Summary
For years, Google Chrome has been my go-to as far as browsers are concerned. It is often the first app I update when I set up a new device. But recently, I noticed how many resources Chrome takes up, with even my latest MacBook heating up and my Android smartphone’s battery draining much faster than it should. To top it off, the constant ads just made it worse. So I wanted to see if switching to a new platform could genuinely improve my user experience without hampering my workflow. I decided to install Brave and have been using it for the last couple of weeks. Brave and Chrome are both based on the same architecture Brave feels lighter than Chrome Chrome is known for heavy resource usage that routinely heats the device. If you keep several tabs open at once, it makes the issue worse. While the platform has added features like Memory Saver, I still found it consuming a massive chunk of my system’s RAM. Interestingly, Brave is built on the same open-source Chromium engine as Chrome. What this means is the underlying architecture is pretty similar, so you won’t face any major learning curve. In my testing, Brave used noticeably less RAM than Chrome with the same number of tabs open. While Chrome used upwards of 2.5 GB of RAM with around 20 tabs open, Brave used about 1.8 GB for the same tabs. Brave was noticeably snappier, and I could switch between tabs without annoying micro-stutters. Keep in mind, the difference is more noticeable on a mid-range smartphone compared to a flagship. Brave blocks ads and trackers that make everyday browsing frustrating A cleaner browser with fewer distractions A major issue with popular browsers is invasive ads, pop-ups, and hidden trackers. On Chrome, you would need to install a third-party extension like uBlock Origin to tackle this issue, and there might still be limitations. Brave effectively tackles this issue at the browser level by stripping out excessive background trackers and Google-specific telemetry that constantly run behind the scenes. It comes with a feature called Brave Shields. Because the ad-blocking engine is built in, it runs much more efficiently and uses far fewer resources. The best part about this feature is that web pages actually load noticeably faster without any distractions popping up. You also save network data, which is a huge bonus if you are browsing on mobile data instead of Wi-Fi. To turn on Shields:
- Open Brave.
- Visit the website you want to tweak.
- Click the Lion icon in the address bar.
- Use the toggle to set up Shields for a website. Brave also offers Advanced controls after you enable Shields for a website. You can force HTTPS, block JavaScript, restrict cookies, strengthen fingerprinting protection, and even Shred a site’s locally stored data. Auto Shred can do this automatically when you close its tabs, while the Block element feature allows you to remove persistent banners and other unwanted page elements. Just keep in mind that aggressive settings can sometimes break websites. Brave also offers a paid VPN feature, powered by Guardian, which currently costs 99.99 per year and covers up to 10 devices. Brave’s YouTube feature is a blessing for smartphone users Background playback is a game changer Using Brave on your Android device feels particularly in sync with how I use my smartphone. One defining feature for me is support for background media playback. The platform lets you keep playing videos from sites such as YouTube even after you switch to another app or lock your phone. If you like to watch YouTube while multitasking, you’ll appreciate this feature. To enable background play:
- Open the Brave browser on your Android phone.
- Tap the three-dot menu.
- Open Settings.
- Navigate to Media and select Background play.
- Turn the feature on and relaunch Brave when prompted. Once enabled, a video will keep playing in the background even when you switch to another app or lock your phone. You also get lock-screen playback controls, which is a really useful extra feature. Brave Sync makes use of a secure chain instead of a Google account Your browsing data stays under your control One of the main reasons I wasn’t comfortable abandoning Chrome for so long was the ecosystem. Being logged into my Google account meant all my history and passwords synced automatically between my handset and PC. Brave handles this system differently by prioritizing privacy. You don’t need a separate Brave account; it encrypts data locally and syncs directly between your devices without storing it on a central server. Brave Sync is available across all major desktop and mobile platforms, including iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, and more. To sync your MacBook with an Android device:
- Open Brave on your MacBook and click the menu icon in the top-right corner.
- Select Settings and click on Sync.
- Select Start using sync.
- Click Start a new sync chain.
- Choose Phone/Tablet as the device you want to add. A QR code will appear on your MacBook.
- Open Brave on your Android phone, tap the three-dot menu, and select Settings.
- Tap Sync and select Scan or enter sync code.
- Scan the QR code displayed on your MacBook.
- Once connected, choose which data you want Brave to sync. You can sync data such as bookmarks, passwords, history, open tabs, and extensions. That makes Brave particularly convenient if you use an Android smartphone alongside a MacBook or Windows PC. I just don’t miss Chrome at all After using Brave for a week, I don’t miss Chrome as much as I expected. Brave doesn’t significantly alter the way you browse, but it gets rid of many small annoyances that had become part of my daily life. While not radical, these features are built-in, and they sweeten the user experience. For my workflow, switching to Brave has made browsing feel cleaner, less intrusive, and, especially on Android, considerably more useful.