(Credit: Samsung)
Samsung quietly launched a version of its Internet Browser for Windows PCs.
As 9To5Google reports, the Samsung Browser (more commonly known as Samsung Internet Browser on mobile) is a common sight on Samsung Galaxy devices, but this is the first time Samsung has made its web browser available for Windows 10 and Windows 11 users.
Samsung opted to release the browser via the Microsoft Store, and rather lazily decided to use a screenshot of Google Chrome as part of the listing. It's fitting because Samsung's browser will be extremely familiar to Chrome users, but it's also curious that whoever handled this release didn't take the time to capture and share an official screenshot.
In the description, Samsung simply states, "Samsung Internet provides the best web browsing experience for you with various features, and by protecting your privacy." For anyone who likes the Chrome experience on Windows, but isn't happy using Google's browser anymore, Samsung now offers a very familiar alternative.
As to why Samsung decided to release its browser for Windows, no official explanation has been offered yet. However, if I had to guess I'd say it's related to the connected experience Samsung offers between Galaxy devices. It's possible to browse the internet on a Galaxy phone or tablet and seamlessly switch the experience to a connected laptop, but Samsung relies on a third-party browser to display the content on that laptop. By releasing its own browser for Windows, Samsung removes that reliance from the equation.
While it's unlikely to grab a big chunk of market share from other web browsers, more choice is never a bad thing. The release of Samsung Internet is also timely considering Google recently decided to proceed with its plan to shake up Chrome extensions, which will make controlling which ads you see or blocking them completely much harder to achieve.