Microsoft Edge: Browser Uses Less Power Than Competitors

Another iteration of Windows 10, another Edge test that demonstrates its superiority over other browsers ...

Microsoft's released the data for its latest tests measuring its web browser's impact on a computer. Using four Surface Books running Windows 10 Creator's Update (build 15063) and connected to the Internet via wi-fi, Microsoft's team fired up Edge, Chrome v.57 and Firefox v.52, then measured the power consumption of the CPU, GPU, and wi-fi antenna. The testing team went through 16 iterations of their testing protocol to make sure results were reproducible.

Here's the overall power breakdown:

So Edge used 31% less power than Chrome 57, and 44% less power than Firefox 52.

You can read through the testing methodology -- including a 32-step routine meant to approximate a typical user's behavior -- on Github.

"But we're moving toward a Web experience that's got a lot more video in its routines," you might be saying. "Does Edge's efficiency compared to other browsers hold up there too?"

A second test measured the time it took three identical Surface Books to drain their batteries while streaming video from Vimeo in fullscreen. One was running Firefox 52, one was running Chrome 57, and one was running Edge. 

The computer running Firefox drained its batteries in seven hours and four minutes, the one running Chrome lost power after nine hours and seventeen minutes, and the computer running Microsoft Edge lasted twelve hours and 31 minutes. Here's the graphic illustrating the battery duration:

The rundown on how all the tests were performed is also on GitHub.