Microsoft has reached a major milestone for Edge browser performance by greatly improving how quickly it initializes rendering content. The software maker has shared that Edge now hits a First Contentful Paint (FCP) of less than 300 milliseconds, enabling text, images, and UI components to load nearly instantaneously when opening a webpage.
This results in users enjoying a quicker, more responsive browse, one that challenges Google Chrome, which has been the most dominant for so long.
What Is First Contentful Paint?
Microsoft Edge Just Got Way Faster with Under 300ms Load
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First Contentful Paint is a performance measure that Google introduced in 2017. It quantifies how fast the initial content comes into view once a webpage begins to load.
Studies indicate that latency over 300-400 milliseconds will compromise the user’s satisfaction. Microsoft’s achievement of this 300ms threshold positions Edge well to provide an intuitive user experience.
But while a speedy FCP increases perceived speed, it doesn’t necessarily mean the entire page loads instantly. It’s all about the initial impression that matters most for responsiveness.
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Speed Gains Driven by WebUI 2.0 Architecture Upgrades
Microsoft’s continued transition to the WebUI 2.0 architecture is where Edge’s speed gains originate. By streamlining the way the browser processes code, Microsoft has dramatically reduced initialization time by minimizing JavaScript usage and shrinking bundle sizes, according to the company’s latest blog post.
Last February, Microsoft announced that activities such as downloading a file, accessing history, and opening a private browsing tab became up to 40% quicker, The Verge wrote. Since then, they’ve brought comparable enhancements to 13 additional features, which include:
- Instant navigation of settings
- Near-zero-delay split-screen browsing
- Improved Read Aloud capabilities with more seamless playback
Microsoft Keeps Its Sights on Market Share as Browser Battles Intensify
Despite its advancements, Microsoft Edge still holds under 5% of global browser market share, while Google Chrome dominates with 68%. But with consistent updates and performance improvements, the tech giant hopes to win over users who value speed and simplicity.
The timing is important because potential new entrants such as OpenAI are likely to enter the browser market soon with their own web interfaces and AI-based search tools. Microsoft’s ambitious move to innovate Edge has the potential to differentiate it in a crowded list of browsers. Somehow, it has become the app’s difference maker.
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