Windows 11 on Arm users will soon have a new web browser, and you can try it today

Vivaldi and its focus on privacy will soon be optimized for Windows 11 on Arm.

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What you need to know

Those with a PC powered by an Arm processor will soon have another browser to use. Vivaldi announced a preview version of its browser optimized for ARM64 architecture earlier this week. Once stable and generally available, the optimized version of Vivaldi will deliver better performance and efficiency on devices like upcomingSurface Pro 10andSurface Laptop 6.

Vivaldi shared a few detailsabout the Arm version of its browser:

“As an extra bonus we also include Windows arm64 “architecture preview” packages for those of you with suitable hardware. These builds are not yet part of our automated test system and have only been lightly tested on one piece of hardware. Serious issues may exist and should be expected. Nonetheless, any testing and feedback would be greatly appreciated! 😉”

As the Arm version of Vivaldi is in its early days, you can expect bugs and other issues. But by the timeQualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processorsstart shipping in PCs, you may have a stable version of Vivaldi as an optimized option.

Vivaldi |Free at Vivaldi

Vivaldi is a browser that focuses on privacy. Since it’s a Chromium-based browser, it’s compatible with most of the web. It also supports Chrome extensions and has many features similar to fan-favorites from Microsoft Edge. Now, you can try a preview of Vivaldi optimized for Windows 11 on Arm.

Browsing on Windows 11 on Arm

The number of options for web browsing on Windows on Arm continues to grow. While not an exhaustive list, a website calledArmRepolists programs that have been optimized for ARM architecture. Within the web browsers section of that site you see big names, including Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Brave, and Chromium. Now, there’s a preview version of Vivaldi to go along with those other browsers.

Windows 11 on Arm PCs can run non-native apps, but performance and efficiency are lower than running native apps. That may not be as much of an issue for systems running Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processors. Qualcomm claimed thatemulated games will run “just fine"on Snapdragon X Elite-powered PCs. Presumably, non-native browsers would also work well. But native performance is best, so Vivaldi hopping on board is a welcome addition.

Snapdragon X Elite processors have been the talk of the computing world for months. If you go back to before we knew the official name of the processors, it’s actually been years since the hype began for Qualcomm’s new chips. Benchmarks shared by Qualcomm show theSnapdragon X Elite competing with Apple silicon. Qualcomm also appears confident that its new processors will compete withIntel Core Ultra CPUs.

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We won’t have to wait long to see the Snapdragon X Elite in action. Several PC manufacturers will release computers powered by the chips in 2024, including Microsoft’s Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 reportedly set to run processors based on the Snapdragon X Elite.

Sean Endicott is a tech journalist at Windows Central, specializing in Windows, Microsoft software, AI, and PCs. He’s covered major launches, from Windows 10 and 11 to the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT. Sean’s journey began with the Lumia 740, leading to strong ties with app developers. Outside writing, he coaches American football, utilizing Microsoft services to manage his team. He studied broadcast journalism at Nottingham Trent University and is active on X @SeanEndicott_ and Threads @sean_endicott_.