The South Korean tech giant has announced that the new version of its browser, Samsung Internet Browser, can now be used on any other phone even though it is not manufactured by Samsung.
From now on, if you are tired of using the same browsers on your Android smartphone, you can download and install for free from the Play Store Samsung Internet BrowserHowever, in order to run it, you must have a relatively modern device.
You already have a new browser, Samsung Internet Browser
Bored with Chrome, Firefox or any other browser for Android? If so and you have a relatively modern smartphone, you can already try Samsung's browser because the company has decided to open it to any smartphone of any brand that operates under Android operating system.
It was last March that the South Korean tech giant released the first signs that this could happen when, in response to "many requests," it launched a beta version of Samsung Internet (5.4) compatible with Google devices. from the Pixel and Nexus series. Now, the company goes one step further and launches the sixth beta version compatible with any phone running Android 5.0 Lollipop or later.
Some specialists wonder why Samsung has decided to make its mobile browser compatible with all devices, especially at a time when the landscape is mainly dominated by Chrome, Firefox and Opera, not to mention that there really is no significant demand for a new browser, far from it, the specific Samsung browser. And they also remember how Samsung's "Milk Music" service had to close its doors last year, two years after its launch.
How is Samsung Internet Browser?
Samsung Internet Browser is a web browser for Android devices that is Chromium-based, the open source project from which the most popular Chrome browser emanates, and offers everything expected of a web browser with these characteristics, such as, for example, sync with other devices (although they are not devices that have been manufactured by the company itself) or the possibility of browse anonymously without leaving a trace thanks to an incognito or secret mode. Nevertheless, Samsung Internet Browser it also offers certain advantages that are not found in other similar services, and that could tip the balance in its favor for some users.
High contrast mode
Samsung Internet Browser includes a high contrast mode thanks to which reading is more comfortable and accessible. Faced with this, the reality is that this or another similar feature can already be found in most smartphones and tablets, not in the browsers themselves. Perhaps, users who have a somewhat older terminal but still compatible with this browser, will find this feature attractive and useful.
Samsung Internet Browser - High contrast mode, suitable for reading and for use in low light environments
In addition, other features allow, for example, access and control your bluetooth devices through the browser, while offering support for webVR from the browser itself for both the Gear VR and the Google Cardboard, making their use much easier.
Advertising blockers
Intrusive advertising is a serious problem in today's digital media and perhaps the greatest attraction it offers Samsung Internet Browser is precisely the enormous work done by the company in this regard. This browser grants quick access to content blockers and allows users to choose which ad units they want to see and on which websites in a much faster way.
Samsung has made a great effort to improve the access and management of content blockers by users
The question now is: will all this be enough to arouse the interest of Android users to the point of making them abandon their current browsers? Maybe not but still constitutes a contribution to the future of mobile technology. Just like notes Peter O'Shaughnessy, Samsung not only "incorporates Chromium features, it actively contributes to them and to web standards."
