Android: Chrome is one of our favourite web browsers for Android, but it can be a little sluggish from time to time. If you’re looking for a speedy alternative, Javelin Browser sports good looks, solid features and an AOSP-based core that’s light and fast.
Javelin has good looks to back up its features, but if function matters more to you than form, you’ll enjoy its built-in ad blocking, a very Safari-like “Reading Mode” that isolates articles and text so you can read without dancing around images or layout problems, and one-hand gestures for navigation, bookmarks, settings and menus. Perhaps most importantly, Javelin isn’t doing too much in the background, so it’s really, really fast.
When we say Javelin is AOSP-based, we mean that the browser is based on the old Android browser app, before Chrome replaced it. Javelin specifically is based on Lightning Browser, an open-source, Android tablet-friendly browser alternative. If you’re using a newer phone and miss the old default Browser app, Javelin can make you feel like you have it back.
Javelin isn’t perfect though: it’s freemium, meaning the free version is really just a demo for the features the full version offers. You’ll need to drop $2 to unlock unlimited tabs (the free version locks you to 10 at a time) or the ability to change the homepage away from the Javelin default. Javelin also offers a built-in VPN, but you’ll need a subscription to use it, which we can’t justify since there are other mobile-friendly VPNs that offer more features and protect all of your phone’s data and not just the browser. Hit the link below to find out more.
Javelin Browser (Free, $2 Pro Version) [Google Play via Tested]
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