Tests From Microsoft Show How Chrome Drains Your Battery

More people surf the web with Google Chrome than any other browser. A recent report showed that nearly 42 percent of desktop users opt for it—more than Internet Explorer and Microsoft's new Edge combined. But new tests conducted by Microsoft may have Chrome devotees questioning their allegiances. As The Verge reports, according to Microsoft's tests and data gathered by the company, Chrome drains battery life faster than several of its less popular competitors.

In an effort to bring more Chrome users over to team Edge, Microsoft created two experiments. For the first, they looked at average browsing behaviors in a controlled lab environment. Under these conditions, Microsoft Edge performed better than all the other browsers that were tested, including Chrome (though Chrome still bested Opera and Firefox).

Microsoft also collected data from millions of Windows 10 devices to back them up. The real-world numbers showed that Edge still consumes less energy than Chrome or Firefox, and Chrome was the worst offender of the three.

In the second lab test, Microsoft focused exclusively on streaming capabilities. They streamed the same high-definition video through Edge, Chrome, Opera, and Firefox browsers until each device's battery life expired. As you can see in the video above, the Edge laptop lasted the longest at seven hours and 22 minutes, while the Chrome computer died first after less than four hours and 20 minutes.

For many web users, the benefits offered by Chrome outweigh its power-zapping tendencies. Browser extensions, a major culprit behind the limited battery life, aren't available through Edge as of now. Microsoft plans to launch them with their Anniversary Update to Windows 10 this summer, along with less memory consumption, controls on background activity, and more battery life-extending features. If you do plan to stick with Chrome, there are plenty of tricks you can use to make it more energy efficient.

[h/t The Verge]

All images courtesy of Microsoft and YouTube.

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