Linus Claims That Chrome Bests Microsoft Edge in New Battery Life Tests

Megalith

Megalith

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Microsoft has published videos in the past alleging that Edge has better battery life than its competitors, but Linus has challenged their results with his own test: while Mozilla remains bested by Edge, he found that Chrome and Opera were the bigger winners on average. The gear used was four Dell Inspiron laptops, with the same specs, for obvious reasons.

Linus Tech Tips took four Dell Inspiron laptops, with the same specs, and found that Microsoft Edge trails Chrome and Opera in battery life tests. It would seem that it still beats Firefox, after all. However, the results are much, much closer than what Microsoft's own tests indicate. On average, the difference between Chrome, which offers the best battery life, and Microsoft Edge is under 40 minutes. Opera comes closer to Microsoft Edge than Chrome in this test. Even Creators Update, which based on Microsoft's test should help Microsoft Edge obliterate the competition, didn't help make it faster than Chrome.
 
Hells yea, go Opera! Better than I expected lol.

What, no one here likes Opera? :*(

All jokes aside it does not surprise me one bit that other independent testing has found Microsofts claims to be able to be disputed.
 
I really enjoy the videos they produce, but they seldom do what I consider proper testing. But that's okay because most people are more interested in world experience.
 
Master_shake_ said:
i'm sure the 6 people who use Edge will be crushed.
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I use it all the time on my Surface Pro 3 when I have to use the on-screen keyboard. Chrome has a bit of a fit when I try to use the on-screen keyboard. Also, I like the cleaner look when it is in tablet mode which is 95% of the time.
 
I call bullshit on this one. My Surface Pro 3 and my new Surface Laptop just rips through battery when I have Chrome open. I not a fan of multiple tabs either, two or three is my max at once on any browser. Adblock and PureVPN are the only extensions install as well. I have learned to use chrome only when I am plugged in and Edge when I am on battery.

Also I don't trust Opera anymore since they were bought out by some Chinese consortium.
 
Master_shake_ said:
i'm sure the 6 people who use Edge will be crushed.
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I know, thank the good Lord we are still using IE here at work like the 15% of all the desktops... I only wish I could get Chrome on my work computer. Instead of have to deal with crappy Firefox as my backup browser, which is incompatible with most of the intranet sites...
 
ManofGod heatlesssun curious what your guys thoughts are on this?

I'm not surprised at all. MS has been busted again and again making up bullshit about 10 and Edge...not surprising that this happens. The only thing edge is good for is downloading other browsers.
 
OEM said:
ManofGod heatlesssun curious what your guys thoughts are on this?

I'm not surprised at all. MS has been busted again and again making up bullshit about 10 and Edge...not surprising that this happens. The only thing edge is good for is downloading other browsers.
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I am surprised Microsoft claimed that in the first place, but I will also say, doing a review 9 months after Microsoft originally made the claim, doesn't really put the lie to Microsoft. Now had he done this review immediately after Microsoft made the claim, then I would be more willing to throw shade at Microsoft directly for their statement. But personally if it's battery life I want to save, I am not necessarily going to use a Microsoft product to begin with.
 
OEM said:
ManofGod heatlesssun curious what your guys thoughts are on this?

I'm not surprised at all. MS has been busted again and again making up bullshit about 10 and Edge...not surprising that this happens. The only thing edge is good for is downloading other browsers.
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All I'll say is that I've never tried these tests and I don't think Microsoft lied about their results as they did publish exactly how to reproduce them. And I don't think Linus is lying either. There's a lot of variables in all of this and even Linus pointed that out. On a Surface Book, Chrome does seem to use more resources but it's nothing I've done any personal testing on. On Atom devices, Edge is a good deal more responsive, Edge is a better touch browser one Windows but I've noted Chrome has improved in that area.

It's not like I don't have six browsers installed on my personal devices, it's not that big of a deal to me.
 
SGTGimpy said:
I call bullshit on this one. My Surface Pro 3 and my new Surface Laptop just rips through battery when I have Chrome open. I not a fan of multiple tabs either, two or three is my max at once on any browser. Adblock and PureVPN are the only extensions install as well. I have learned to use chrome only when I am plugged in and Edge when I am on battery.

Also I don't trust Opera anymore since they were bought out by some Chinese consortium.
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Perhaps you should ask why your Microsoft created machines... seem to not play properly with third party software. lol

This is hardly the first time I have seen someone test non-MS hardware and come to the conclusion that MS claims on battery life are bunk.
 
Spire3660 said:
Stop using 'Linus' in the title, i think its something from Linus Torvalds, an actual important person. Call it LTT or something. Cant stand that this tool has become the face of higher-end hardware.
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I don't get how he became so popular alto of the stuff he does he just fail at doing it correctly
He didn't remove the glue on his delid test and came out with the conclusion than delid did nothing.
His video about coil while basically just watered down to buy something else.
His video about gfx memory usage was just wierd when he talk about 32mb for the frame buffer is HUUUGE. but on the same token doesn even talk about the Z-buffer

His knowledge is lacking in everything I've seen him produce
 
ChadD said:
Perhaps you should ask why your Microsoft created machines... seem to not play properly with third party software. lol

This is hardly the first time I have seen someone test non-MS hardware and come to the conclusion that MS claims on battery life are bunk.
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Actually I can conclude the same results in the hundreds of laptops and tablets from HP, Lenovo and Dell that I have sold to my clients that perform the same while using chrome. Just replaced all the executive's devices for one of my clients a month ago with the HP Spectre x360 and five of them already are bitching about battery life being piss poor. Those five are the ones that use Chrome as their default browser. They get about 4-5 hours use while the rest are getting 8-10 hours. So it is not just Microsoft made hardware.
 
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Not surprising in the slightest considering the manipulative MS track record thinly veiled as 'mistakes'. Not much to debunk though, considering one browser is a fully fledged desktop browser with a mobile equivalent and one is a stripped down mobile browser designed to be used on Microsoft's ridiculous vision of 2 in 1 laptops (not mobiles, laptops).

Considering that Chrome's a fully fledged desktop browser, the results are actually quite impressive.
 
BulletDust said:
Not surprising in the slightest considering the manipulative MS track record thinly veiled as 'mistakes'. Not much to debunk though, considering one browser is a fully fledged desktop browser with a mobile equivalent and one is a stripped down mobile browser designed to be used on Microsoft's ridiculous vision of 2 in 1 laptops (not mobiles, laptops).

Considering that Chrome's a fully fledged desktop browser, the results are actually quite impressive.
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This just doesn't make a lot of sense. Chrome and Edge simply aren't that far apart in overall features, the biggest advantage that Chrome has is its vast extension library and Edge supports essentially the same extension platform, but little is made of it due to Edge's market share.
 
Well this is how you defend it.
You see the original MS tests were done with FF 52 and Chrome 57 and just claim that Chrome and FF updated their browser's to recognize laptops and adjust power settings properly. You then throw in the fact Surfacebooks are touch compatible and Inspiron 7559 used in the video are not and question how the browsers handle touch compatibility, then you proceed knowing you have no proof of your claim as sometimes reasonable doubt is good enough.
 
As others have pointed out, Linus doesn't always get things perfectly right. However, in this case, my humble opinion is that the testing was solid. First, tests were performed rotating between the four laptops in a round robin style. Second, LTT also used the published method from Microsoft as a second test and Chrome still outperformed Edge. If they used Microsoft's own test methods there is really not an argument for bias.

The thing about the Windows ecosystem is that there are so many different variations of hardware with varying powers and power consumption. Some devices have touchscreens, others have dedicated gpus, while yet others run on integrated graphics. All that can be safely concluded is that the specific version of Chrome tested outperforms Edge on one specific model of computer--the Inspiron. Test methods are published. If battery life is critical to you, try them on your own hardware to see what works for you. For me, the convenience of Chrome extensions outweighs battery considerations so I don't care as much.
 
heatlesssun said:
This just doesn't make a lot of sense. Chrome and Edge simply aren't that far apart in overall features, the biggest advantage that Chrome has is its vast extension library and Edge supports essentially the same extension platform, but little is made of it due to Edge's market share.
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Edge is a stripped down browser designed from the onset for mobile application. Chrome is a fully fledged desktop browser designed from the onset for desktop application. Desktop machines are generally connected to the mains. Mobile devices like Surface products with detachable keyboards are predominantly running on battery power. Therefore it stands to perfect, plausible reason that Edge 'could' hold a power consumption advantage over a fully fledged desktop browser designed primarily for desktop application.

A more realistic comparison would have been to compare Chrome for mobile to Edge for 2 in 1, however it's a moot point as it looks like Microsoft's testing was 'flawed' as always and Chrome for desktop application actually holds a power consumption advantage over a browser designed with mobile use in mind.

We've been over this before Heatlesssun. Edge basically sucks as a browser.
 
GreenOrbs said:
The thing about the Windows ecosystem is that there are so many different variations of hardware with varying powers and power consumption. Some devices have touchscreens, others have dedicated gpus, while yet others run on integrated graphics. All that can be safely concluded is that the specific version of Chrome tested outperforms Edge on one specific model of computer--the Inspiron. Test methods are published. If battery life is critical to you, try them on your own hardware to see what works for you. For me, the convenience of Chrome extensions outweighs battery considerations so I don't care as much.
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And Chrome doesn't have to run on a magnitude of differing hardware configurations?

It's funny how this argument gets thrown around the second Windows is involved, but it cannot be used as an excuse in any other context.
 
What it mostly comes down to... is almost a year ago MS marketing was doing a good job watching the Chrome Beta channel. So when they saw Google detail a bunch of power consumption fixes they quickly did a bunch of tests on the then current stable version of chrome so they could show an advantage. I'm sure MS marketing saw Chrome 57 was adding background tab throttling and said... quick quick lets benchmark know while 53/54 are stable branch. lol

Anyone that has used both on a laptop not manufactured by MS seems to agree their isn't really any difference either way on battery usage. Regardless Chrome is still an actual browser... and Edge is still a browser download tool.
 
BulletDust said:
Edge is a stripped down browser designed from the onset for mobile application. Chrome is a fully fledged desktop browser designed from the onset for desktop application. Desktop machines are generally connected to the mains. Mobile devices like Surface products with detachable keyboards are predominantly running on battery power. Therefore it stands to perfect, plausible reason that Edge 'could' hold a power consumption advantage over a fully fledged desktop browser designed primarily for desktop application.

A more realistic comparison would have been to compare Chrome for mobile to Edge for 2 in 1, however it's a moot point as it looks like Microsoft's testing was 'flawed' as always and Chrome for desktop application actually holds a power consumption advantage over a browser designed with mobile use in mind.

We've been over this before Heatlesssun. Edge basically sucks as a browser.
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None of this points to any specifics as to how Chrome is more of a desktop browser than Edge. Regardless of your opinion of Edge the features of the two browsers is so close that your distinction is simply not based on facts.
 
heatlesssun said:
None of this points to any specifics as to how Chrome is more of a desktop browser than Edge. Regardless of your opinion of Edge the features of the two browsers is so close that your distinction is simply not based on facts.
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It does. The whole OS is a mishmash of touch/desktop, the default browser and naturally it's optimisation is no different. You believe the mishmash is great, I believe it's the decline of Windows as we know it.
 
BulletDust said:
It does. The whole OS is a mishmash of touch/desktop, the default browser and naturally it's optimisation is no different. You believe the mishmash is great, I believe it's the decline of Windows as we know it.
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This makes no sense. Chrome is touch aware on Windows 7 and above and the gestures are very close between Chrome and Edge. UI elements are generally larger in Edge to facilitate with touch but aren't so large as to be cumbersome with trackpad or mouse. Both browsers are built with thought to touch usage. Edge a bit more so and it is a bit more responsive to the same touch gestures as Chrome.

I use Chrome with touch daily along with keyboards, mice and trackpads, just like Edge. They are far more similar in these regards than you're saying.
 
I've tried Edge. It memory leaked like a mother (a half dozen tabs open only), and stopped using it when I got the Windows Low Memory warning. Back to other browsers. If I wanted that experience, I'd go to earlier versions of Firefox.
 
heatlesssun said:
This makes no sense. Chrome is touch aware on Windows 7 and above and the gestures are very close between Chrome and Edge. UI elements are generally larger in Edge to facilitate with touch but aren't so large as to be cumbersome with trackpad or mouse. Both browsers are built with thought to touch usage. Edge a bit more so and it is a bit more responsive to the same touch gestures as Chrome.

I use Chrome with touch daily along with keyboards, mice and trackpads, just like Edge. They are far more similar in these regards than you're saying.
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Makes perfect sense, you're just suffering from your fanboi brain fade again. We're not talking about 'working' with bullshit touch interfaces under Windows, we're talking about specific power optimizations with touch capable devices.
 
Of the browsers that actually have all the features I need and want Firefox gets the best battery life. ;)

Hell, even when I was playing with a POS AMD Z-based tablet a few years ago I still preferred Firefox over the various playschool alternatives.
 
The latest version of Firefox is downright fantastic, the memory and performance improvements alone are immediately noticeable.
 
BulletDust said:
Makes perfect sense, you're just suffering from your fanboi brain fade again. We're not talking about 'working' with bullshit touch interfaces under Windows, we're talking about specific power optimizations with touch capable devices.
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It's so bullshit that Chrome supports touch under desktop Windows? Sometimes your shit is beyond hilarious! :D
 
heatlesssun said:
It's so bullshit that Chrome supports touch under desktop Windows? Sometimes your shit is beyond hilarious! :D
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Yeah, good job at not comprehending anything I said. When did I claim that Chrome doesn't work with the Windows mishmash UI/touch interface?
 
BulletDust said:
Yeah, good job at not comprehending anything I said. When did I claim that Chrome doesn't work with the Windows mishmash UI/touch interface?
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What mishmash? Chrome works with a keyboard and mouse just the same as a non-touch Windows device or Linux of macOS. I was just trying to determine how Chrome is more of a desktop browser than Edge. Considering that that work pretty much the same with keyboard and mice and touch and have a very similar feature set, your characterization isn't based on anything factual.
 
heatlesssun said:
What mishmash? Chrome works with a keyboard and mouse just the same as a non-touch Windows device or Linux of macOS. I was just trying to determine how Chrome is more of a desktop browser than Edge. Considering that that work pretty much the same with keyboard and mice and touch and have a very similar feature set, your characterization isn't based on anything factual.
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We're not discussing how well Chrome works with a touch interface, I was fairly clear on that point, wasn't I?

You're going on a pointless tangent. Read the post in question again.
 
OEM said:
ManofGod heatlesssun curious what your guys thoughts are on this?

I'm not surprised at all. MS has been busted again and again making up bullshit about 10 and Edge...not surprising that this happens. The only thing edge is good for is downloading other browsers.
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Do not really care one way or the other. I use whatever I have open or click on but rarely use Chrome, even on my Android phone. Also, the only mobile device I have is my Surface Pro 3, other than my phone, of course. That gets incredible battery life anyways which is all that really matters to me.
 
azuza001 said:
Hells yea, go Opera! Better than I expected lol.

What, no one here likes Opera? :*(

All jokes aside it does not surprise me one bit that other independent testing has found Microsofts claims to be able to be disputed.
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I'm still on Netscape.

netscape-navigator-14.jpg
 
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