Develop Bugs

Chrome Beta vs. Stock ICS Browser?

Just trying to get some feedback on the the launch of the chrome beta and how it compares to the stock ICS browser. Even after the 4.0.4 gapps update Im feeling they're pretty similar in speed. Overall Im not not yet sure which one I prefer. Hopefully your insight will help me out.
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The UI/UX is far superior, but it lacks critical features to make it a replacement - at least for me.
We'll see in a few months when a better developed version comes out.

I heard that Chrome is a good browser. I think i will download it once flash gets support on it. Still may give it a go than delete it afterwards. I have the newest GAPPS though so i do notice a difference in speed as far as the stock browser.

no full screen and hide status bar was a dealbreaker. hopefully it will be added in later.

The UI is good, love how the tabs work, and the speed is okay.
I notice that some pages will automatically zoom in, then zoom out, and then zoom in again while the page is loading, without me ever touching the screen. Very distracting.
Also sometimes the zoom goes too far in.
And I can't render pages in desktop mode.
I probably need to wait for another beta release or two before it's ready for me.

I've noticed it to be a bit more of a battery hog compared to stock browser. Once they add support for extensions and some more features I will switch.
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charlieb620 said:
I heard that Chrome is a good browser. I think i will download it once flash gets support on it. Still may give it a go than delete it afterwards. I have the newest GAPPS though so i do notice a difference in speed as far as the stock browser.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Chrome will not be getting flash.
http://www.computerworld.com/s/arti...chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8&q=chrome+android+flash

Hoping for improvements in the laggy typing (esp in URL bar) and "request desktop site" to show up then it'll be 100% primary.

I'm sticking with the stock browser, more than enough for me. I tried out chrome, wasn't a big fan but I don't hate it though. I didn't like was the look of it, it was disappointing.
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I noticed that too :/ but hopefully that'll be improved
I like it overall, but I think i like the stock browser a little more

comparing a beta with a out of beta software is like comparing a pair of chop stick with toothpick.
as of right now, i set chrome as default because it is faster than the stock browser. chrome offer keyboard prediction, which hands down a win for me.

This
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I still like dolphin hd best. Stock + as a close second. Chrome is nice for a first offering.

I personally can't stand Dolphin HD. I used to use it a lot back in the day, but now it just seems too bloated and laggy. I really like Chrome beta, though I'll stick with stock ICS Browser (especially with the 4.0.4 update) for now.
I did notice that Chrome beta cannot handle proxies. I can use the Wifi at work just fine with ICS Browser (I have the proxy info entered in the System Wifi settings) but Chrome beta cannot seem to use those same settings, so it just fails and gives a generic error message that is actually meant for the desktop version of the browser.

I'm really digging chrome so far. Tab handling is awesome and so much better than stock. Directly syncing open tabs from chrome on the computer is awesome. Syncing all bookmarks from chrome is awesome.
The only thing missing is flash but who cares. It is used little enough these days and I don't usually need to see those pages on my phone anyway.
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Kupfel said:
I'm really digging chrome so far. Tab handling is awesome and so much better than stock. Directly syncing open tabs from chrome on the computer is awesome. Syncing all bookmarks from chrome is awesome.
The only thing missing is flash but who cares. It is used little enough these days and I don't usually need to see those pages on my phone anyway.
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Click to collapse
Exactly.
I haven't run into any bugs yet, and it syncs. I even switched back to Chrome from Firefox on the desktop because I want tab sync (and Firefox Mobile just doesn't seem usable to me).

I really like Chrome but if I want flash I have to use stock browser. I think stock browser is excellent too though..
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Adaptive zoom on double tap is a huge advantage of Chrome over stock in my opinion
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Here i can find the historic log in Chrome?
And about native browser 4.0.4? Where i can find? Needs root for update it?
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I'm definitely loving chrome . Already am using it as my default browser. Its fast and pinch to zoom is butter. The tabs are fun little add on too, I like the whole 3d effect. The only things I miss from stock browser are the on screen controls and ability to request desktop site easier. Even though it doesn't really bother me to scroll down the page to get the desktop site, and then from what I've noticed , once you click on desktop site for one website , every website after that automatically loads in desktop form , which I think is great. I think for the initial beta release Google has done a great job. Definitely like how it dominates all the HTML 5 tests too
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Stock vs Chrome Browser, your performance impressions

Hi everyone this is just a quick poll in regards to how your stock browser performs compared to Chrome (if you use it)
I'm not sure if this is just me or if everyone is experiencing this. I never really used the stock browser since right when I got my phone I installed Chrome, but lately its performance have been laggy on both my Transformer Prime and Galaxy Nexus..so I did a quick scrolling test.
1. browsed to www.engadget.com full desktop version
2. Wait for page to completely load
3. Scrolled up and down through the page.
I found Chrome even after the page was completely loaded continued to try the render images causing choppy scrolling while the stock was smooth.

Chrome belongs on the desktop, imo. Eye candy aside, it doesn't (imo) bring anything to the table, and is slower/fatter than stock.

I love stock not only cuz its smoother but it will open flawlessly any flash site lol..
Chrome looks good still need some work tho.. No flash support but hey keep in mind its still a beta..
So might get way better than stock or become a "safari like in apple" in the upcoming android versions
Galaxy Nexus AOKP m5 Franco kernel m3

Stock ftw.
...of the people, by the people, for the people...

I have noticed that the Chrome browser does seem to lag on the "heavy media" type sites...
Keep in mind though that it's based on the Google Chrome for Desktop code base, which in theory should be updated more frequently then the codebase for the stock browser...
Also, I believe it's been stated that it will never get Flash support (Officially...?)

Seems about the same to me. Admittedly I'm not a very heavy browser on my phone though. Few pages a day at most.

Chrome starts a bit slower but I find it's slightly faster going from one website to another. Stock browser remains the default as I want to keep Flash and full screen browsing.
ZachPatterson said:
Also, I believe it's been stated that it will never get Flash support (Officially...?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct.
From Google: https://developers.google.com/chrome/mobile/docs/faq
From Adobe: http://blogs.adobe.com/flashplayer/2012/02/flash-chrome-for-android-beta.html

Chrome has lagged for me from day 1 since it released, while stock was always smooth. I've never understood all the people who see opposite. I just thought I lived in the twilight zone.
So your results are normal to me. Plus chrome runs a huge service that never closes and skews multitasking.
Plus stock has invert color option for all black web pages. And the quick controls on side of the screen. To me the stock browser pretty much destroys chrome in every way. I think chrome gets better html5 scores though.

I used to use the stock browser, but I recently switched over to Firefox Beta. Now, before you all say that Firefox is slow as hell, the current beta has a new UI that is actually pretty fast. Not as fast as stock is, but the fact that Firefox has addons more than makes up for that. Adblock Plus, and other addons are a must for me. Although I have AdAway to block ads globally, it does not get rid of the empty spaces inside webpages. Adblock Plus does this. I'm currently using FF as my main browser and stock as my backup browser.

I'm a big fan of Opera Mobile since WM6.1.
I like the start page with the thumbs/shortcuts. Stock doesn't have it.
I like that all the controls are at the bottom of the screen. Stock tab control is on the top which is not convenient to switch between tabs (and I'm using tabs a lot).
Go for Opera mobile!!
PS: I have no idea how slow/fast is Opera. Because I didn't compare it.

I have tried most of the browsers,they have beautiful features but they are not as fast as stock so i always return to stock after trying
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA

Chrome has potential but it is a resource hog just like on the PC and double-tap zoom bugs out a lot, and doesn't even work at all on images.
Stock still wins, unless you need to download a large file... Opera handles that much better.
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Chrome will never get flash because all new browsers are going to be using HTML5
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I think they both have similar performance (minus one not having flash). But I think chrome does some things better than the stock browser.
It handles tabs much better vs stock without quick controls. It will also zoom in with a little popup window if you press on two links which are close together so you can select the right one. Also, when pinch zooming the browser doesn't wait until you lift your fingers to render the rest of the page.
Some people may also prefer the fact that the nav bar is persistent in chrome.
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bullka said:
I'm a big fan of Opera Mobile since WM6.1.
I like the start page with the thumbs/shortcuts. Stock doesn't have it.
I like that all the controls are at the bottom of the screen. Stock tab control is on the top which is not convenient to switch between tabs (and I'm using tabs a lot).
Go for Opera mobile!!
PS: I have no idea how slow/fast is Opera. Because I didn't compare it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why not use the quick control on stock browser? It has a real great tab control, just slide and hold. And the quick control appears on any part of the screen you want.

How has your experience with Chrome browser been

So, I've been following the Chrome for android since it was first released as a beta product. It was received very well and from reading in different forums, websites, etc, it has become the default browser for many people. However from my experience the stock browser absolutely kicks chromes "ass". I really have no idea why people constantly praise chrome for android. This is especially true with jellybean 4.1.1 on my galaxy nexus. The stock browser is incredible, it is very very smooth in terms of scrolling and pinch/zoom, on any website; where as chrome lags and skips during scrolling and font has to be constantly re rendered.
Is there something wrong with my galaxy nexus or is there something about chrome for android that I am missing
Your thoughts?

I prefer the stock ICS browser. It has flash player support and just looks nicer in my opinion it goes with the ics "theme". I feel like chrome is incomplete especially when compared to the desktop version.
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This isn't really a Gnex specific topic but there have been other threads/comments about this and I whole heartedly agree.
Chrome on the phone is a huge disappointment. The only nice thing is syncing bookmarks and the like "chrome to phone"...

I prefer my ICS browser. I like quick controls and I think its much easier to get to my bookmarks with the stock browser.
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I prefer the stock browser as well. Chrome in ics isn't that much faster and I actually found the stock browser on jellybean to be faster than chrome. Benchmarks confirmed the same thing.
Quick controls are a huge plus too although I am not sure I like the new jellybean ones.
Back on cm9 for now though. Battery is much better for me.
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i prefer opera over chrome, it doesnt have permanent desktop mode and loading bookmark page are kind of slow. also, not as fast as opera.

Chrome is not responding frequently for me on 4.0.3. Did you notice any differences on 4.0.4 as opposed to 4.0.3?

The stock browser is much faster than chrome on 4.1.1. At least for me.

+1 on stock browser
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i agree,stock 4.1.1 browser is way faster and smoother than chrome for me too.
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Chrome browser is only advantageous for those who use Chrome sync extensively and I am not one of those. I prefer a cross browser method like xmarks + lastpass.
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I personally use Chrome as I like having all the websites I use available on both my computer and phone. The thing about the stock browser I don't particularly like is the tab system, I like how Chrome has the slide left or right to the next tab but that's just my opinion.

I use Chrome on my Gnex, but I don't use the webbrowser that much.

I use chrome and removed the stock browser. Chrome does everything well enough and it is smooth actually. Tried the stock browser since you mentioned it
And found it extremely smooth but well, chrome suits me.
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There's a known bug in chrome where it can slow down if one scrolls while it's still rendering. They're working on it.
All signs show that the stock browser will be phased out though. Chrome is good enough for now and will likely improve quickly.
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I like Chrome but I just couldn't sacrifice the quick controls and the text reflow, so much so I use Quick ICS Browser.

Chrome is pretty boss on Jelly Bean... noticeably slower in 4.0.x

Chrome is better on jelly bean as opposed to ics, but stock ftw.
butter and jelly please...

Chrome sucks.
Slow.
Doubletap doesnt zoom correctly.
Controls are on top. Opera implementatios is better!
Tab control sucks! Really cant find my tab without proper thumbs. Again - opera is better.
Pages in tabs are not preloaded. They load everytime i open them.
Cant say anything good about it. It is good for facebook and some other pages. But in general - sucks big time!
Opera FTW!
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

I liked Chrome for a few minutes. Than I tried to watch video online. Even non Flash video it handles terribly. I've been puzzled by the Chrome love myself, seems fanboyish.

4,2, Is chrome browser now superior?

I keep switching between chrome, dolphin and the stock from 4.1......is it my imagination or is chrome still 3rd choice? It just seems so unintuitive to use. Are you guys switching to chrome or staying with one of the other browsers?

I think chrome is better than the default browser... but android beam still does not work with this app!

I love some of the Chrome features life the lateral-swipe to switch tabs and the zoom bubble that appears if you click in a small link, but I hate how it handles the bookmarks. We can't have everything, I guess :\

I use Chrome because it syncs with my desktop browser, but the Android browser is a lot smoother. Chrome stutters all the time when I scroll and often ignores input while it stutters, but I have a hard time getting the Android browser to stutter at all.
If you don't need the synchronization with your desktop, Android browser is still the better choice.

is it possible to have ALWAYS desktop version of a site without requesting it every time???

Thanks for the replies.....I keep expecting chrome to be the beez kneez but it always seems lackluster/less friendly than the android version. I dont know why, but after sandy when signals were extremely weak or non existent in my area, dolphin performed the best on a gnex (vzw) 4.1.2 and on an old droid 3

stock 4.2 browser is the best.

qandrav said:
is it possible to have ALWAYS desktop version of a site without requesting it every time???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe you can do this in the stock browser under settings->advanced->user agent->desktop. No equivalent option in chrome that I know of.

thegtfusion said:
stock 4.2 browser is the best.
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Click to collapse
glad you like it. the goog powers that be are probably glad too
Ive been trying to use it all day but its not working for me....a shame because i feel like im cheating on google when i use the other browsers haha

I think as long as they dont add the "quick controls" to chrome, the android browser will always have the lead. those controls are incredibly useful for one hand operation, and really anything involving the search bar at the top. no need to move the thumb up there(which is annoying on big screens), just press the side and swype to the url control and bam! and now with "swype" on the keyboard, its actually getting pretty nice having a big screen but only using one hand

thegtfusion said:
stock 4.2 browser is the best.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i think there's a bug when refreshing the page if you are using quick control. there'll be a black block on top.

JoeSyr said:
I believe you can do this in the stock browser under settings->advanced->user agent->desktop. No equivalent option in chrome that I know of.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On the stock or opera or dolphin it's possible but it's very annoing click on "desktop version" every time....

qandrav said:
On the stock or opera or dolphin it's possible but it's very annoing click on "desktop version" every time....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't seem to find the option (user agent) on stock browser... Do you know where I can find it?

There are 2 things keeping mé away from chrome and that is:
-Quick controls
-full screen mode
Stock browser is also smoother IMO...

Torbennmadsen said:
There are 2 things keeping mé away from chrome and that is:
-Quick controls
-full screen mode
Stock browser is also smoother IMO...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It most definitely IS more smooth...

I use Google Chrome on PC, and it gets synced up very conveniently with Google Chrome on my Gnex, so I tend to stick with Chrome.

gideonMorrison said:
I can't seem to find the option (user agent) on stock browser... Do you know where I can find it?
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Click to collapse
I could not find the user agent on stock browser either. Yakju version. Just updated to 4.2.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app

i use to like Dolphin browser but Chrome kinda feels solid. I have Dolphin browser with Jetpack on N7 and it indeed loads pages faster then chrome. They've recently added magnifier like in chrome it's still needs a little bit of optimization.

The stock 4.2 browser is faster and more fluid than chrome. Chrome is better in handling all kind of online forms.

I love stock browser but I want to give chrome browser a whirl. However, how do you guys adjust the font for chrome where it is readable? There are some fonts on the page which are perfect for viewing and at the same time , other parts of the page, the fonts are so small. Why can't all the fonts be near or equal on the same page like stock browser.

[Q] Chrome v. Stock Browser

Can someone explain to me why Chrome stutters on scrolling compared to the stock browser? Is it because the stock browser is optimized for the phone? I would contend though that Google would be testing Chrome on their own devices and would optimize it as such, ideas?

Bumping for a response.

iDaZzLeFatHoeZz said:
Can someone explain to me why Chrome stutters on scrolling compared to the stock browser? Is it because the stock browser is optimized for the phone? I would contend though that Google would be testing Chrome on their own devices and would optimize it as such, ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually use both, but I will not be able to give you a technical reasoning here so bear with me. The stock browser to me has always been a chrome "similar" just reduced and optimized for mobile. But using Chrome there are differences and that being the reason I use both. I sure do love the quick thumb controls in the stock browser. I know I didnt answer your question, but I believe you are right in the fact that the stutter comes from it not being baked in.

Chrome on Android is still not there IMO, a running beta at best, sucks too much battery.
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There's nothing to "explain". There's a lot more going on in Chrome so it needs more resources. I'm not sure what's unclear about that.

What does chrome offer over the stock browser? I've never felt the need to try another.

Bookmarks/tabs sync from desktop Chrome and other devices. Probably more but that's why I use it.

Chrome has been updated recently and it feels smoother, almost closes the gap between chrome and stock
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