Preface#
Updates and Changes#
Recently, I have become tired of using WaterFox as my browser. It is always slow when opening the bilibili website, and the user experience is not satisfactory.
Therefore, I plan to take my thousands of bookmarked URLs and switch to a different browser.
It has been over half a year since the last browser review. I have downloaded the latest versions of these browsers (preferably the portable versions) and tested them. Although these browsers have been improving over the past six months, there are still some changes in terms of user experience.
Maxthon Browser: It has added a note-taking feature and directly removed the concept of bookmarks.
Opera Browser: The built-in AI integration is more advanced, allowing for tasks such as summarizing web content.
Cent Browser: As of the time of writing, it has not been updated since the last review.
Edge: It has added a workspace feature.
Other browsers, such as Chrome, have not shown any significant changes (I haven't had the opportunity to use the AI feature yet).
In addition, although there have been minimal changes in Windows browsers, the mobile version of Edge has recently added support for extensions, which is a great addition.
Changes in Evaluation Criteria#
In the past six months, AI has greatly helped me in my life and learning, so the improvement of AI functionality is an important criterion for choosing a new browser.
At the same time, the importance of sidebars and sidebar tabs should be reduced, as they are not very convenient and switching between tabs becomes more complicated.
For the browser selection pool, I will add a few domestic browsers from China. The browsers that were reviewed last time will not be included in this evaluation, as there have been no significant functional updates.
Detailed Analysis of Browsers#
Xiaobai Browser#
Official Introduction#
Download Link#
Official website: https://www.minibai.com/download.html
Performance Testing#
Memory Usage with Multiple Tabs#
I opened 24 bookmarked websites and checked the memory usage after all the websites were fully loaded. Only 3 commonly used extensions were enabled.
As seen in the screenshot, the memory usage is around 1.1 GB, which is considered good performance.
Video Decoding Capability#
I mainly tested YouTube and bilibili, as these are the websites I frequently visit.
For the test video, I chose a 4K sample from the movie "影视飓风" on bilibili. From the screenshots, it can be seen that YouTube uses VP9 encoding, while bilibili uses AV1 encoding (thanks to my laptop's 7735hs processor). YouTube consumes fewer resources and loads faster compared to bilibili.
In reality, unless you regularly watch 4K streaming, the encoding format doesn't have a significant impact, except for the effect on internet speed. Therefore, Xiaobai Browser's video decoding capability is sufficient for general needs.
PDF Functionality#
As a Chromium-based browser, Xiaobai Browser naturally supports opening PDF files. However, its PDF functionality is limited to previewing, rotating, downloading, printing, and viewing table of contents and bookmarks. It does not support various annotation operations.
Advantages#
Native Customizable Sidebar#
Supports a sidebar that allows customization of websites and also supports adding local paths (only supports .exe and .ink files).
Native Split Screen Functionality#
Comes with a split screen feature that supports up to 3 split screens.
Highly Customizable New Tab Page#
The default new tab page has a good appearance and is very clean. It supports changing dynamic and static wallpapers.
Mini Windows#
Comes with mini windows. Up to 9 mini windows can be opened, allowing for 10 different accounts to be logged in for a single website. Each mini window has independent data and will not be deleted when closing tabs or the browser.
Secure Website Image Saving#
Supports one-click image saving for HTTPS websites. Can be triggered by pressing Alt + left mouse button.
Official Portable Version#
One of my favorite advantages: the official portable version is available. It's a good practice, and I hope other manufacturers will follow suit.
Native Mouse Gestures and Super Drag-and-Drop#
Data Syncing without VPN#
Support for IE Mode#
Disadvantages#
Outdated Kernel Version#
According to the official website, the last update was in May 2022. The latest version of the kernel is only 87, so many new browser features cannot be used, such as HEVC support and renaming local files within the browser.
Native Screenshot Bug#
The native screenshot tool has limited functionality and can only capture selected areas, not the entire webpage. On high-resolution screens, it triggers a scaling bug and cannot capture screenshots properly.
Impure Background Processes#
After closing the browser with "Screenshot Hotkey Detection," "Close Running Apps in Background," and "Automatic Updates" disabled, a program named "xbservice.exe" remains running in the background.
Lack of Native AI Integration#
Conclusion#
As a classic browser, Xiaobai Browser has both stability and functionality. Although it has a few minor drawbacks, they are not critical. The most important advantage is that it can sync data without the need for a VPN. For the average user, it is a good choice.
Before writing this article, I overestimated my speed. Therefore, for this browser review, I decided to write one article for each browser. This way, I can provide more detailed information and control the length of each article to avoid overwhelming the readers.
Finally, I wish you all a prosperous year of the Dragon and smooth sailing in everything you do.
See you in a few days.