Samsung Browser handles dozens of tabs so smoothly that I finally dumped Chrome forever
If Google Chrome hadn't failed on my new laptop, I would probably still be using it on my Android devices and never have bothered looking at other browsers.
However, I was forced to explore alternatives after I had a very frustrating ordeal with it.
Since I have a Galaxy phone and tablet, Samsung's browser immediately came to mind. It even recently launched a desktop version, which was the main reason I decided to try it.
Since then, I have been using it on my Android devices and laptop.
After testing it, I don't see myself going back to Chrome , and there are plenty of reasons for that.
Chrome lost my trust
It was ruined by random crashes and AI bloat
Before jumping to Samsung Browser, I was a loyal Chrome user for over a decade.
I never imagined leaving it for another browser, especially one from Samsung, knowing how it butchered many services before.
My disappointment with Chrome did not happen overnight, though. It started when I needed to open more tabs, including our CMS and several extensions.
While there were no problems on my Google Pixel 9 Pro XL and Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE, I immediately felt the bottleneck on my Windows laptop.
It made Chrome unbearable , suddenly freezing up while running a dozen tabs or even fewer.
Performance instability wasn't the only reason I left it for good. There were also several overlapping issues.
Maybe it is me, but Chrome has started to feel clogged and less intuitive recently. With every update, there seems to be a new addition of AI or Gemini features.
Instead of Google fixing core concerns and making Chrome better and more dependable, we get more AI bloat.
Another reason is that Chrome started removing support for the plug-ins I use the most.
This includes some full-featured ad blockers, leaving only muted, weaker alternatives in their place.
With Samsung Browser, I could still access some of the ad blockers I previously relied on, and that was the final straw that made me ditch Chrome.
Why Samsung Browser won me over
A fresh Windows app and better controls
Before trying the new Samsung Browser, I admit I wasn't a fan of Samsung Internet.
Maybe its interface felt uninspiring, or maybe the Internet branding did not click with me.
Regardless, adapting to Samsung Browser was fast, and I like that it is straightforward to use, even for a first-time user.
The interface is minimal, yet it includes modern touches. The granular customization controls are something that I appreciate as well.
I can rearrange the address bar, which Google only recently added to Chrome, along with the bottom menus and toolbar shortcuts on mobile.
Even better, the desktop version on Windows brings extended customization, including toggling side panels and applying custom themes.
I also use Samsung Browser on my Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, and compared to Chrome, the interface feels more polished and less clunky.
Screen real estate is better utilized, thanks to a more compact pop-up menu and neatly aligned reading mode view.
Samsung Browser doesn't slow down
Zero lag across 30 active tabs
I did not run an extensive, synthetic benchmark test to pick Samsung Browser over Chrome.
Instead, I replicated my daily Chrome workload on Samsung Browser using my new laptop, packed with 32GB of RAM and a flagship-tier CPU.
During my testing, Chrome started to lag and stutter after I opened a little over a dozen tabs.
Meanwhile, I pushed the test further by opening over 30 tabs in Samsung Browser, and it stayed snappy all the way through.
I also noticed my laptop fans spinning up under Chrome, while on Samsung Browser the machine stayed completely silent.
I tried many recommended Chrome performance settings, like enabling memory-saver optimizations, but got the same sluggish results.
While Chrome stayed relatively steady on mobile, Samsung Browser feels noticeably lighter on system resources.
Heavy content like high-resolution photos and embedded videos loads faster on Samsung Browser, likely because it wastes fewer background resources on heavy AI integrations and invisible ad trackers.
More than that, I appreciate the seamless continuity between my Android devices and my laptop with Samsung Browser.
In addition to syncing open tabs, I can seamlessly access my active shortcuts and bookmarks across both platforms.
Samsung Browser isn't perfect
Broken account management and a missing tab organizer
Samsung Browser is not without its constraints.
One annoying issue is that my Samsung account randomly logs out after a few hours or a couple of days, temporarily breaking data sync and disabling advanced features.
When using Samsung DeX , the browser also lacks easy tab repositioning, which is a major frustration when I am working on my Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE.
Instead, I have to rely on tab groups to stay organized, yet grouped tabs remain rigid and cannot be freely dragged around.
These are minor grievances in the grand scheme of things, especially on mobile, and they aren't enough to send me crawling back to Chrome.
Google ruined Chrome with bloat, and I'm not looking back
Right now, I am thoroughly enjoying Samsung Browser, and I have zero plans of going back to Chrome.
I did not expect to love it outside the Galaxy ecosystem, but it runs as fast and efficiently on my Pixel phone as it does on my Galaxy phone and tablet.
If Google had not left Chrome feeling so sluggish while axing the extensions I care about, I might still be stuck with it.
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