Google has announced several changes to its Chrome web browser that can improve battery life on MacBooks, allowing users to get more use out of a single charge.
MacBook users can now browse the web via Chrome and watch YouTube videos for longer by optimizing systems such as memory compression and JavaScript timers, with tests conducted on a MacBook Pro 13 (M2, 2022) achieving 17 hours of web browsing and 18 hours of video playback on YouTube.
By reducing unnecessary background tasks in Energy Saver mode, browsing time is extended for another 30 minutes, and while Google uses the M2 MacBook Pro as an example, the company claims that those using older Macs will also see performance gains.
Google improved the garbage collection and memory compression of recently created iframes (an element that loads another HTML element within a webpage), lowering energy consumption while not affecting long-term memory usage. JavaScript timers, which are used to execute a task or function at a specific time, have been modified to wake a device’s CPU less frequently and to remove obsolete timers entirely.
Chrome web browser has been updated to ignore unnecessary website style, layout, paint, raster, and GPU steps, with a similar update also implemented in the Chrome UI.
The majority of these enhancements should go unnoticed by the user. Google also introduced a new Energy Saver mode for Chrome web browser earlier this month, which increases battery life by limiting any unnecessary background activity on websites, such as visual effects like smooth scrolling on animations or videos. When compared to the same MacBook Pro 13, Google claims that enabling this mode can provide users with an additional 30 minutes of browsing time.
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