Here’s why you shouldn’t use Google Chrome to binge-watch

For those of us who are slowly recovering from low-battery anxiety (aka, when you’re always a little worried your phone is going to die the moment you need it most), having a browser that we can depend on to withstand our heavy binging sessions is absolutely necessary as well. Orange is the New Black is back, and I’m trying not to miss a beat. However, for those of us who use Google Chrome might be in trouble.

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Recently, Microsoft conducted a study pitting the batter power of Edge (their new browser that’s replacing Internet Explorer), against the legend that is Google Chrome. In the experiment, Microsoft streamed video using 4 different browsers – Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Opera – and timed to see which browser lasted the longest. Turns out, Chrome was the first to kick the bucket, withstanding a whomping 4 hours and 19 minutes, while its competitors were able to stream video 1-3 hours longer.

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Chrome’s battery life has been a constant complaint amongst MacBook users for years. Google has taken strides to improve Chrome’s heavy battery consumption – its 2015 update purges memory used on background / idle browser tabs, and haltsFlash animations that aren’t “central” to a web page. However, according to The Verge, its quick fixes haven’t done much to truly make a difference. While addressing the issue is much appreciated, there have also been protests that Google isn’t making adjustments fast enough.

At least we know someone over at Google is listening, but until this annoyance is completely eliminated, try using another browser for heavy binging – I’m an avid Safari user myself, but Edge may be winning a lot of us over.