Like many internet users, I’ve used Google Chrome as my daily driver for years, in between I’ve dabbled in Mozzila’s Firefox for a couple of months.
Now, of course, Google Chrome is great, and that’s why it holds a lot of the browser market share. However, with my bread and butter earned by working on my PC, the Chrome experience became too boring and monotonous. And we all know how notorious Chrome is for crashing when running multiple tabs at once. It uses more CPU and RAM than other browsers and has very limited customization options.
About a month ago I switched to using Opera’s GX browser full time and my experience so far has been good.
First of all, it’s worth noting that Opera was bought by a group of Chinese investors back in 2016, and many users are reluctant to use software owned by Chinese companies due to privacy concerns. Skeptics say the browser sells your data and uses it for targeted advertising. The company denies all such claims, although it is also in its best interests to do so.
GX is built on Chromium, the same Google open-source web browser project that powers Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Brave browsers, and includes the same security measures. However, security is not always synonymous with privacy. It is reported that the GX Corner browser’s gaming news feature collects data anonymously in order to provide users with relevant news, and the company makes money from it.
However, Google-owned Chrome is just as notorious for collecting user data, as is its search engine, and personalized ads are now a reality that’s hard to resist. Well, if you already use products from Google, Amazon or Facebook, the information will be displayed by the browser could collect is no different from these platforms. If you agree to this anonymous data collection, read on. If not, Tor Browser might be a better choice for you.
OperaGX is a browser aimed at gamers and runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android. One of the main features that makes GX attractive is the extensive customization options it offers, including themes, custom wallpapers, browser sounds, and background browser music. Its default look screams “gamer,” and the customization only adds to its appeal.
The ability to customize the browser’s appearance so that it doesn’t always scream “gamer” is also a plus. And not just visually, the browser allows you to customize the sound, with different sound cues for typing, tab open, limiter, click, hover, tab slash and more. You can also turn these sounds off or down if you prefer to work in absolute silence, although they add a fun element to work in my experience.
It uses all the same keyboard shortcuts I’m used to from Chrome, like Ctrl + Tab to switch between tabs.
The browser also includes a fully customizable sidebar with Messenger apps like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram, Twitter, and Discord, so you can stay connected right from the browser while browsing or working.
Another handy feature is the browser’s media player, which has music from Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer, Tidal, SoundCloud, and YouTube built right into the sidebar.
OperaGX also has a built-in crypto wallet, although I haven’t played with it at all considering MetaMask does the work for me.
Much like YouTube has a pop-out media player on mobile, OperaGX automatically puts a video you’re watching into a small picture-in-picture box when you navigate to another tab, so you’re following a YouTube tutorial can easily follow implementation of the steps it could teach you. You can resize the picture-in-picture box and even make it translucent so you can keep browsing without missing any of the streaming action.
Other useful features include “My Flow” which allows you to transfer files and messages from the OperaGX mobile browser directly to your web browser, an easy shortcut to load files from your mobile phone, “Tab Preview” which allows you to hover over a the ability to move a tab and see what it is without having to open it, “Tab Search” that lets you search for a specific tab when you have several open, the ability to force all pages to display in dark mode, when only the specific page is running light mode, a built-in ad blocker and a built-in VPN that is absolutely free to use.
As mentioned, the browser has a built-in section called “GX Corner” dedicated to games. It includes a game release calendar section showing all upcoming titles for Windows, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, Mac, Linux and Stadia. Scrolling down on the same page, you will see the Top 10 Games Releases Of August section, followed by a list of games that are currently free to download/play on the above platforms.
Other sections in GX Corner include a top female protagonist game slider, game deals, upcoming game trailers, and daily gaming news. Basically a one stop shop for all your gaming information.
“GX Control” in the sidebar lets you check how much RAM and CPU tabs are being used with one click, alongside the ability to limit how much bandwidth OperaGX can use, how much RAM the browser can use, and how much CPU -Performance the browser can take up, a welcome addition if you’re playing grueling games while having the browser open sideways on a second monitor. In terms of performance, OperaGX didn’t slow down my PC even without using the RAM or CPU limiters, and felt fast and snappy even with multiple tabs open while playing at the same time.
Overall, I think OperaGX is a fresh browser that isn’t boring, offers a range of customization settings that allow you to personalize the browser to your liking, and also offers a range of useful tools like the RAM and CPU usage limiter and user-friendly shortcuts for messaging apps and built-in music players that might convince you not to go back to Chrome or Firefox.
#switched #OperaGX #dont #Chrome
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