Microsoft Edge (codenamed Project Spartan) didn’t meet the hype when it was released back in 2015. It did have some cool features like a reading mode and PDF markup, but Microsoft’s attempt to capture the browser market didn’t quite go as expected. The good news is that in late 2018 Microsoft announced the next version of Edge; a chromium powered browser. Instead of fighting chrome, they decided to “become” chrome.

Chromium is the browser project which is the foundation for Google Chrome (and a handful of other browsers like Opera, Brave, and Vivaldi). Chromium is a free and open-source browser, meaning anyone can take it and build their own browser on top of it. This is exactly what Microsoft has done. Insider channels (Canary, Dev, and Beta) for the new Edge were released to the public in early 2019. Even though it’s not officially out yet, a link to download the stable version from the Microsoft website went live a few weeks ago.

Here’s what I like about Edge…

Sleek and Intuitive UI

To me, the UI is very “emotionless”. This straight-to-business approach makes navigating Edge a very intuitive and straightforward process. If you are a Chrome or Firefox user, the Edge UI will turn out to be refreshingly light and less bloated. On top of this, the Fluent Design makes it look unmistakably modern.

Windows Hello Integration

Ever noticed how Firefox doesn’t bother about making your passwords secret? Anyone using your PC can view your saved login info (yes, passwords too) with a few clicks. You can use a master password but that’s a major inconvenience. Edge actually integrates Windows Hello with your passwords, meaning that they are protected with your Account key (pin, fingerprint, or face). Basically, you get a free password manager.

Browser Extensions

One of the top complaints about classic Edge is the limited availability of browser extensions. The new edge addresses this issue. Like all chromium browsers, Edge supports extensions from the Chrome Web Store!

(A bit of caution here. All Chrome extensions are not guaranteed to work with Edge. Ex: the Kaspersky Internet Security addon. However, Microsoft claims that they will expand the supported Edge addons, which are currently available as “Insider Addons”. This should hopefully solve the issue)

Privacy

For the privacy-conscious, Google is pretty scary. This is because they openly pry on everything we do with Chrome. I’m not by any means implying that Microsoft isn’t prying on Edge. However, it’s better to spread your eggs across a few baskets so that the damage is minimized.

Even though Edge gives you the option to opt-out of being tracked (which makes it better than Chrome), when it comes to privacy Firefox is the clear winner.

The Collections Feature

I’ll just cite Microsoft here…