New Chrome Version Can Extend Laptop Battery Life by Two Hours

Google is said to be working on a new version of its Chrome browser that focuses heavily on energy savings. The battery of a laptop could, therefore, last up to two hours longer, tech site TheWindowsClub discovered.

The new functionality would only be planned for Chrome 86. To put that in context: the current version for the general public (both desktop and mobile) is Chrome 83.

In addition, a beta version 84 is in circulation for who the next edition of the browser want to test it, and a version 85 for developers. The energy-saving feature is, therefore, still in a very early phase.

To make Chrome more energy efficient, the new feature takes drastic measures. For example, tabs in the background limit activity of so-called JavaScript timers to one wake-up per minute, similar to Apple’s Safari browser approach.

According to TheWindowsClub, Google has already been able to extend the battery life by two hours, albeit under ‘extreme conditions’: a Chrome browser with one empty tab in the foreground, and 36 tabs in the background.

In an intensive test with YouTube videos, the results were somewhat less spectacular, but the laptop battery still sang it 36 minutes longer.