Microsoft’s Chromium browser doesn’t shake up the formula in leaked screenshots

In an attempt to once again reboot its browser efforts, Microsoft revealed that it was set to ditch its EdgeHTML rendering engine for the much more established Chromium project. Ahead of the developer preview expected to land in the next few weeks, leaked images showcase what to expect from the new Edge.

Microsoft seems to be running by the idiom “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” as screenshots from Neowin show that its Chromium-based browser currently doesn’t deviate much from Google’s Chrome. It contains the same refresh, home and general navigation buttons, down to the boxed shape Material Design of the tab which replaced the angular approach in Chrome 69.

These similarities are hardly shocking given that Microsoft is utilising Chromium as its foundations, but it’s unlikely that the company is in the market for a clone. Rather, the new Edge is likely so early in development that Microsoft has yet to implement changes that would make it feel like a more unique approach. There is already some evidence of change in the user interface within the settings menu and the new tab layout regarding most visited webpages.

The images reveal that Microsoft is currently testing synchronisation and extension support across mobile and desktop. It seems as though Edge extensions are already baked in, with support for Chrome extensions at some point in the future.

Microsoft’s new Edge has a long way to go before contending with Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox, but the company is churning out daily builds for employees. It’s unclear when the canary build will be available to the public to test, but Microsoft Edge Insiders will be notified when this becomes available.

KitGuru Says: Despite Chrome reigning supreme, the main complaint users have is scroll lag across a variety of devices. Should this be addressed by the company before the launch of its new Edge browser, Microsoft could have a real shot at gaining market share. What would you like to see in the new Edge browser?

Become a Patron!