Google Chrome version 89 launches on March 2 to users in the stable channel and should be on most people’s machines. The new build offers significant memory savings on 64-bit Windows platforms thanks to the greater use of Google’s PartitionAlloc memory allocation. On macOS, Chrome 89 catches up and comes closer to the performance of the flagship Windows builds.
Chrome on Windows
Google says RAM usage in 64-bit Windows is up to 22 percent in the browser process, 8 percent in the version and 3 percent in the GPU. The company also claims a 9% decrease in delay, which means it is a more responsive browser. The improvements are largely due to interception malloc() calls with PartitionAlloc.
Chrome 89 has also become significantly more aggressive about disposing of unused RAM. If you browse sources such as large images from the screen in the cover tab, Chrome discards the memory that the sources use. The change also has an impact on background tabs, resulting in a saving of as much as 100MB per tab.
Chrome on macOS
Chrome 89 on macOS is still catching up, but now includes improvements to memory management on background tabs that other platforms have had for a while. Google says this means up to 8 percent RAM savings on macOS.
The reduction of the tabs is also improved on macOS in build 89, with up to 65 percent better Apple Energy Impact scores on backgrounds.
Chrome on Android
In theory, a developer only needs one APK for almost any Android device. In practice, resources are usually very limited on mobile devices, which makes the concept of packages adapted to the capabilities of an individual device much more attractive than it may be on a more expensive desktop or laptop system.
Google has updated the Play Store itself to generate optimal APKs for a user’s specific device, and updated Chrome to take advantage of the new features. Using these Android app bundles and isolated splits, Chrome can start with a significantly lower startup code and later load more features as the user needs them.
A new feature called Freeze-Dried Tabs further reduces startup time. Google describes Freeze-Dried Tabs as lightweight versions of the tabs about the size of a screenshot, but supports scrolling, zooming, and tapping links. When Chrome opens, the freeze-dried tabs use the first display, which lets you get into the browser with a degree of interactivity up to 13 percent faster.
Freeze-dried tabs in particular sound like a huge improvement over the usual mobile app practice of displaying a recent snapshot of the app as it loads, misleading users think the app loads much faster and smoother than it really did – but offers no more real features than when the app displays a blank screen while loading.