Google finally releases native ARM Chrome browser for Windows

As Microsoft’s Windows OEM partners prepare new ARM-based devices for release in a couple of months, Google is finally dropping its long-awaited ARM native Chrome browser.

Despite Microsoft providing an ARM-based version of Windows to the public for years, Google has been reluctant to produce its own ARM-native solution for browsing in Chrome.

However, over the past two months Google has been testing its native ARM Chrome variant in its Chrome Canary channel and ARM chip maker Qualcomm has confirmed that Google will start rolling out an official version “starting today.”

While Microsoft has dabbled with Windows on ARM for close to a decade, it wasn’t until the release of the Surface Pro X had the company seriously contended with its emulation layer of development to provide an Intel-like facsimile for users.

Two more devices in with an updated Surface Pro X and the eventual Surface Pro 9 ARM variant, the company has tweaked its emulation layer enough that its core OS and most of x86 developed apps operate feeling almost native to the platform without additional developer intervention.

With over sixty percent of the browser market in hand, Google Chrome has been a particular sticking point for Microsoft’s Windows on ARM ambitions due to its previously unoptimized experience.

However, with a native ARM Chrome release, Google’s browser experience will make for a bonus to these new devices Windows OEM plan to sell alongside the Snapdragon X Elite chips this summer.

We’ve designed Chrome browser to be fast, secure, and easy to use across desktops and mobile devices. Our close collaboration with Qualcomm will help ensure that Chrome users get the best possible experience while browsing the web on current Arm-compatible PCs.

Hiroshi Lockheimer – Google Senior VP Android, Chrome, ChromeOS

While Google has previously supported Chrome development for ARM based devices that run ChromeOS, this is the first time the company will address the much larger Windows-powered audience.

A native ARM based Chrome experience coupled with a soon to be released ARM-based version of DaVinci Resolve maybe the combo tech journalists and influential YouTuber’s need to start recommended Windows on ARM devices alongside or in replace of Apple M-Series computers.