Google achieves 'largest gain' in Chrome performance in years

Google has revealed that several under-the-hood improvements led the company to achieve the largest gain in the Chrome browser performance in years in October.

According to Google, Chrome now starts up to 25 per cent faster, loads pages up to 7 per cent faster and does all of this using less power and computer memory than before.

Chrome now prioritises active tabs versus everything that's open -- reducing CPU usage by up to 5 times and extending battery life by up to 1.25 hours.

"Chrome on Android now loads pages near instantaneously when you navigate backward and forward, making these common tasks super fast," said Matt Waddell, Director of Product, Chrome.

Google said it is adding tab search to the toolbox.

"Many people use tabs to organise their stuff online. This range of utility is why you can pin tabs (for those go-to pages), send tabs to your other devices and even group tabs in Chrome," Waddell said in a statement on Tuesday.

The users will now be able to see a list of open tabs -- regardless of the window they're in -- then quickly type to find the one they need.

The feature is coming first to Chromebooks, then to other desktop platforms soon.

Google said it is also expanding what people can do in the address bar with Chrome Actions -- a faster way to get things done with just a few keystrokes.

"To help you jump back into activities like planning a meal, researching a holiday gift, or winding down with a video, we'll soon add cards to your new tab page in Chrome," Google said.

Clicking on them will take the users to recently-visited and related content on the web, and save time in the process.

"We're starting with a few experiments in areas like cooking and shopping, and we plan to add entertainment early next year. This is a definitely a new type of experience in Chrome," Waddell informed.