Why you shouldn't ditch Samsung Internet for Google Chrome?

A lot of people aren't fans of Google Chrome , even though it's the world's most popular browser. Some people opt for the default Internet browser that Samsung provides on Galaxy devices. It's simple, customizable, private, and packed with useful features.

6. Easier one-handed use

Samsung takes customization seriously, and that extends to its Internet browser. On Samsung Internet , you have the option to move the address bar to the bottom of the screen, making it much easier to access and use with one hand.

The controls are intuitive too: Long-pressing the Tab button opens a new tab, while a single press shows all open tabs. Likewise, long-pressing the Tools button ( hamburger menu ) opens the browser settings, while a single press pulls up all the toolbar buttons, which you can customize to your liking. The toolbar can hold up to 30 buttons for quick actions while surfing the web.

Additionally, as you scroll up and down a web page, you will see navigation buttons to jump to the top or bottom of that page. Many people use this feature a lot to quickly view the footer of a website, which often contains contact information.

5. Better video playback on multiple sites

One of the worst things about streaming video through a web browser, as opposed to a dedicated streaming app, is that each website has its own video interface with inconsistent controls. If you regularly stream video this way, you know how frustrating it can be.

Samsung Internet's video assistant feature fixes this. When you play videos on websites, an option will appear that lets you switch to Samsung's video player and go full screen.

Here, you can use gestures to adjust brightness and volume, as well as go back or forward in your video. There are also controls to lock the screen to avoid accidental touches, rotate the screen, change the playback speed, and resize the video to fit your screen.

For supported websites, you can even play videos in picture-in-picture (PiP) mode by tapping the pop-up icon. Plus, for those times when you're listening to music or a podcast, you can have the video continue playing in the background when you leave the browser tab or app.

4. Better privacy than Chrome's incognito mode

You wouldn't be the first to distrust Chrome's Incognito mode . In fact, in 2020, a class-action lawsuit accused Google of tracking the activities of people using Chrome's Incognito mode without their knowledge. Google settled the lawsuit in 2024 by agreeing to delete billions of records of private browsing data.

This isn't surprising, though. Google is fundamentally an advertising company, so its business model requires knowing as much about you as possible in order to show relevant ads. It's safe to say that Samsung has no such goal in mind with its Secret mode.

On Samsung Internet, you can instantly change your search engine to a more private one, like DuckDuckGo , even when not in Secret mode. In Secret mode, you can bookmark sites as usual and set up a password or biometric lock to keep them away from prying eyes.

Note : Importantly, anything downloaded in Secret mode, like images, videos, and documents, can be set to only appear in Secret mode. That means they won't be accessible anywhere else on your phone; not in the gallery, in the Files app, and through third-party apps.

3. Superior privacy settings

Secret Mode is one thing, but Samsung has made sure that regular browsing is just as secure. There's a dedicated privacy dashboard that gives you a weekly summary of how much tracking is blocked and how often.

In the Smart Tracking Protection menu, you can set the browser to prevent sites from seeing your browsing history and view a list of trackers to see which sites are the most curious. Of course, you can also manually clear your browsing data, just like Chrome.

It's especially useful to be able to block pop-ups, automatic downloads, redirects, and apps that open new tabs without your permission. No one likes it when a website starts taking control of your device before you've had a chance to read its content; these settings help prevent that.

If you happen to visit a non-secure (HTTP) website, Samsung Internet can automatically redirect you to the secure, encrypted (HTTPS) version of that website if available.

2. Chrome's Dark Mode isn't effective enough

When comparing Google Chrome and Samsung Internet , it's clear that Chrome doesn't implement Dark Mode well. On Chrome, a lot of websites display the same regardless of whether you use Dark Mode or not.

Samsung Internet is different, as you can force a darker overlay on sites that don't support Dark Mode using a dedicated button on the toolbar. You can even adjust the brightness of the site in Dark Mode, which should help reduce eye strain at night.

1. Save more battery on Galaxy devices

Samsung Internet is not a system app as it can be uninstalled, but it comes pre-installed on Galaxy devices and is highly optimized for them, which means it consumes less power. If you do a lot of web browsing, you will see a significant difference in battery life when using Samsung Internet compared to Google Chrome.

Note that Samsung Internet is not exclusive to Galaxy devices; it can be downloaded on all Android phones via the Google Play Store.

1. Download Samsung Internet (Free)

Samsung Internet may not be as effective on non-Galaxy Android devices, but many still appreciate it over Chrome because of its plethora of customization features and security measures.

Isabella Humphrey

Update 06 May 2025