Mozilla recently announced a new version of Firefox, but this time, it's for Android devices. The new mobile browser focuses on privacy, organization, and speed. The company discussed the reinvented browser in a blog post and you can now download the pilot.
The Android version of the new browser is called Firefox Preview. According to Mozilla, users can experience speeds twice as fast as the previous Firefox for Android versions. The interface has also been massively improved to increase user productivity.
Firefox already has its own audience in the desktop browser market, but unfortunately, it has dominated the mobile space yet. It's partly because of Chrome's near-ubiquity on Android. However, Mozilla believes that Firefox mobile has the potential to be better.
Instead of completely changing the current mobile app's course, Mozilla decided to begin again with an all-new Firefox app. It's built on the GeckoView open-source mobile browser software, which according to Mozilla, is the reason for the faster speed. It also brings with it some handy features that protect the privacy of its users.
The functionality of the Firefox Preview is similar to any other mobile browser. You can utilize the URL bar to go to your favorite sites and your preferred search engine; there's a private mode, and you can juggle between multiple tabs. Those who have been loyal to Firefox can sign in and sync all their data, including their browsing history, bookmarks, and other settings. Here's where it gets different.
You'll immediately notice the position of the address bar, which can be found at the bottom of the page instead of the usual top position. Firefox Preview also has something Mozilla calls Collections, which allows users to save and share a group of sites or call upon them like shortcuts.
Perhaps what makes Mozilla proud of the Firefox Preview is the faster browsing experience. And to prove this, the Mozilla Kraken benchmark serves as confirmation that it is, indeed, one fast browser in general.
If you own an Android device, you can download the latest version of Firefox Preview from any of the following locations:
Mozilla will further optimize Firefox Preview for the rest of the year. That being said, you may encounter bugs here and there. For now, it looks like it has the potential to make your mobile browsing experience much faster and safer - Mozilla guarantees that. Give it a go.
