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Google Claims Android Is Now Faster Than iPhone for Web Browsing

terkans said:
So, how do these ~5% speed increases compare to the performance change when you run a decent adblocker?
Click to expand...

Running an adblocker adds its own weight. Similar to how anti-virus software taxed Windows systems.

Do you instantly leave sites that complain you're running an adblocker?

My preferred browser on iPhone is DuckDuckGo. Each tab is a private, disposable session (no history, no cookies), since signing into sites is so brain dead simple these days, and the "Fire" button instantly closes all tabs with not a trace left behind. Ads can't build a very good history when there's nothing to build on.

I wonder how Google's eval does with Chromium browsers?
 
I know this is late to the thread - but what version of OS was that undisclosed device running and what was the impact of that? The lag introduced in v26 is unacceptable and broader than just browsing. .4 doesn’t seem to have resolved it. I was on an extended drive today being frustrated at trying to get CarPlay to respond - multiple second lags trying to select an app was beyond unusable. I know this has affected devices across the board. I just want my device performance back!
 
neuropsychguy said:
Base M4 Mini (16 GB of RAM but with a 1 TB SSD I did the aftermarket upgrade). Firefox was pretty standard other than uBlock Origin installed. That was macOS 26.4.

I just tried on my work base model M4 Pro (24 GB RAM but running macOS 15.3.1) with the same Firefox setup (uBlock Origin) and got 40.77 average over 3 runs (two were 41.3 so I stopped there).

My Safari runs were 35.43 over 3 runs. That's a basic Safari install but with 1Blocker. I didn't try without the ad blocking off.

I only did 1 run at home so it looks like it's a complete wash between the two systems. If anything, Safari was "snappier" in macOS 26 than in 15.3.1 (which should be the case, because Apple's made some additional refinements to it). Although, my work computer is on a 1 gbps connection so I don't know if that made a difference.

I'm not sure why your numbers were lower. I still not sure what Google was running to get any of the results they did.
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I created a new a Mac user profile just to test out under default settings, and FF jumped to ~43 and Safari and Chrome jumped to ~53.

Reconfigured all my settings, and logged into various apps… all of a sudden scores across the board dropped again.

The only thing I can think of that would impact the network for all browsers is my VPN, but disabling it doesn’t lead to any improvement.

I have no clue what I’ve done that is slowing down my browsers. I’m stumped.
 
Non-Euclidean said:
Faster at monetizing your browsing data too!
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That is exactly what they are good at. And building crapy phones. I got new Android phone as option at work. Samsung A16/17. With my AI friend I realized that it is phone performance wise at level of iPhone 6-8/X and camera wise X/11 in good lighting conditions. 🤣
 
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coolfactor said:
Running an adblocker adds its own weight. Similar to how anti-virus software taxed Windows systems.

Do you instantly leave sites that complain you're running an adblocker?

My preferred browser on iPhone is DuckDuckGo. Each tab is a private, disposable session (no history, no cookies), since signing into sites is so brain dead simple these days, and the "Fire" button instantly closes all tabs with not a trace left behind. Ads can't build a very good history when there's nothing to build on.

I wonder how Google's eval does with Chromium browsers?
Click to expand...
AdBlock saved my old iPad Air 2 from becoming fully obsolete. Blocking external fonts and all ads increased browsing speed on the old device by 80%. YouTube works without ads, pirate movie websites work very good.

On my old iMac I also have Adblock and device runs as good or even better than my new MacBook.

Maybe there was some “taxation” back in Windows XP days, but in my case (iMac 2012 and iPad Air 2 from 2014) it does wonders
 
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Yeah... well... besides the fact that website have become bloated, plus the sheer amount of ads on so many websites, Chrome won't feel any different than other browsers.
 
I am not a fan of Chrome, but its Blink engine is undoubtedly the fastest render engine available. Chromium based browsers on the other hand have the fast engine, but without the Google overhead. Even the hated Edge browser from Microsoft uses the Blink engine and is definitely a better alternative to Chrome, although not the best. Brave is my choice for Chromium based browser side by side with Firefox. Firefox Klar (international: Firefox Focus) is my choice for standard browser in iOS, cause one easily clicks unintended on a link in a mail and this browser is a private only browser, so this doesn't matter much. One click on the waste bin and all is gone.
 
Chrome should be labeled as a google miner.. I dont trust google as a phone maker, why would I trust them handling my internet .. Plus a test done by a company that owns itself is like let me scratch my back and tell myself it feels good.."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"
 
Non-Euclidean said:
Faster at monetizing your browsing data too!
Click to expand...
It’s faster probably because Google already had a profile on the end-user. With some AI predictive thrown in this doesn’t seem to respect privacy. I would take a hit on speed to protect my privacy any day. For those saying my data is already available to most big tech, I say it was probably obtained through a data broker and it probably limited in scope.
 
"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." So you designed a test to test for your own browser to prove your browser loads quicker? And it is such a small difference nobody but your test can notice it? Got it. Have it be a "neutral" third party at least before you go and give yourselves pats on the back.
 
For the last month, Safari has been incredibly slow on first use on my 16 Pro Max. I assume a 26.3 update caused it. 26.4 didn’t fix it. The first time I hit a page or click a link in another app, it takes seconds to load. Sometimes > 10. I’ve turned off content blockers and private relay, but that doesn’t help. Clearing history fixes it for a bit, but it gets bad again. Once it loads a page, things are fine. Force quit causes the first load to drag again. I finally changed to a new browser as my default due to the frustration. Logged a bug report today. I’ve seen other people here, Reddit, etc with the same issue. Hopefully a fix shows up.
 
In this discussion most people overlook the actual Google claim: "Android Is Now Faster Than iPhone". It's not just about Chrome vs Safari (although it is a major part). But the OS as a whole is also part of it. It disproves often used claim that Apple ecosystem is superior (including performance part) because Apple designs the whole stack: hardware, OS and the apps. Apple does design the whole stack and the hardware is still very good but Apple is clearly falling behind in the software department.
 
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