Google touts doubled speed for Chrome on Android: here’s how they did it

Chrome has always been synonymous with speed. It’s been in the browser’s DNA since the beginning. From lightning-fast page loads to smooth web app performance, Chrome aims to deliver a browsing experience that’s as frictionless as possible. The Chrome team is relentless in its pursuit of ever-faster performance, and their latest efforts on the browser for Android are a testament to that commitment. Over the past couple of years, Google has been laser-focused on amping up Chrome’s performance on Android devices. And the results are pretty impressive.

Speedometer scores are on the rise

Using a benchmarking tool called Speedometer, Google can test how quickly Chrome can handle the things you do every day when browsing the web, like loading pages, running interactive elements, and dealing with complex websites.

Recent versions of Chrome on Android have seen Speedometer scores skyrocket. On many devices, scores have more than doubled! This means websites load faster, scrolling is smoother, and everything feels much more responsive. So, how did Google achieve these speed gains? They focused on several key areas:

• Optimized Builds: Think of this as fine-tuning Chrome’s engine. Google optimized how Chrome is built for different types of Android devices, especially high-end phones. This allows it to take full advantage of the powerful hardware in those devices.
• Engine Improvements: Chrome’s “engine” consists of things like how it handles JavaScript (the language that makes websites interactive) and how it displays web pages. Google made a ton of improvements here, which all add up to a faster experience.
• Teaming Up with Android: Google also worked closely with Android phone makers to make sure Chrome runs as smoothly as possible on the latest versions of Android and the newest processors.

All these technical improvements translate to a much better browsing experience. Websites load faster, scrolling is smoother, and everything feels snappier. While the DOJ decisions around the future of Google and Chrome are murky for now, it’s great to continue seeing Google push the boundaries of what we can expect from Chrome from a speed perspective.

We’ve covered a very high-level version of how Google’s pulled this off, but if you want a very in-depth, detailed account of their methods, you can check those out on the official post over on the Chromium Blog. It gets down in the weeds for sure, but for those of you interested in the more technical bits, it’s worth a read for sure!