Google Chrome is faster now, but users aren't happy

Google says that Chrome is faster than ever, but users continue to complain about its "gluttony" for RAM. Thanks to internal optimizations, version 139 (still in the Dev channel) shows the performance increase of about 10% compared to August 2024.

TechRadar writes about it.

Has Google Chrome really become faster?

In the Fast and the Curious corporate blog, the development team boasted of a record result in Speedometer 3.0, a test that simulates real website loading and interaction with websites. Compared to previous releases, the browser has indeed become faster, although Google does not provide a comparison with competitors such as Edge, Firefox, or any other popular browser.

The indicator recorded by engineers was the highest in the history of Chrome. This is what the company refers to when it talks about the "fastest browser," although independent tests show that Chrome has rarely been inferior to other solutions in this benchmark.

The programmers worked with several "rendering paths" at once — mechanisms that transform the site code into the final page of the window. Among the key improvements:

• Optimization of work with RAM;
• More efficient use of cache;
• Revised data structures.

Taken together, it has reduced delays in opening and scrolling web pages, making the browser more responsive to user actions.

Despite the progress in performance, Chrome's reputation as a RAM eater hasn't disappeared. There are still complaints on forums that the browser uses too much memory, especially on basic laptops. Google assures that the amount of RAM consumed in the latest builds has decreased, but users with low RAM have not yet noticed any tangible relief.

Speed is not the only criterion for choosing a browser. Chrome is regularly criticized for suspected excessive data collection, and these accusations fuel distrust of Google in general. The company is trying to convince the audience that its policy is transparent, but skepticism remains, especially among those who are concerned about privacy.

As a reminder, although many people use basic security tools, the Google Chrome browser has a built-in tool that ensures the security of personal data without the user's active participation. This feature runs in the background and monitors key security elements while you browse.

We also wrote that Google has improved the Enhanced Protection feature in the desktop version of Chrome by integrating the Gemini Nano AI model. Thanks to local data processing, the browser is now able to detect and block even the latest fraudulent schemes that were previously overlooked by systems.