Microsoft engineers have published benchmark results showing that the Chromium-based browser using its own engine scores 28.6% higher than Safari in Apple’s Speedometer 3.1 performance test on iOS.
Kyle Pflug, product manager for the Microsoft Edge Web Platform group, published results on Monday comparing a research example of Edge built with Apple’s BrowserEngineKit framework against Safari running iOS 26.5.1. The Blink-based prototype scored 49.27 compared to Safari’s 38.3 on Speedometer 3.1, and also outperformed Safari on the JetStream 3 JavaScript benchmark by 13.1% (306.35 vs. 270.9) and on MotionMark 1.3.1 graphics by 4 vs. 7% (4,673.68). Pflug described the work as a research prototype rather than a finished product, and the numbers as preliminary results from his device rather than lab conditions.
Apple requires all browsers on iOS to use WebKit, the engine that powers Safari, which means that browsers like Chrome and Firefox on the iPhone are effectively updated versions of Safari. The EU’s Digital Markets Act changed that in March 2024, requiring Apple to allow other browser engines with BrowserEngineKit, however more than two years later no browser maker has shipped another engine to iOS. The companies cite technical hurdles and the requirement to publish any such browser as a completely separate application from their existing WebKit-based version.
Open Web Advocacy told Register the results show 17 years of costs to consumers. The group has asked the European Commission to open a set process that dictates how Apple must remove barriers to other engines, adding that restricting browser engines allows Apple to limit what the web can do and keep businesses dependent on native apps and App Store rules.
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