Browser war?

[petexnasty]

Right now I have the stock browser, Dolphin HD, Skyfire, and xScope all installed and i'm trying to determine which one is really top of the field right now.

I haven't gotten to play with Skyfire and xScope for an extended period of time so I was wondering the opinions of the users of this board which browsers they like the most and dislike the most, and most importantly, why. This is all with the 2.2 leak installed so Flash is a factor, and the stock browser does workna little better with Froyo installed.

I know for certain that Dolphin isn't running so amazing now, Skyfire streaming flash videos doesn't let you skip to parts in the timeline, and xScope has the coolest icon. So educate me on all these browsers so myself and other users can streamline their phones a bi!

 

[Piercing Heavens]

opera is the best for.browsing speeds and amazing with forums. stock is the best for interactive websites.

 

[itsTee]

I like dolphin hd. Im trying out mozilla fennec alpha

 

[chrlswltrs]

I have been using Dolphin HD since it was released, but if there is an advantage to another browser I will switch. The thing I have to have is being able to rearrange bookmarks, the stock browser really bugs me with that. Also need to be able to easily switch to desktop instead of mobile and back

 

[aminaked]

I have every browser I can find installed because I'm hoping an update pushes one into the top spot. My current favorite is dolphin hd.

Opera mini is quirky but it works on some sites where the others choke. It also allows uploads.

 

[petexnasty]

I have been using Dolphin HD since it was released, but if there is an advantage to another browser I will switch. The thing I have to have is being able to rearrange bookmarks, the stock browser really bugs me with that. Also need to be able to easily switch to desktop instead of mobile and back

Skyfire does that but the interface is tough to get used to.

 

[darreno1]

Skyfire-fast but crashes a lot and doesn't support flash natively. Since Froyo, I uninstalled it.

Xscope - fast, has the best full screen mode and fonts are crisp. Its tab support is among the best but downloads handling is a little weak (eg it errors out when trying to download/open certain types of files). I currently have this installed and frequently go back and forth between it and Dolphin HD.

Opera - the fastest I've seen but the least configurable. There is no user agent feature so there's little control over how web pages are displayed. Many websites aren't rendered accurately and a large number of them come up in their mobile versions with no link available to the full sites. This browser has tons of potential but until they fix those nagging issues, I will not use it.

Stock browser- fast but lacking in features. All too often it displays the mobile versions of websites even with the hidden debug string set to display as a desktop computer. There is no tab support and no true fullscreen mode like found in the other browsers. Attachment and downloads handling is weak. I use it sometimes but it offers no advantages over Dolphin or Xscope.

Dolphin HD - the best browser for me. It's fast, smooth, handles downloads well, has the smoothest pinch zoom, great tab support and best rendering. I use this the most. My only issue with it is how much space the address bar takes when loading pages. However it's only a minor annoyance in the face of the other advantages.


All these browsers handle bookmarks well and I use bookmarks- to-sd to transfer between them and to back them up.

 

[Stealthman]

Stock is my favorite

 

[bigbadwulff]

Got no problem with what the phone came with. Works just fine.

 

[Deathshead]

I tried them all and stick with Xscope, I never had any issues downloading even 500+mb files,. the tab handling is great and it does not take up too much real estate with ugly tabs like dolphin.

 

[sic0048]

I've used stock, Dolphin HD and now Xscope.

Dolphin - I liked it, but after doing some comparisons, realized it was much slower than stock or Xscope. Shortcut management is pretty nice. I also liked the gesture shortcuts being built in.

Xscope - I also really like the "full screen" mode of Xscope. It took a bit to realize you simply press the green Android button in the upper left corner to add a new shortcut. But managing those shortcuts isn't as nice as Dolphin. I've seen some reviews moaning about the pinch to zoom ability/smoothness of Xscope, but I don't have any problems. Perhaps it as been fixed in recent updates, or it simply works better on the DX. Either way, I don't have a gripe about that function.

In the end, the speed difference made me switch from Dolphin. I'm currently using Xscope and it seems to be fine. I'm always willing to try something new, but XScope is where I am at today.

 

[esn]

I have no problems at all with the stock browser I tried the others but came back to the stock browser.

 

[dookie1]

xscope here.

as far as its zooming abilities, it appears (to me) to detect the text column edges and snap to that width when zooming. you can go larger/smaller, but there is a hitch when you hit a text column boundary that might be interpreted as a lack of smoothness. (and sometime the column border is above/below what you're seeing on the screen).

 

[dadarkside]

My favorite is xscope. It has all the features of the different browsers rolled into one.

Stock browser: easy to open bookmarks and to switch windows
dolphin: has ability to swipe to go to a tab
Dolphin hd: to much clutter with the tabs and add ons
opera: no pinch to zoom (yet?)

 

[CCCC]

I find that zooming on the stock browser is much more smooth than on say, Opera Mini. Opera Mini's pinch to zoom capabilities as of now are choppy and not smooth at all.

 

[Doylerules826]

opera runs all the webpages through their servers so you just see images of what is there instead of it having to load it all up, hence why it is faster.

I am using dolphin HD and love it gestures,tabs, way bookmarks are displayed

 

[cdmoore74]

All good browsers but fennec ran like crap. Hopefully they can iron out the bugs.
1. Xscope
2. Dolphin
3. Stock
4. opera
5. skyfire
6. mozilla fennec alpha (runs like crap on the X)

 

[Doylerules826]

Ive noticed on fennec that I tell it to open a page(such as a google search) and it defaults me to the main page, VERY annoying

 

[deadinside]

I have no issues with fennec, but then again it does not carry an Alpha tag for nothing.

One major thing to consider. Take your browsers to

www.html5test.com

and post the results

Fennec Browser on DroidX with Stock 2.1 Android OS

 

[The Faceless Rebel]

I'm waiting for Mozilla Fennec to emerge from alpha build. The alpha preview we can play with right now definitely shows promise. I use Firefox on my desktop and I would certainly be happy to enjoy Tiny Firefox on my phone.

 

[sic0048]

I have no issues with fennec, but then again it does not carry an Alpha tag for nothing.

One major thing to consider. Take your browsers to

www.html5test.com

and post the results

Both XScope and the stock browser got 176 and 0 bonus points. I've already uninstalled Dolphin HD, so I cannot test that one.

 

[yohankenobi]

I've been using both Xscope and DolphinHD and I like them both. I haven't used the stock browser all to much on my X.

 

[Center]

Just tested Dolphin HD... 151 and no bonus points. I still prefer Dolphin over stock though. Might play with that Xscope when I'm bored.