Android sets a ‘new record for mobile web performance,’ Google says, with speeds up to 47% faster than iOS

• Google claims Android is faster than iOS when it comes to web browsing
• The company says some Android phones are up to 47% quicker
• The tests were done with the Speedometer and LoadLine benchmarks

Choosing between iOS and Android can be tough — should you go for the privacy-focused, deeply integrated approach of iOS or the open, flexible mindset adopted by Android? Both mobile phone operating systems offer brilliant experiences for their users, but if you’re looking for a way to decide on one over the other, Google thinks it has a good reason to opt for one of the best Android phones: web browsing speed.

Specifically, a new post on Google’s Chromium blog claims that Android has set a “new record for mobile web performance,” making it “the fastest mobile platform for web browsing.” Given the importance of web browsing for everyday phone usage, “web content and its performance is central to the user experience,” Google says.

Android browsing speed was measured using two benchmarking tools: Speedometer, which focuses on latency, and LoadLine, which measures page load speeds. According to a chart provided by Google, three unnamed Android phone manufacturers hit higher Speedometer and LoadLine scores than a “competing mobile phone platform,” which is almost certainly iOS.

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Indeed, in the LoadLine test – which was developed by Google and Android manufacturers – Android scored “up to 47% higher than non-Android competitors,” Google claims. Given this is a test expressly designed by companies in the Android ecosystem, it shows the benefits of interested parties working together to improve performance — but might raise questions over how well-suited it is to iOS.

‘Deep vertical integration’

Google says these results were obtained thanks to “deep vertical integration across hardware, the Android OS, and the Chrome engine.” The firm also worked with Android partners to tune up their devices, leading to an improvement in Speedometer and LoadLine scores of between 20% and 60% year on year.

Of course, Google isn’t some neutral observer in this battle — Android is its own creation, and it’s responsible for maintaining and updating the operating system. Without independent testing, these results should perhaps be taken with a pinch of salt.

Regardless, what can iOS fans do? Well, it may be only a matter of time before Apple catches up. After all, if any company is known for “deep vertical integration,” it’s Apple. It designs both the hardware and software of its phones – something Google doesn’t yet do – and that’s part of the reason why its products tend to perform so well. But with Google throwing down the gauntlet, Apple will have to utilize all of that integration to move the needle back towards iOS.

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Alex Blake has been fooling around with computers since the early 1990s, and since that time he’s learned a thing or two about tech. No more than two things, though. That’s all his brain can hold. As well as TechRadar, Alex writes for iMore, Digital Trends and Creative Bloq, among others. He was previously commissioning editor at MacFormat magazine. That means he mostly covers the world of Apple and its latest products, but also Windows, computer peripherals, mobile apps, and much more beyond. When not writing, you can find him hiking the English countryside and gaming on his PC.