Gone are the days when Microsoft would be accused of anti-competitive practices because of the internet browser packaged with Windows. Internet Explorer is long dead too, and Google’s Chrome is now the most popular browser in the world, one that Microsoft is ready to emulate. Microsoft replaced Internet Explorer with Edge, but the Windows 10 browser failed to really compete against Chrome. So Microsoft announced a few months ago that Edge would be rebuilt from the ground on top of the open-source Chromium project. And now we have the first images of what Microsoft’s Chrome-like Edge could look like.
The screenshots that NeoWin shared do suggest that Edge will look a lot like Chrome. But it’s still early days for the browser, and the design may be tweaked later down the line.
As you can see in these images, the Edge browser has a few elements that will remind you of Chrome, including the profile picture and extensions collection — all of them are placed on the right side of the address bar. Favorites section on the address bar, as well as buttons including refresh, home, and navigation will also remind you of Chrome.
The new Settings menu is similar to what’s available on Chrome. You’ll find it in a new tab just like on Chrome, and then you’ll be able to access all the items you may be looking for.
Microsoft, however, is working on new features of its own, including Bing integration, New Tab background based on the Bing image of the day, as well as a personalized news feed similar to what’s on Edge right now.
The new browser will also support the existing Edge extensions, that will be available from Microsoft’s own extension store. The current ones have been recompiled from their Chrome Web Store counterparts. The browser will also let users install extensions directly from Google.
There’s no release date for the new Edge browser in sight, but if you’re curious about the project’s progress, you can always sign up for the beta program (at this link) and wait for the new version to become available.
