Skip to main content

These new Microsoft Edge features could signal a challenge to Google Chrome

Arif Bacchus/Digital Trends

Microsoft made a lot of noise when it launched a browser based on Google’s open-source Chromium engine, and it continues to tweak and improve on the experience based on the feedback of early beta testers. One of the latest updates for the “Dev” Channel of the Edge browser is now widely introducing features that further separate it out from regular version of Chrome  — and may signal a challenge to Google’s reign of the browser market.

The most current update, labeled as build 78.0.262.0, brings a “Collections” feature to the new Microsoft Edge browser. Previously tested in both the “Canary” and “Beta” channels, this is one of many features that are not part of or available in Google Chrome.

Recommended Videos

Activated by visiting edge://flags and enabling the Experimental Collections feature flag, the new feature allows users to click a button and quickly gather a list of webpages in one central hub right inside the browser. This can be especially useful for shopping and research projects. Collections has the potential to make it easier to go back to webpages whenever multiple tabs are open at once.

Other features coming in this Edge Dev build that set it apart from Google Chrome include small tweaks such as a button in the user interface. to easily access favorites. Microsoft also updated the Share functionality in the browser, so that it integrates with the stock Windows experience familiar to most users.

Less-noticeable tweaks include fixes for the Internet Explorer mode. Users can now add a management policy to use two separate site lists for Internet Explorer mode and stand-alone Interner Explorer instead of having them share the same list. The feature is designed for compatibility and allows users to open webpages designed for Microsoft’s older browsers — something Chrome can’t do very well.

This Chromium Edge browser is currently still in beta, but anyone is free to download it. There are three “channels” to choose from, each of which is constantly receiving new features and updates on a weekly, daily, or monthly basis. We have a guide on how you can download the browser and we previously went hands-on with it, finding that it was faster and more reliable than ever.

Arif Bacchus
Arif Bacchus is a native New Yorker and a fan of all things technology. Arif works as a freelance writer at Digital Trends…
Microsoft’s Copilot Vision AI is now free to use in Edge
Copilot Vision graphic.

After months of teasers, previews, and select rollouts, Microsoft's Copilot Vision is now available to try for all Edge users in the U.S. The flashy new AI tool is designed to watch your screen as you browse so you can ask it various questions about what you're doing and get useful context-appropriate responses.

The feature works for "most" sites, according to Microsoft but it gives you a list of recommendations to start with. We have Amazon, which makes sense, but also Geoguessr? I'm pretty sure the point of that site is to try and guess where you are on the map without any help. Anyway, the full list of starter sites is as follows:

Read more
Why I can’t choose between Chrome and Edge, and why I won’t
Microsoft Edge on a laptop on a couch.

There are plenty of browsers to choose from these days. You can choose to use Vivaldi, Firefox, Chrome, Edge, and more. With so many options available, you may wonder what the difference is between all of them. There is always a feature one browser has that another doesn't. In my experience, no single browser covers everything I need.

Instead, I've found that using Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome gives me the best of both worlds. Each browser has unique features and strengths that fit different parts of my daily tech routine. Here's why I've made room for two browsers on my computer, and why I don't plan to change that anytime soon.

Read more
Copilot is Microsoft’s cue to redeem Windows and edge past macOS
The new Surface Laptop 13 on a white table.

There is always going to be a big divide between macOS and Windows. Much of it has to do with the functional disparities that are deeply ingrained at an OS-level. Or if you dive into the heated community debates, you will see it broadly as a battle between seamlessness and flexibility. 

Gaming remains the guiding star for Windows adherents. A handful of highly specialized niche industry tools also remain locked to the Microsoft platform. On the other hand, macOS fans swear by the fluid software, plenty of firepower options in the M-series silicon era, and fantastic hardware. 

Read more