Popular and much admired ad-blocking software for PCs has launched a browser for Android and iOS devices. The beta version of Android browser was launched back in May but now it has made its way into Google Playstore as well. The browser has already been downloaded over 400 million times. According to the claims of its developers, Adblock browser not only blocks ads but also protects users from malware and tracking, extends battery life, reduces data consumption and loads web pages faster.
The interface of the browser is pretty simple, without any fancy animations. There are different tabs on homepage which includes Top Sites, History, Recent Tabs, Bookmarks and Reading List. It also has Private browsing which allows you to browse internet in incognito mode.
In the Settings menu you get the options to customize display settings, configure the behavior of the browser, adjust privacy and choose your language. Then comes the highlighting feature of this browser which sets it apart from all other browsers, the ad-blocking. You get to configure the ad blocking feature in the Settings menu. Here you can not only block ads but also block malware, disable tracking and even block social media buttons on the websites. There is also a White-list where you can list the websites where you still want to see ads.
There is also has reading mode where you can read the text of web pages (without images). You also get to customize background, font style and font size and you can also share it.
Performance wise it works alright. Pages get loaded at good speed and it scrolls smoothly too. However it is a heavy app and does not work well with low range phones. We encountered very slow loading, bad rendering, bad scrolling and occasional shut down of the app on phones with low range specification. So we would only recommend it on using on high end phones. Also we did not notice any significant battery or data saving.
Pros:
- Blocking ads
- Protection against malware and tracking
- Reading Mode
Cons:
- Heavy size of app
- Not suitable for low range phones
- Unattractive user interface.
