The browser has finally received a native version for the promising platform from Microsoft.
Opera has introduced a native version of its iconic Windows browser on ARM, marking a significant step in the browser industry for this offshoot of the Redmond operating system.
As a niche player in the Windows browser market, Opera is rapidly approaching its 30th anniversary. The transition to the Chromium engine took place more than a decade ago, and recently the company succumbed to the wave of popularity of artificial intelligence and rethought its flagship product Opera One.
The native version of Opera for Windows on ARM, in turn, has become another addition to this platform among Chromium-based browsers. So, in March, the version of Chrome for Windows on ARM was already released by Google. Now Opera has joined it.
Journalists managed to test the latest version of the browser on a Windows device running on ARM and confirmed that it really works as an ARM64 process, and not through x64 emulation. Subjectively, the browser seems to work faster than the emulated version, although not as significantly as it was stated in Opera's marketing materials.
It is worth noting that the first Windows laptops on ARM appeared back in 2017. Their main feature was the amazing energy efficiency: on a single charge, such devices could work for a whole day. And getting out of sleep mode was so fast that many experts even compared such laptops with ordinary smartphones. Be that as it may, the idea never took off: for many years, Windows devices on ARM could not gain the proper popularity. However, everything may change this year.
The release of the new Opera browser coincided with the expectation of an early announcement of new Microsoft devices based on Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite hardware platform. This may indicate that Microsoft is not going to throw Windows on ARM, planning to continue to actively develop it, and make it more popular and in demand.
Klaus Diaconu, Microsoft's Director of Product Partnerships for Windows Fundamentals, said: "Microsoft is pleased to see that leading apps like Opera are now available natively for Snapdragon-based Windows devices. We look forward to continuing to collaborate on cutting-edge innovations that leverage the new artificial intelligence capabilities of Windows on Snapdragon."
Opera actively integrates artificial intelligence and claims that features such as the ability to load local language models will significantly improve performance on Snapdragon-powered Windows devices. The company explains this by the presence of neural processors (NPU) in the Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus.
It is unlikely that the version of Opera optimized for ARM will force many users to change their usual browser. However, it will be a relief for those who have experienced x64 emulation. It also points to a much brighter future for Windows on ARM than many expected.
In addition, the network has long been rumored that in the future, not only Qualcomm will develop ARM chips for Windows laptops. Intel, AMD and NVIDIA can also join the race, which is good for the end user, as the competition will provide the market with decent offers at a reasonable price.
Opera has introduced a native version of its iconic Windows browser on ARM, marking a significant step in the browser industry for this offshoot of the Redmond operating system.
As a niche player in the Windows browser market, Opera is rapidly approaching its 30th anniversary. The transition to the Chromium engine took place more than a decade ago, and recently the company succumbed to the wave of popularity of artificial intelligence and rethought its flagship product Opera One.
The native version of Opera for Windows on ARM, in turn, has become another addition to this platform among Chromium-based browsers. So, in March, the version of Chrome for Windows on ARM was already released by Google. Now Opera has joined it.
Journalists managed to test the latest version of the browser on a Windows device running on ARM and confirmed that it really works as an ARM64 process, and not through x64 emulation. Subjectively, the browser seems to work faster than the emulated version, although not as significantly as it was stated in Opera's marketing materials.
It is worth noting that the first Windows laptops on ARM appeared back in 2017. Their main feature was the amazing energy efficiency: on a single charge, such devices could work for a whole day. And getting out of sleep mode was so fast that many experts even compared such laptops with ordinary smartphones. Be that as it may, the idea never took off: for many years, Windows devices on ARM could not gain the proper popularity. However, everything may change this year.
The release of the new Opera browser coincided with the expectation of an early announcement of new Microsoft devices based on Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite hardware platform. This may indicate that Microsoft is not going to throw Windows on ARM, planning to continue to actively develop it, and make it more popular and in demand.
Klaus Diaconu, Microsoft's Director of Product Partnerships for Windows Fundamentals, said: "Microsoft is pleased to see that leading apps like Opera are now available natively for Snapdragon-based Windows devices. We look forward to continuing to collaborate on cutting-edge innovations that leverage the new artificial intelligence capabilities of Windows on Snapdragon."
Opera actively integrates artificial intelligence and claims that features such as the ability to load local language models will significantly improve performance on Snapdragon-powered Windows devices. The company explains this by the presence of neural processors (NPU) in the Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus.
It is unlikely that the version of Opera optimized for ARM will force many users to change their usual browser. However, it will be a relief for those who have experienced x64 emulation. It also points to a much brighter future for Windows on ARM than many expected.
In addition, the network has long been rumored that in the future, not only Qualcomm will develop ARM chips for Windows laptops. Intel, AMD and NVIDIA can also join the race, which is good for the end user, as the competition will provide the market with decent offers at a reasonable price.
