New Chrome update could increase your laptop battery by 2 hours

Chrome has been at the brunt of many power-hungry jokes but it seems that Google is actually addressing these issues by both updating the browser, as well as trying to rectify much of the energy-zapping problems.

The way Google plans to correct these issues is through an experimental feature in the Chrome 86 update which will attempt to shut down JavaScript timers and trackers when you’re not using the tab. While you might think that this is such a tiny little change, it could prove to be extremely significant with tests reportedly extending laptop battery life by up to 2 hours. These tests consisted of opening 36 background tabs and one blank foreground tab proving that this update won’t only work for a few background tabs but even if you’re pushing your device to the limit. Tests have also been undertaken with the blank tab begin replaced with a YouTube video playing and while battery improvements were reduced to 36 minutes, it’s still an improvement nonetheless.

While this seems like a no brainer for Google to implement this change as soon as possible, there are rumours that this feature won’t be ready in time for the next Google Chrome update. A little unfortunate, due to battery consumption being the main turn off for most users, but hopefully it’s worth the wait.

Is the power consumption of Chrome affecting your experience? It’s certainly a widely reported issue and one we hope this update will solve so we’ll keep our eyes peeled on any more updates regarding this improvement and let all of you know when it drops!