Google detailed the efficiency improvements made with Chrome 89, the most recent version of its browser launched earlier this month. Depending on whether you are using the browser on Windows, macOS or Android, Google says that the browser should use fewer resources, start faster and be more responsive when using it. There is no mention of any improvements specifically for iOS users.
The exact benefits vary depending on the operating system. On all platforms, Google says Chrome is capable of recovering up to 100 MiB (or more than 20 percent on some sites) using the foreground tab memory more efficiently, and on macOS, it saves up to 8 percent of memory usage based on how it handles the background guides (something Chrome already does on other platforms). Google says that these improvements in macOS have benefited the browser’s energy impact score by up to 65%, “keeping your Mac cooler and fans quiet”.
On Windows and Android, the browser is also using a more advanced memory allocator in more areas to further reduce memory usage and increase the browser’s responsiveness. On Windows, Google says it is seeing “significant memory” savings of up to 22 percent in the “browser process”, 8 percent in the renderer, 3 percent in the GPU and that the overall responsiveness of the browser has been improved up to 9 percent.
There are also a number of Android-specific improvements that google says result in 5 percent less memory usage, less crashes, 7.5 percent faster startup, 2 percent faster page loads, and a 13 percent startup faster. State-of-the-art Android devices running on Android 10 and newer with at least 8 GB of RAM should also load pages 8.5 percent faster and be 28 percent smoother to use.
Google has made similar promises about previous versions of Chrome. For example, it said that Chrome 87, launched late last year, was “the biggest performance gain in Chrome in years”. Hidden performance improvements have been said to improve everything from CPU usage, energy efficiency and startup times.