Tech giant Microsoft has announced a major performance upgrade for its Edge browser, claiming it now renders the first parts of a website in under 300 milliseconds, thanks to improvements in the browser’s UI performance.
This speed boost, measured by a metric called First Contentful Paint (FCP) — originally introduced by Google Chrome — plays a crucial role in determining how quickly a browser feels to users. Microsoft cites industry research indicating that delays exceeding 300–400 ms can negatively impact user satisfaction.
While FCP doesn’t measure full page load times, the upgrade helps Edge feel significantly more responsive. The improvements come as part of Microsoft’s migration to a faster WebUI 2.0 architecture, which reduces code bundle sizes and limits the amount of JavaScript executed during UI initialization.
Last year, Microsoft reported that features like downloads, browsing history, and private tabs were loading 40% faster. Now, the company says it has rolled out similar speed gains across 13 additional areas, including settings, split screen, and the AI-powered Read Aloud tool.
With Edge holding under 5% of global browser market share—far behind Chrome’s 68%—Microsoft is betting on performance to win over more users. It also faces potential competition from AI-focused browsers reportedly in the works from companies like OpenAI.
In the months ahead, Microsoft plans to enhance the speed of other features like Print Preview and Extensions, making Edge an increasingly efficient browser choice for Windows users.
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