Many of us are picky when it comes to browsers. While there are many options available, many of them have unique abilities and characteristics that cannot be found in others. The majority of us, on the other hand, automatically defaulted to well-known and trusted browsers like Chrome, Opera, or Firefox. But it never hurts to look for alternatives, especially when they have the potential to be better than the golden trio mentioned above. And it is for this reason that we discovered and now strongly recommend UC Browser. Even if it can be an awkward experience at first because almost no one has heard of this browser before. But, in our opinion, it is well worth the effort for all of the benefits it offers.
Background
UC Browser is a free mobile Internet browser developed by UCWeb, a Chinese technology firm. And, like any other browser, it is competing for the position of most popular on CH Play with browser behemoths such as the golden trio I mentioned earlier. So far, its efforts appear to be paying off, as the app has received not only extensive coverage from major tech sites, but also 17.2 million unique downloads to date (June 2018th). As you can see, that is a very large number. They still have a long way to go before they can compete with these Internet behemoths, but it is clear that UC Browser has something very appealing to users that allows them to develop their platform while also making a statement. That is the topic we will be discussing in this article today.
Features
The first thing that UC Browser offers its users, like any other browser, is… a browsing experience. And I would say that this department has done an excellent job. Pages load quickly, and the tab system is not only visually appealing, but it also provides a smooth transition between opened pages. They have made extensive use of the device’s RAM while also employing a proxy strategy. UC actively compresses web data into smaller and more accessible packages before sending it to users, giving the browser its famed speed.
When you launch the browser, you will be greeted with a launch screen that includes your favorite apps or apps that you use frequently, which could save you a lot of time navigating. Extensions are also supported, as they are on desktop browsers, and this greatly increases the browser’s customizability. This is unusual for mobile browsers, which are known to be fixed and dried in comparison to their PC counterparts.
For phones with newer Android versions and better hardware, particularly those with 2 GB or more RAM capacity. UC has a hardware acceleration mode that will use all of this extra memory to load pages much faster than they would otherwise. However, 2 GB of RAM is a large number that most older phones cannot meet with conviction. However, phone manufacturers have recently increased production to the point where atypical, low-cost phones can easily meet this requirement. So, if you’re new to the market or have a new phone, UC is likely to be the most optimized browser for you to use.
But the best feature of UC browser isn’t that it’s fast and responsive (though that is a factor). It is the integrated, full-fledged Download Manager that was available within the browser. This feature is a godsend for those who work on their phones or tablets. It enables you to download multiple, selective elements and files at a faster rate than the native Android Download Manager. And, as someone who works on the go, the native Manager is extremely clumsy. Not many browsers on the market today have this feature, including Chrome and Firefox, which have both relegated their downloads to the native Manager.
The browser is also optimized and, in some ways, intelligent. It loads the most appropriate version of the page for your connection speed. For example, if you were in the middle of nowhere with only GPRS as your mode of communication, it would most likely load the bare minimum of content it could provide to both speed up load speed and save data.
In addition, the browser supports multi-touch gestures. Swipe two fingers up to close a tab, right to go backward, left to go forward, and down to open a new tab. Sure, Chrome supports multi-touch, but it gives UC a distinct advantage over its competitors who do not.
But one complaint I have is that, while the browser is aesthetically pleasing in most ways, much like Firefox in its early days, the app developers appear to struggle with organization. If you choose to display all of the menu options and configurations, they take up so much space that I have to use full screen mode to read them all. This is particularly bothersome for me because my phone only has a five-inch screen and I rarely use my tablet. You can probably imagine how difficult it is to squint your eyes to look for the cramped details on the screen while also painstakingly navigating them on a screen real estate smaller than my hand.
Summary
UC Browser is, without a doubt, a great browser for anyone who is still looking for one, and if you are considering switching platforms, it is a great alternative to try out instead of the mainstream browsers. Even with the complaint at the bottom, the browser is still beautifully designed and well groomed in my opinion. It needs a few tweaks to reach the level of design perfection that I’d like it to have, but aside from that superfluous observation, it can certainly compete with Chrome on the app market all the way.
Download the most recent version of UC Browser APK for Android
You can download UC Browser for Android from the Google Play Store or Wamunity.com, respectively. Simply download and install UC Browser.
