Microsoft confirmed that Edge is the best browser for its mobile devices, presenting results in a usage test against Google Chrome, MacOS Safari and Mozilla Firefox. Chrome performed dismally in a browsing simulation of common sites.

The browsers squared off in a common device, the Microsoft's Surface Book. The test was part of the company's campaign to showcase its native browser's features. While it is common knowledge that Chrome is a battery hog, Microsoft's test backed up this claim with quantifiable evidence.

The simulation cycled through common sites such as Facebook, Youtube, and Amazon. After the synchronized browsing activity, the Edge was the last browser standing, lasting 7 hours and 22 minutes on the device.

Opera (set in battery saving mode) lasted 6 hours 18 minutes, and Firefox lasted 5 hours and 9 minutes. The Surface Book with Chrome installed was the first to conk out, after 4 hours and 19 minutes of use.

The test also measured how the browsers affected the power draw of the system's Wi-Fi, CPU, and GPU. Chrome fared better with a 2.8W draw, compared to 3.1W for Opera and 3.2W for Firefox. Edge rated at 2.1W, the lowest draw of the group and the most battery-efficient.

Ars Technica reported that Microsoft plans to further improve Edge's efficiency with the Windows 10 Anniversary update. Animations will be tweaked and flash content are set to click-to-play, in an effort to conserve battery life. Activity on background tabs are also optimized so the battery is spent on prioritized activities.

An Elite Daily report noted the test was conducted on a Microsoft device, and by default, browsers perform at their best on the operating systems they were designed for. The test indicated how the browsers would perform on the Surface Book, but results may be different if the test was conducted on other mobile devices.