(Image credit: Tech in Asia)

When it comes to the master of search, who do you think of? For most markets, Google comes to mind. In China though, Google is far from the leader of search. Instead, the market leader is a company called Baidu. Like Google, Baidu also develops its own mobile operating system, and it also has apps and online services for things like Maps and more.

Now the company wishes to take its efforts even further with the release of its new Baidu Explorer mobile browser.

The new Baidu Explorer browser arrives with a pretty bold claim: it’s supposedly 20% faster than any of its competitors, at least when it comes to JavaScript and HTML5.

The speed element comes from its new engine, which they call T5. According to CNET, its own tests confirm the claim that the new mobile browser is faster. The Baidu Explorer rated a score of 482 out of 500 for HTML5 compatibility. The next highest scoring browser, in terms of HTML5, was Chrome at 371.

The only catch is that the T5 engine must be downloaded as an add-on in order to get the most out of the browser. Luckily, the download is only 5MB.

Similar to how Google uses Chrome to drive traffic into its search engine, Baidu will do the same thing with this new app. The app is only being marketed to China for the moment, though it is available in both Chinese and English. Will it be available outside the country in time? Yes — Baidu has already signed a deal with Egyptian service Telco to offer the software bundled with its subscribers.

The Chinese APK is only available directly through their site, not on Google Play. A Windows Phone version also exists.