Google Claims Android Is Now Faster Than iPhone for Web Browsing

[MacRumors]

Google today said that Android has set a new record for mobile web performance, making it the fastest mobile platform for web browsing.

The newest Android devices have set new records on web performance benchmarks like Speedometer and LoadLine, which Google attributes to "deep vertical integration across hardware, the Android OS, and the Chrome engine."

Speedometer simulates real-world user actions to measure interaction latency when using a web browser, and it's a metric that major browser engine developers use to determine responsiveness. According to Google, a high Speedometer score correlates to a "more fluid, snappy feeling when you tap, scroll, or type on a website."

In charts published by Google, three unnamed Android devices earned higher Speedometer 3.1 scores than an unnamed "competing mobile phone platform," which is likely iOS.

LoadLine is an emerging benchmark test developed by the Chrome and Android teams that simulates the complete process of loading a website to determine how fast a webpage appears after a link is clicked. Android phones score up to 47 percent higher on the LoadLine test than non-Android competitors, according to Google.

Google says that it collaborated with select SoC and OEM partners to optimize Chrome and kernel scheduler policies to get the faster web browsing speeds. With the improvements, some Android flagship phones have improved their Speedometer and LoadLine scores by 20 to 60 percent year-over-year. For users, the change translates to four to six percent faster page loads and six to nine percent faster high-percentile interactions.

Article Link: Google Claims Android Is Now Faster Than iPhone for Web Browsing

 

[iMac The Knife]

Sweet...but I don't use Chrome. Good for those who do though!

 

[WilliApple]

They can just say that soooo...
I have more downloads than Widgetsmith
Spoiler alert: I don't

What if "Competing mobile phone platform" is the Raspberry Pi phone or something lol

 

[Non-Euclidean]

Faster at monetizing your browsing data too!

 

[turbineseaplane]

Probably true.

Safari on all platforms is usually behind.

 

[boswald]

That's nice, Google, but I still prefer Safari.

 

[Amazing Iceman]

No thanks!
Chrome is a resource hog that never gives back.
And it's watching everything you do.
Safari works great most of the time.

 

[terkans]

So, how do these ~5% speed increases compare to the performance change when you run a decent adblocker?

 

[wlossw]

Progress and competition is always good.

 

[neuropsychguy]

It's great to see any device platform make improvements in web browsing speeds.

I'm not sure where they are getting those numbers. I just did a Speedometer 3.1 test in Firefox on an M4 Mac Mini and got a 38.1 and Safari on the same computer was a 37.1 (confidence intervals overlapped between Firefox and Safari so it's unlikely the results were statistically different). I'm not sure if it matters, but that was using a wired 2 gbps internet connection. I do have ad blocking though.

Safari on my iPhone 16 Pro was only 26.7 with Speedometer 3.1.

Again, what are the test conditions and devices?

 

[DCohen726]

Even IF it’s true, we’re talking milliseconds? Maybe 1 second faster? Not a selling point when internet on any device is fast enough as it is

 

[bluraycinema]

Not as smooth as Samsung Browser though.

 

[Rock_Artist]

Leaving it on topic vs monetizing or not (just a reminder Apple Maps will have ads soon),
This cat and mouse game is great. You already see the MacBook Neo is very performant vs iPhone or even my M1 iPad Pro struggles even vs Intel Mac. The OS/browser matters.

So, this will be prioritized in next iOS. Each time another browser claims for the crown.

Competition is important I wonder how fast Apple would’ve react if you actually had real chrome on your iPhone.

 

[surferfb]

Now do battery life

 

[roncron]

Awesome! I'm definitely going to move to a totally different ecosystem (with less privacy protection) to enjoy a barely perceptible increase in browsing speed!

 

[monty-ny]

What ever happened to when Safari worked on Windows? Those were the days...

 

[Slix]

This may be true (right now, this always changes release-to-release) but all I want to say about it is that Google should be ashamed at how slow YouTube loads these days, even on fast hardware, and especially on older hardware.

 

[dannyyankou]

If it’s true that iOS 27 will be a snow leopard for iPhone, that might change.

 

[mattopotamus]

How does it go;

You can sh#% it one hand and wish in the other....

 

[TheOldChevy]

The issue with Chrome has never been raw speed.

 

[mike090910]

I agree, the ads from google are so fast, hard to keep up

 

[wellander1]

Google likes to lie. And search and use your information for their advantage.

 

[Black Belt]

Ridiculously dubious for the real world

 

[The Cockney Rebel]

Competition is good, always.

 

[jz0309]

Ok, so what does really mean? I can visit 2 more websites per day compared to the unknown competing platform? Thus letting Google collect more data too?
Yet another benchmark that is pretty useless for the average user...
But, get your bragging rights and enjoy