Vivaldi Technologies released a first public version of the long awaited mobile version of the Vivaldi browser for Google's Android operating system today.

The mobile version of the Vivaldi Browser is released as a full featured beta version that Android users may download to their devices. The browser is compatible with Android version 5 and up.

Tip: check out Vivaldi browser and privacy, and our interview with the Vivaldi CEO.

Vivaldi for Android

Vivaldi for Android displays the URL bar and the Vivaldi menu at the top, and another menu at the bottom. The bottom menu lists the open tabs, back and forward buttons, search/open new tab page, and bookmarks.

The browser's new tab page lists Speed Dial folder groups at the top and below that bookmarks or recently visited sites. The browser comes with a set of default speed dials on the page which you can remove using the bookmarks manager. You may add your own set of pages manually to the page as well.

Vivaldi for Android supports syncing. Sign-in with your Vivaldi account to sync data between all Vivaldi installations on any of your devices. New users may sign-up to create a free account and enable syncing in the process. Existing data is synced between desktop and mobile versions of the browser so that users may access their bookmarks, passwords and other data right away in the mobile version of Vivaldi.

Vivaldi for Android supports a number of search engines from the get-go. You may switch the default search engine in the Settings to Google, Qwant, Startpage, DuckDuckGo, Bing, or Ecosia among others, and may block access to locations, notifications, or sound for them right from the search engine preferences page. I could not find a way to add custom search engines to Vivaldi but the selection is better than that of Google Chrome.

Each search engine has a keyword associated with it that you may use to run searches on it from the address bar.

Settings

The settings provide a lot of options. Apart from managing passwords, sync, payment methods, addresses, and notifications, you may enable a light or dark theme, configure privacy settings, or site specific settings.

You can disable page predictions, access to payment methods, search and URL suggestions, and navigation error suggestions in the privacy settings. An option to clear the browsing data is provided there as well.

Performance

The browser is fast and robust, even as a beta version. I experienced no crashes during use and pages loaded quickly and without issues. The browser is based on Chromium just like the desktop version of the Vivaldi browser and many other browsers including Google Chrome.

Using Vivaldi for Android

Vivaldi works for the most part just like other Chromium-based mobile browsers. Run a search from the address bar or enter a URL directly to load the page.

The developers have added several nice to have features to the mobile browser that sets it apart. As far as tabs are concerned, you find a handy clone tab option attached to the main menu to quickly create copies of the open tab.

The tab switcher displays a visual representation of open tabs when you activate it. Activate any to jump to the tab or manage tabs from there. Options include closing open tabs quickly, manage private tabs, or display tabs open on another device for quick access.

The new Vivaldi browser supports a number of handy tools. Select Menu > Capture Page to take a screenshot of the activate page -- full page and visible area screenshots are supported. Screenshots are saved to the local system automatically once you give Vivaldi permission to do so.

Note taking is built-in as well. Open the Bookmarks and select Notes to get started. If you have enabled sync you will find all your existing notes in the interface. Tap on the new note icon to write a new note.

Access to notes is a bit hidden as you may only access it in the bookmarks. An option to access notes from the main menu or new tab page would certainly be appreciated by many users.

Vivaldi supports Reading Mode, a special display mode for websites that puts the focus solely on articles and news by removing clutter from webpages.

Closing Words

The release of Vivaldi for Android is a major step for Vivaldi Technologies. Vivaldi users with Android devices may download and use the browser, and sync data between mobile versions and desktop version. A tablet UI is in the works and will be released in the future.

The beta version of Vivaldi for Android worked well during tests. I wish the developers would add more distinguishing factors to the browser but considering that it is a beta release, it is off to a good start.

Now You: Which mobile browser do you use? Have you tried Vivaldi for Android?

Summary Article Name Vivaldi releases Vivaldi mobile browser for Android Description Vivaldi Technologies released a first public version of the long awaited mobile version of the Vivaldi browser for Google's Android operating system today. Author Martin Brinkmann Publisher Ghacks Technology News Logo

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