Why should you ditch Chrome for Samsung Internet on Android?

The great thing about Android is its flexibility, largely because you can easily change the default apps on your phone. Even so, most people still stick with the default apps that come pre-installed. Many people used to rely on Google Chrome as their primary browser, but not anymore.

 

Chrome on Android is now outdated

 

Think back to the day you first picked up your first Android smartphone. There weren't many browser options on Android, and Chrome was fast, reliable, and packed with features. Yet nearly a decade later, Google Chrome remains (mostly) unchanged.

For a long time, Google hasn't focused much on adding useful features to Chrome on Android. Sure, the company has added some security and privacy features, but many users are still longing for extension support on Android after all these years.

Chrome is starting to look really outdated, especially with new AI browsers like Arc and Opera's Aria offering a more minimalist, "2025-worthy" internet experience. These browsers let you search and extract information without manually opening every web page—something Chrome hasn't caught up to yet.

While many have yet to switch to AI browsers — partly because they rely less on AI due to trust concerns — they have switched to Samsung Internet permanently on most of their Android phones. Samsung Internet offers a richer feature set with a modern and consistent user interface.

Samsung Internet offers more than what is needed

 

Many people have adopted Samsung Internet as their primary browser. Not only does it feel fast – although tests have shown that Samsung Internet loads faster than Google Chrome – but it simply offers more features out of the box.

The part people love most about Samsung Internet is the customizable user interface. While Chrome only lets you toggle between Dark and Light modes and customize the shortcut buttons on the toolbar, Samsung Internet goes further. You can move elements around (like showing the address bar at the bottom) and even enable a tab bar like on the desktop.

You can also customize the menu to add your favorite shortcuts—like Find on Page , Request Desktop Site , and Read Aloud — to the top for quicker access. Dark Mode is also properly implemented on Samsung Internet, not only forcing websites into dark mode but also turning elements on selected websites black. This makes them look much better than Chrome's basic dark address bar.

 

Samsung Internet also supports third-party extensions. On Galaxy phones, you can download add-ons, such as those that find coupon codes on shopping sites. While not all the extensions you use on your desktop browser are available here, Samsung does offer a few select third-party add-ons that are really useful. On other Android phones, while not all extensions work, you can still easily install some.

Samsung Internet's Secret mode is something Chrome can't match. While Chrome lets you lock Incognito mode behind biometrics, Samsung Internet's Secret mode has a unique feature: Any files or images you download in Secret mode won't show up in your gallery or file manager. They're only accessible while Secret mode is open, making it more private than any other browser.

It also works perfectly on foldable devices.

Back to the UI aspect, another reason why people prefer Samsung Internet over Google Chrome on Android is because of the scalability of the UI. The author of the article tests a lot of Android devices every month, including ultra-thin foldable smartphones and standard slab phones, and no other browser on Android scales as well as Samsung Internet.

Yes, Google Chrome also offers a UI optimized for tablets and foldables, but Samsung Internet offers a much more desktop-like experience on foldables. And when you use the external display on the front, it seamlessly shrinks down to a mobile version, optimized for that display. This is something Chrome doesn't handle as well as Samsung Internet.

Additionally, Samsung Internet offers a handy Privacy Dashboard that lets you see which sites are trying to track your browsing activity. While Samsung Internet isn't as AI-focused as Arc, it still includes features like Browsing Assist, which lets you quickly summarize and translate web pages on the fly.

Overall, it seems like Chrome on Android has been left behind while other browsers are catching up in terms of both features and usability. While Samsung Internet doesn't have the minimal UI that I'd like to see in a browser in 2025, its feature set has become too good to ignore. That's why it's now the default browser for many people on all Android phones.