Opera for computers has become the first major browser to feature a power saving mode – now available via the developer version. The new mode extends the laptop battery life by up to 50% compared to earlier versions of the Opera browser and to Google Chrome, the company said.
Opera claims that having many tabs open simultaneously often results in rapid battery drain that reduces a laptop’s performance.
“It’s extremely frustrating to run out of battery on your computer, whether you are out traveling, watching videos, or you have just left your charger behind. Our new power saving mode will nudge you when the laptop starts to consume battery, and, when enabled, it can increase the battery life by as much as 50%,” says Krystian Kolondra, SVP of Engineering for Opera.
Battery saving on Opera for computers is possible thanks to optimizations, such as reducing activity from background tabs, adapting page-redrawing frequency and tuning video-playback parameters.
Using the new power saving mode is easy. Once the laptop’s power cable is unplugged, the battery icon will appear next to the search and address field in the Opera browser. Click the battery icon to activate the power saving mode and flip on the switch. The browser will also detect when the laptop’s battery is running low and will suggest enabling power saving mode.
This developer version of Opera 39 brings more performance improvements, some parts of the code have been simplified, while animated themes have been optimized. In this version, Opera is also testing a smarter way of managing memory, which ensures that constantly opened tabs like Gmail and Facebook will be much more responsive.
According to Opera, the recently released native ad blocker reduces memory consumption by up to 47%, which also contributes to longer battery life. Using the ad blocker along with the power saving mode means even better power savings and performance.