Maxthon Browser a Speedy, Customizable, Fully-featured Web Browser for Android & Desktop

by Paul Wilks Dec 21, 2011 8:07 AM – 1 Comment

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Maxthon Browser is a speedy, customizable and fully-featured browser for Android and beyond. The app hosts a number of interesting and fun features that you would perhaps expect to see on a full PC browser such as; themes, sync to cloud, RSS reader widget, add-ons and tabs. Importantly, it just happens to be pretty fast too!

Price: Free

Tested on: HTC Desire HD
Content Rating: Low Maturity

AndroidTapp.com Android App Review:

Pros & Cons:

Pros

Super fast!
Add-ons!
Themes!
RSS Reader!
Cloud syncing!

Cons

Occasionally unresponsive.

Features:

Maxthon browser is an alternative browser for Android. It comes with all the bells and whistles you would expect to find in any other browser available, in addition to a number of other nifty user-friendly features that demonstrate the level of thought that has gone into the user interface. With mobile browsing so often being such a big part of using a mobile device there are a smattering of alternative browsers available in the market, perhaps the most popular including Firefox, Opera Mini and Dolphin Browser HD.

Maxthon however is in many ways just as capable as these other browsers and might just be a good option for users tired of the native Android browser. On first look at Maxthon, I was put off by the lurid blue theme- it felt like I was in some kind of Windows XP nightmare. I was glad then to discover the app allows for different themes and quickly changed it to a far more suitable black theme. For those of you bored of that kind of minimalism, however, there are a few other themes to choose from so you can really make it your own.

The browser also allows for various add-ons which can be downloaded separately though the market. These include:

File Manager
Missed Call
Screenshot assistant
RSS Feed
Bookmark Backup
Task Manager
Web Snapshot
Advanced Gestures

I found Maxthon to be remarkably whizzy in loading web pages and the app boasts advanced caching for a smoother web experience. There were some complaints I noticed in the Market that suggested that Maxthon didn’t play flash sites very well- however I found this not to be the case and this feature is rather slick.

A great feature if you like to have a universal PC/Mobile browsing experience is the existence of a fully-fledged Maxthon browser for PC, which you can find here. So, if you’re mobile and want to save a webpage as a favourite, by the time you get home it will also be saved as a favourite on your desktop browser. Now, this isn’t exactly new- I know Firefox does this as well, but it’s a neat feature and if you’re looking for an alternative, it’s great to see that in Maxthon.

: Maxthon Browser – Home Menu

: Maxthon Browser – Google view

: Maxthon Browser – Google view with in-screen menu

: Maxthon Browser – Loading website screen

: Maxthon Browser – Full screen mode

: Maxthon Browser – Smooth page views

: Maxthon Browser – Office theme

: Maxthon Browser – Mid-autumn theme

: Maxthon Browser – New tab

: Maxthon Browser – Sign into Maxthon account via Maxthon Passport

: Maxthon Browser – Adding favourites will sync with the Maxthon desktop

: Maxthon Browser – Add-ons menu

: Maxthon Browser – Exit options

: Maxthon Browser – Settings

Usefulness:

There are plenty of features here that make Maxthon very useful indeed. The cloud syncing for one creates a universal browsing experience whether you sat at your desktop or mobile. The tabs feature, in addition to various add-ons make it an app that has more than enough functions to cater for the most advanced users.

Ease of Use:

The browser is simple to use and the various features are readily accessible in the menu. I did find that cloud/mobile syncing wasn’t as quick as I would have liked and there were occasional moments when the browser didn’t respond, but most of my experience was pretty good and comprehensive.

Frequently Used:

Perhaps as ever, this depends very much on the user and his/her personal browser usage. It’s certainly an app you could use with a high level of frequency without any discomfort. It’s relatively intuitive and works very well.

Interface:

I felt the UI, while wholly functional, seemed a little dated and not as attractive as say, Opera Mobile. Regardless of this, the ability to change themes is refreshing and the user experience feels customised and coherent.

AndroidTapp.com Rating

AndroidTapp.com Rating! (4.5 out of 5)

Should you Download Maxthon Browser? Browsers are perhaps an area where we are undernourished in the Android Market. Users tend to stick with the native browser, or opt for something they are familiar with such as Firefox. Venturing to use a whole new system; i.e. Maxthon might seem a small leap of faith for some as configuring favourites, downloading a new desktop browser and tweaking a new product for personal use might seem like a small mountain to climb for only negligible improvements. However, Maxthon is a superb browser and anyone perhaps looking for an alternative to the native experience could do worse than to give it a try. So, if you use your mobile browser a lot, Maxthon is definitely worth a look; its a feature-rich experience that is both fun to use and incredibly fast.

Developer: Maxthon

Categorised in: Communication

1 Comment

By Swamykant on January 20, 2012 at 1:35 am:

I love dolphin browser. This browser also seems to be cool. I surely try this on my HTC mobile.

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