Updated
Updated · MUO - MakeUseOf · Jul 5
Switching to Edge Lifted Laptop Battery Life 15%-20% Over Chrome
Updated
Updated · MUO - MakeUseOf · Jul 5

Switching to Edge Lifted Laptop Battery Life 15%-20% Over Chrome

2 articles · Updated · MUO - MakeUseOf · Jul 5

Summary

  • A switch from Chrome to Microsoft Edge extended the author's laptop battery life by 15%-20%, with gains appearing consistently over several weeks rather than in a one-off test.
  • Edge delivered the improvement largely through more aggressive tab sleeping and energy-saving controls; Microsoft says sleeping tabs can cut memory use by up to 87% and CPU use by 99%.
  • Resource controls also helped: on a 24GB RAM laptop, the author capped Edge at 15GB, while Chrome offered no comparable memory limit and typically ran at higher RAM usage.
  • Windows integration added another advantage, with Edge automatically shifting to maximum power saving under Battery Saver and exposing tab-level processes more clearly in Task Manager.
  • Extra tweaks such as removing power-hungry extensions and disabling Startup Boost pushed the total battery-life improvement to about 20%.

Insights

With Chrome now having its own efficiency modes, does Edge's battery-saving advantage truly still exist for most users?
As browsers integrate complex AI, must users choose between advanced features and longer battery life?