I have relied on both Google Chrome and Firefox on my Android for a while now. However, even when I acknowledge how powerful and versatile they are, they have felt a little slower for everyday tasks. I’ve felt this more often when handling a couple of dozen tabs and tab groups, or when loading a resource-heavy webpage.
Recently, though, I’ve been daily-driving another browser on my Android that feels faster than Chrome and Firefox for real-world tasks: Brave! I’m not talking about browser stress tests or advanced built-in tools, but about things you do daily, and Brave seems to offer a better experience than the other two.
Brave loads pages faster by stripping ad weight first
The ad blocker isn’t a bonus; it’s the whole trick
The first thing I noticed after switching from Google Chrome and Firefox to Brave was the speed. Brave appears to load pages faster, and it doesn’t use magic. Instead, it ensures that it strips ad weight and other tracking components before they enter the rendering stage. Because the tab doesn’t have to load this content, the page loads faster. Most of the sites I visit daily, including many news sites, load faster, and the difference is too big not to notice. Given that Brave uses the same rendering engine as Google Chrome, I haven’t encountered any compatibility issues either. So, it’s speed without breaking things.
For reference, I have used both Google Chrome and Firefox with ad-blocking extensions like uBlock Origin. The experience has always been subpar compared to Brave, which makes it so easy. That happens because Brave’s ad blocking is at the system level, giving you advanced control over how it works. Brave’s shields also give you advanced control over what is stored, whether you want to store cookies or even block fingerprinting. You can always turn off these Brave Shields, but I’ve never had to do it so far. Then again, I don’t use it for custom websites like CMSs.
Tab switching never stutters like the other two
Multitasking without the reload roulette
I don’t make a point of closing a current tab before moving to another app, which results in dozens of tabs open across groups. Brave does an impressive job of making the browser feel smooth, even with multi-device sync enabled. The privacy-focused browser also makes it easy to access tabs I left open without having to play this reload game, which is seriously annoying. Another issue I haven’t yet encountered with Brave is the stutter I often feel when switching between tabs and the tab manager interface in Chrome and Firefox.
I’ve also noticed that I don’t really have to reload most tabs in Brave, even after a while. It may have to do with the lack of pressure each tab/tab group has on RAM and other resources. Therefore, I use this browser when I just want to leave browsing in the middle and come back. Other features, such as deciding how long to keep tabs open for and multi-device synchronization of tab groups, also make Brave a great choice for multitasking on Android.
Fewer scripts running means less visual junk
I’ve noticed a significant speed improvement in scrolling and video playback as well. Brave is also one of the few browsers that can block YouTube videos out of the box. Because you get support for background video playback, watching YouTube on Brave feels like you already have a YouTube Premium subscription. Surprisingly, Brave on Android offers a smoother YouTube experience than Chrome does.
At the same time, you get several customization options that even YouTube doesn’t offer. For example, you can block YouTube Shorts, YouTube Recommended content, and distracting elements on the web page before they even appear. As a result, the browser takes up fewer resources, and you have a generally faster scrolling experience. I have also noticed a big difference in how smooth vertical scrolling is. This is partly because Brave intelligently blocks trackers that can slow down browsing.
You do feel the smoothness of scrolling and video content on websites other than YouTube. For instance, if you watch videos on news sites like Bloomberg or Forbes, Brave can offer a relatively better experience. I have also noticed that, in general, Brave for Android consumes fewer battery resources than the YouTube app. That you get this benefit without compromising features like quality and background playback is the cherry on top.
Where Brave still isn’t the obvious winner
Brave for Android is undoubtedly a great option for most people, especially if you spend most of your time reading, browsing, and watching content. Thanks to its built-in ad blocker and other features, the app consumes fewer resources and saves battery life. However, there are times when you may have to choose Firefox or Chrome over Brave, such as when you need support for browser extensions on Android or better integration with your Google account and services. If these points don’t apply to you, you can definitely try Brave.
