile
Opera Mini
SkyFire
Dolphin HD
FireFox beta
they all have their Cons/Pros
SkyFire was my main Browser until they screwed it up, and now it has become as broadware as Dolphin HD
I like both Dolphin and Skyfire for their Flash & Video support but... they are slow and broad.
FireFox still has much work to be done on it
Opera Mini & Opera Mobile is identical in Android, but in WinMo they were 2 different apps
so it boils down to Stock 2.3 Browser being the fastest, but.. not so great on Flash / Video support

can anyone answer my question on a way to back up all my data as I'm returning my phone tomorrow due to the back button light not working.
Is there away to back up all data, apps, contacts,photos, messages, angry bird progress. live wall papers. Or will i need to start all over again?
Also how can I earse all my data in order to return the phone.
Thanks in advance

[Q] Best Browser for Android?

I use Opera, but it is a massive battery drain and also taxing on my phone's memory.
I love the Opera bookmark system, and it's URL and tabbed browsing features. I am also very used to it from Windows Mobile. Should I wait for an update that may not happen, or look at other options? What options are there?

I primarily use Dolphin HD as my browser. Definitely check it out if not Miren Browser is supposedly good too.

Dolphin Mini
Sent from my Captivate testing Firefly

miren browser, hands down

Dolphin Mini for the win.

Dolphin HD. I have FireFox which is nice to sync with my desktop version, but it just isn't as smooth as Dolphin HD on the phone.

Xscope...but really it comes down to what you do with the browser and your personal taste. Skyfire is another good one that I use as well.
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App

Xscope or Miren for me.

Dolphin mini rocks as far as I'm concerned. Been using since first beta and just keeps getting better.
Sent from my SuperDuper!Captivate | PHOENIX RISING VERSION 3.5 | FireBird Kernel 2

My favorite so far is Dolphin Mini.

Are there benefits to using Dolphin HD vs Dolphin Mini?
I've just been using the stock browser and have never really been completely satisfied

I used to use Miren exclusively until the newest update made everything appear in chinese. So now I use Dolphin Mini, and while it is nice, I still miss Miren.

for me on stock firmware, the stock browser is the fastest, but my favorite is dolphin hd

Does anyone like Opera Mobile?

I keep hearing good things about Dolphin Mini but haven't used it personally (yet). I have used Skyfire and its worked well for me. Maybe that's why I haven't got around to trying Dolphin yet.

Currently using Dolphin Mini and it is great!

I have been using x scope 6 and it is pretty awesome
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

thehyecircus said:
Does anyone like Opera Mobile?
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Click to collapse
Yes, I like Opera Mobile beta quite a lot. Interaction is smooth, and it tends to render non-mobile sites very nicely. I love Opera Turbo when I'm on a slow connection or limited on data. When they iron out the issues (there are still a decent number), get Flash support, and include a few more options, Opera Mobile could be the best browser on Android.
Edit: Oh, the MAIN issue with Opera Mobile is that it doesn't save its state when the operating system closes the program. It also uses a ton of memory. This means if you switch away from the browser, there is a very good chance that it has closed along with all the pages you had open, and anything you might have been doing online. Major issue that will be fixed before release.
Unfortunately, I haven't been able to use it lately because of a weird font conflict on my phone between Opera and Beautiful Widgets.
SGH-i897 | Perception 10.2 | SpeedMod K13A | I9088ZNKP1

Stock browser works fine for me. Never had a motivation to change it.
Captivate | Serendipity 5.8 | Speedmod K13a-500mhz | KP1

I use the AOSP browser, compiled from source. It's faster than any other browser here, by FAR

[Q] Browsers?

What browsers are you guys using? and why? I seem to be fond of Dolphin Mini, it is quick. I tried Firefox, and I get quite a bit of "checkerboarding" when pinching to zoom.

I use opera mini usually and opera mobile when on wifi

I use skyfire. its fast and simple

cdesai said:
I use opera mini usually and opera mobile when on wifi
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I had problems when I used the Opera browsers. They always crashed, or just didn't load. Do you ever have this problem? It has done it on multiple ROMS.

Heartbreak said:
I had problems when I used the Opera browsers. They always crashed, or just didn't load. Do you ever have this problem? It has done it on multiple ROMS.
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Never had a problem with Opera Mobile. It's fast and has cool features, but I usually stick with stock (except on CM7, for some reason stock browser sucks on CM7).

I've used Dolphin HD and now on xScope...

I also use Opera Mobile and have had 0 issues with it. No crashes, very fast. Like the way you can choose a download location when downloading files aswell.

I use Dolphin HD and Miren Browser. Both work well for me.

dotsoa said:
I also use Opera Mobile and have had 0 issues with it. No crashes, very fast. Like the way you can choose a download location when downloading files aswell.
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Problem with opera a lot of websites think your mobile even with mobile view off
Sent from my HTC Inspire using XDA App

Miren Browser. Surprised at how little mentioned this browser is.
I have Firefox installed, but waiting for it to mature a little more before before it gets put to more regular use.
Sent from my Inspire using XDA Premium

+1 for Miren
Awesome browser.

Miren! Love it. I use opera mini for less intensive sites, because it blazes.
Via the XDA app for the HTC Inspire

Opera mobile.
I used to like dolphin hd but it had performance issues with cm7.

Miren for browsing etc. Skyfire for video stewaming
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App

Miren does great for streaming videos on my Streak. It does a fine job on my Inspire as well.
Actually, the only reason I switch between Dolphin HD and Miren is because I can't decide which one I like better. Its like Ginger or Mary Ann?

Nickovtyme said:
...Its like Ginger or Mary Ann?
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Lol. That one took me a sec, but...
Mary Ann would be my preference... The bombshell type doesn't do much for me...
Sent from my Inspire using XDA Premium

Dolphin HD

I use the stock browser mostly but I'll have to check out this Miren browser.
Oh and I use Firefox occasionally - I'm actually somewhat fond of Firefox for mobile - and it scores 97/100 on the Acid3 test while the stock browser gets a 93. Doesn't really affect much but it does show that the rendering engine is more standards compliant in Firefox.
EDIT: Okay I think I'm sticking with Miren. Even though its an overlay for the stock browser, its features are awesome - hell I have 13 tabs open right no and its not lagging at all and the swipe to go back/forward is genius.

EtherealRemnant said:
I use the stock browser mostly but I'll have to check out this Miren browser.
Oh and I use Firefox occasionally - I'm actually somewhat fond of Firefox for mobile - and it scores 97/100 on the Acid3 test while the stock browser gets a 93. Doesn't really affect much but it does show that the rendering engine is more standards compliant in Firefox.
EDIT: Okay I think I'm sticking with Miren. Even though its an overlay for the stock browser, its features are awesome - hell I have 13 tabs open right no and its not lagging at all and the swipe to go back/forward is genius.
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Click to collapse
Yup, Miren kinda terminated my browser browsing.
Sent from my Inspire using XDA Premium

Opera Mobile has had some massive improvements as well though. I actually played an HTML5 game on Opera Mobile - it sucks that you can't zoom out though. Also, for what its worth, Opera Mobile gets 100/100 on Acid3 and it gets a deviation of +/- 1.6% on Sunspider, which is in reference to stock Webkit. That's pretty amazing performance.

[Q] Best Browser

I'm new to Andriod and now have a Desire S.
I'd like to get peoples feel on what is the best browser on this phone and why.
The stock browser, Opera or opera mini?
I've always used Opera on WM before.

You can try either Skyfire or Dolphin HD. These can be downloaded from the Market.

On Desire S its the stock browser.
So fast and light.

opera mini work fine with https sites

titus1 said:
You can try either Skyfire or Dolphin HD. These can be downloaded from the Market.
Click to expand...
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Dolphin is a piece of spyware. Google it.
Sent from my HTC Desire S using xda premium

Stock browser is good. But if you are watching your bandwidth try Opera Mobile or Mini.
Edit : oh man, this is an old thread.
Sent from my HTC Desire S

Depends on network speed and coverage. Good speed - use the stock browser. Fast and light. Bad speeds - use Opera Mini. With its data compression named Opera Turbo even on 2G sites load very fast. But there is no flash and its not based on webkit so esp. mobile sites look different (e.g. Facebook) than with stock and other webkit based browsers.
Sent from my HTC Desire S using XDA App

opera mobile...but dolphin HD is good too!!

Stock browser...its perfect..if u use mini the pages are soo malnourished.....
Sent from my HTC Desire S using XDA App

Huh, I'd never actually used the stock browser before, I've had Dolphin since I got my phone. After reading this thread I tried it out, and it's so much better!

I use opera only for open a https sites the original browser can't open it (exchange for example)
Sent from my HTC Desire S using XDA App

Opera aint too bad really. Its fairly fast.
Firefox has some nice features, but its dog slow.
I do tend to just end up using the stock browser.

Opera here, I find it much faster than dolphin

ben_pyett said:
I'm new to Andriod and now have a Desire S.
I'd like to get peoples feel on what is the best browser on this phone and why.
The stock browser, Opera or opera mini?
I've always used Opera on WM before.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In my opinion the best browser is Opera Mobile. In case you do not have any FUP limits and internet is fast.
If you have FUP limitations or/and slow internet connections, better is Opera Mini.

I personally like maxthon browser for usability ,ninesky browser for general use because its webkit based so its pretty reliable, and xscope for shere speed
Sent from my LG-P999 using xda premium

maxthon browser is the fastest i've tried so far
and you have a lot of options

This is all going to be about personal choice, however, i've tried,
Dolphin HD
Opera
Firefox
Maxthon
and a few no names
However, the best, once you get used to it is the stock for me. Easy less polluted with skins and themes. You just need a browser to act as a Webview not to take up valuable screen space, and for me the stock one does the job well.
my two cents

Opera Mobile for me - I find the option to change user agent between desktop and mobile very useful...

Miren browser is the only browser for me.
I tried switching to other browsers because it's development has stopped, but none could match it for me.
It's fast, customizable and highly functional.

Prior to ICS I was always using Opera Mobile. It's a very fast and comfortable browser. I also tried out Dolphin HD which is in fact a good browser but I stayed with Opera
Now on ICS I prefer Android's stock browser as it's fast and quite stable. After mdj fixed the egl bug (in his early ICS versions) Opera simply became unnecessary.

Most desktop like browser??

So i have find he stock browser, skyfire, dolphin, and xscope all installed
and i cant find one that works really well for all pages, like a desktop browser.
what do you all use for your web browsing?
i use the dock, and the typing in web forums is pretty laggy i dont know if this is a browser, or dock issue though...
my default right now is dolphin, but skyfire seems to handle more complex pages better

Havd you tried firefox?
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium App

I had the same problem.
The only browser that can load my university website and about a dozen other pages that I frequent is Opera Mobile.
The other ones all have big gaps in pages, won't download files and pages look messed up -- even Firefox.
I haven't tried Skyfire, but I tried all the others mentioned.

Have you tried changing the user agent to desktop in the stock browser (in settings)? Web pages always show up exactly as they should for me with this setting.

Lag in the browser is honeycomb specific ..happens on xoom and galaxy tab as well
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium App

Maxthon works very well..
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk

Opera
Opera mobile have desktop like experience and overall very good browser

i have stock and maxthon installed and i use always the stock. Dispite the lag works pretty nice even for watching football transmissions.

I too don't really like any of the browsers, keep going back and forth when one does something that pisses me off I switch to another for awhile. I currently got Firefox, Dolphin HD, Opera, Maxthon installed and they all suck at different things. Overall the web browsing experience is pretty ****ty compared to ipad even without the flash, it's just so damn slow and laggy. Wish they'd bring out Atomic Web and Mercury browsers to Android, those both rock especially Mercury on the ipad.

anyone tried Dolphin for Pad? Its quite good! Replaced Opera with it!

I like Dolphin so far.

is this different than dolphin HD 6.0?

kodakeos said:
is this different than dolphin HD 6.0?
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Yes and it's pretty ownage, I deleted Dolphin HD shortly after trying Dolphin for Tabs cause it ownz

Both Dolphin HD and Dolphin for Tabs work great. The stock browser is pretty good too. Just make sure you set the User Agent to Desktop.

Does no one elses dolphin have a weird graphical glitch when you tap in the address bar?
Sent from my ThunderBolt using XDA Premium App

Since today I've upgraded from Dolphin HD browser to Dolphin for Pad. This new version was released yesterday and I like it very much! Since I already was a Dolphin user, this browser is even better dan the old one.

What's different in Dolphin for Pad?

It seems to work ok but I dont seem to have the "button" for gestures.....or am I missing something. Also how do you get quickly to the history without going through settings ?

kodakeos said:
what do you all use for your web browsing?
i use the dock, and the typing in web forums is pretty laggy i dont know if this is a browser, or dock issue though...
my default right now is dolphin, but skyfire seems to handle more complex pages better
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In my opinion there is no a definite browser at this moment.
- No one has ad block but firefox.
- No one is able to upload files but Opera.
- No one has a private mode but stock browser.
- Opera is slow when showing pages already loaded in cache and it does not render pages until fully loaded.
- Firefox has an horrible square patron when scrolling. I don't understand why. And image scaling is quite bad. And don't support flash.
- Stock browser and Dolphin render quite fast as pages are loaded and perhaps are more balanced...
So at the end of the day I use firefox for regular browsing (due to adblock and a better tabs management in my opinion), opera when I have to upload something, for example torrent files to my transmission server, and stock one if I have to use private mode (specially if I have to access hacking and or scene blogs)...

steftymo said:
It seems to work ok but I dont seem to have the "button" for gestures.....or am I missing something. Also how do you get quickly to the history without going through settings ?
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Tap the arrow, top right side than do your gesture. I had to ask too and another member showed me.