Microsoft Edge is 76% faster on entry-level PCs

O Microsoft Edge gained a prominent position among browsers, becoming the second most popular choice for PC users around the world. A Microsoft, aware of this success, is dedicated to improving the browser. It focuses on expanding its feature set and optimizing its speed.

Recently, the Redmond Giant shared the introduction of the engine WebUI 2.0. This new rendering engine came to update Edge, providing a gain in browsing speed.

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For now, the improvement only affects one part of the browser

The update came in version 122 of Edge, and with it, benefits particularly noted in the “Browser Basics”. Reports indicate that this browser element now operates up to 42% faster on personal computers.

This increase in performance is even more noticeable in more modest equipment — those that do not have a solid state drive (SSD) or that operate with less than 8 GB of RAM memory. In these machines, the improvement can be surprising, reaching up to 76%.

An explanatory video was released to illustrate the advantages of Microsoft Edge when initializing the aforementioned “Browser Basics” menu through technologies such as React, WebUI and, now incorporating, WebUI 2.0.

The difference in performance is visible as the new architecture can load the menu in less than a second, the previous method with React required approximately five seconds. Watch the full video below:

Favorites list will be faster

The improvements also cover the favorites list, which will integrate optimizations from the release of version 124 of the Edge browser. Expanding or retracting this list of favorite sites will be around 40% more agile, contributing to even more fluid and satisfying navigation.

It is essential to understand that optimizing a browser’s performance goes far beyond simply making web pages load quickly. It is imperative that user interactions with the software — such as navigating menus and quickly switching between different tabs — rival the speed of page loads.

To continually monitor and improve these aspects, Edge relies on careful collection of data provided by users during their browsing sessions. By meticulously analyzing this information, Microsoft identified opportunities to refine the browser’s code, making it even faster and more efficient.

Too much Java code was getting in the way

One technical obstacle identified was that the Edge UI codes were “not simple enough”. This meant that the instructions were too mixed and shared too much, making everything slower for the user.

Another point was the intense use of JavaScript. Despite being a strong language, it can cause slowdowns. Microsoft explained this by saying:

“JavaScript must be downloaded, then run through a JIT compiler (even if you don’t use it), then executed, and all of this must be done before any code can begin rendering the UI. This introduces a lot of delay before users can see the UI, especially on entry-level devices.“

The new WebUI 2.0 is part of the plan to improve the browser. It helps reduce code size and uses less JavaScript when you start using Edge. Microsoft wants to maintain this technical progress. Therefore, it plans to update several parts of Edge to take advantage of WebUI 2.0. Soon, areas such as history, downloads and wallet will have this technology improved. This will set new standards for speed and quality.

Source: Microsoft