A closer look at the Chromium-based Microsoft Edge for Windows 10

Recently we reported that Chromium based Microsoft Edge for Windows has leaked online ahead of the official launch. It has been a couple of days since the initial leak and we decided to test it out on our Windows 10 machine to see how well the browser performs on Windows 10.

Overall the browser seems snappy and works well for the most part with random issues but those should be fixed with time. Microsoft Edge now feels like using an identical version of Google Chrome with some exclusive features. Microsoft now has a new setup process where it allows users to start from scratch or import data from a different browser/sync from other Windows 10 devices. Edge also asks users to select a look for new tabs which comes with three options- Inspirational, Informational and Focused.

Just like Google Chrome, Microsoft now has a profile option which will allow users to sign in to sync settings, passwords, addresses and credit card information.

Microsoft Edge also adopted Chrome’s flags and you can access the experimental features by going to “edge://flags”.

Microsoft also has a separate extension screen now which we assume will show the list of extensions installed. The extensions page also has a link to Microsoft Store which should allow users to download extensions. Microsoft is also preparing a separate page for Insiders to download and try out extensions on Microsoft Edge. Another rumour suggests that users might be able to install Chrome Extensions on Microsoft Edge which might help Microsoft capture some market share in the long run. However, we haven’t been able to confirm that on our Edge build.

One might argue that Microsoft Edge is still not perfect and they are right. While the browser works well, for the most part, Microsoft still needs to iron out some issues. Moreover, the company also needs to work on unique features for Edge else it will just be another browser. At the moment, Edge doesn’t stand out as a browser which is something that Microsoft needs to work on. Apart from features like set aside tabs, I can’t really think of reasons why one would switch from Chrome or Mozilla to Edge.