Chrome is now the fastest web browser for M1 Macs

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Mac users – you’ll want to hear this. Google says that version M99 of Chrome runs faster than Safari does. Google credits this with improvements it made to JavaScript and graphics rendering, with a net 43-percent boost since the M1-version of Chrome was launched.

Chrome M99 spanked the competition using Apple’s own Speedometer web benchmark. It got a score of 300 using a ten-core M1 Max chip inside a 64GB MacBook Pro. That benchmark simulates using various web apps inside a browser, testing for responsiveness.

I ran the same test on my i9-9900K-powered desktop, using Chrome M99, and got a paltry score of 181. That’s a huge performance difference and is perhaps more testament to Apple’s engineering teams that worked on the M1 chips.

READ MORE: Google Chrome on desktop now has a better image search option

If you want to run the test on your own machine, make sure to turn off all extensions and we found more accurate results in Incognito mode.

Google says its recent improvements mean that its browser is seven percent faster than Safari. What they don’t mention is resource use, as the most common complaint against Chrome is that it is RAM-hungry.

READ MORE: How to stop your browser from using too much RAM

Sure, some of that is on the webpage developers cramming in loads of scripts and features. Gone are the days of lightweight websites, and thankfully, so are the days of computers running out of RAM easily.

Our take on this benchmark-breaking feat by Chrome? Does it really matter? I mean, you should use the browser that gives you the features you want, and that renders the websites you visit often properly.

That could be Chrome, or it could be Safari, Brave, Firefox, or any of the smaller market-share browsers. You do you, boo.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Don’t expect a new Apple Mac Pro or iMac Pro until next year
• Apple is supposedly working on a 20-inch foldable MacBook
• Chromebooks have an expiration date – here’s how to check
• How to create, customize, and delete Google Chrome profiles

Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.