Google Chrome for Android has launched, but the Gingerbread users are out of luck. Here’s a list of the best browsers that could replace Chrome for Android on your 2.3.x device.
Recently, Google launched the much awaited Chrome for Android, but with a catch. The new browser is available only for devices with the Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0 and not for those users with Android 2.3 devices. It is a fact that over 99% of the Android users are still in 2.3 and are waiting for ICS update from their manufacturers. So here’s a quick list of browsers that are alternatives to Chrome for Android.
Dolphin Browser HD
Dolphin Browser HD is one of our to 100 Android apps list of the year. The main reason for its success is that, its blazing fast, easy and elegant tab management, light weight and comes with built-in support for Adobe Flash. The browser comes handy with phones with a larger screen, like the Galaxy S and Galaxy S II. Whats more. The Dolphin Browser also supports Gestures and Add-On Support, becoming the first smartphone browser to get these features. This is surely an alternative to Google Chrome for Android.
Mozilla Firefox for Android
Firefox has been a super successful desktop browser for almost all the major platforms and now, the Firefox for Android is also about to become the most used mobile browser for Android. With support for add-ons, Firefox Sync, Personas (Themes) and much more in par with the desktop version, Firefox has come a long way from the first version for Android. The current version is super fast, easy to use and makes the user feel that this is not just another bloated peice of app on their Android device.
SkyFire
SkyFire came to fame for the iPhone since it renders Adobe Flash content right on your iOS device. But now, the browser is available for Android and what makes it special in Android is the ability to share anything, anywhere from your browser to your social network profiles. The browser comes with Facebook Like, GPlus and Tweet buttons by dafault in the application, allowing you to share what you are seeing in the browser. This can also be compared with RockMelt, which has an integrated Facebook app in it.
NetFront Life Browser
This little known baby in the Android market is powerful than what you think of. I think the best feature of this browser is that, NetFront renders the snapshot of the page you are trying to access if your internet connection is slow (Probably when you are on EDGE or GPRS). This makes browsing pleasure, where the content you may want to view loads at first and then the media files are delayed loading. You can also share sections of pages to Evernote too via small snippets. If you are using EDGE or GPRS to browse the internet on your device, then this is your best bet.
Opera Mini
Opera Mini has been in the mobile segment for a long time and is still the best option to browse the internet on the old Nokia Phones. But on the Android? Well, it is pretty much faster than the Google Chrome for Android and Opera Mini is the fastest of all (Even when compared to NetFront Life Browser) the browsers I tested on the Android device. And this is definitely a rival for Chrome for Android. But still, Chrome for Android is still in its beta, so we just have to wait and see what they’ve got to do with that browser in the near future.
These are the top 5 browsers that I think would serve as the best alternative to Google Chrome for Android for users with 2.3 and below. All the above browsers support 2.3 at this point.