My preferred web browser is one that you may have overlooked – and you definitely shouldn’t.

My preferred web browser is one that you may have overlooked – and you definitely shouldn’t.

      The realm of web browsers is marked by significant divisions. On one side, we have Chrome and Safari, clearly divided by their ecosystems and capturing the majority of the market share. Edge lags behind in third place, while Firefox and Brave largely attract niche enthusiast groups.

      New contenders like Arc are emerging, aiming to radically redefine what a web browser can be. Sandwiched between the major players and smaller options is the Opera browser. While it has been around for some time, recent years have seen a significant acceleration in its innovation.

      Initially doubtful, I found that after using Opera for a few months, it streamlined my workflow in ways I hadn't anticipated. It even provided conveniences I wasn't aware I needed. The effortless import of data from Chrome was a major plus, and its native support for Chrome extensions was the incentive I needed to give it a chance.

      That turned out to be the right choice.

      Enhanced Tab Management

      Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends

      Web browsers can quickly become chaotic, especially for those who work across multiple applications while keeping things connected to their web platforms. While each approach has its advantages, I prefer to steer clear of apps to minimize the additional load on my system's resources.

      However, tab groups can only offer so much assistance. Opera provides a refreshing solution with its clever mix of Workspaces and Tab Islands. Consider them similar to User Profiles and Tab Groups in Chrome, but implemented in a much more user-friendly manner.

      Workspaces are essentially containers for tabs within the same window. You can assign unique names to each workspace, each containing its own set of tabs and tab groups. The primary advantage is the ability to switch between workspaces effortlessly, avoiding the need to use window switching shortcuts found in other browsers.

      Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends

      Switching and resizing windows can become tedious, particularly when using a laptop with limited screen space. In Opera, Workspaces are neatly arranged on the left sidebar, displayed vertically and marked with distinctive symbols for easy identification.

      If you find clicking on a sidebar icon cumbersome, you can create a shortcut. I managed four workspaces with a shortcut (control + X), inspired by the first letters of each workspace.

      For instance, my Digital Trends workspace encompasses tabs for WordPress, Teams, Sheets, Asana, and Reddit. For collecting news, I maintain a separate workspace that organizes tabs for wire services, science press releases, official blog posts, and an X feed.

      Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends

      Similarly, I dedicated another workspace to my science reporting duties, arranging tabs for various research blogs, newsrooms, and an email instance specifically for embargoed material.

      Like Chrome and Edge, Opera also features tab groups, creatively called Islands. Despite the quirky nomenclature, what I appreciate most about tab management in Opera is the ability to manage multiple tabs simultaneously. With shift-select, moving or rearranging multiple tabs across different groups is a breeze.

      An Impressive Sidebar

      Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends

      One of Opera's most impressive features is its organization. The outstanding vertical sidebar is home to your workspaces and communication applications. Currently, the Messengers section can accommodate personal messaging platforms, social media, and workplace chat tools.

      It includes communication tools like Slack, Discord, Telegram, and WhatsApp. You can also access X, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger, making it an excellent way to monitor important communications without needing to switch tabs or apps.

      Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends

      What I value the most is that, without the sidebar, I would typically have to grab my phone to check messages from these apps, especially those for personal communication. The Spotify integration is also beneficial for controlling music playback.

      As a journalist, social media is both a necessary tool and a source of frustration. It plays a crucial role in my news-gathering process, keeping me updated on the news cycle through a curated feed, gauging audience reactions, reaching out to experts, and connecting with sources via X.

      However, it's all too easy for a quick check of my feed to spiral into endless scrolling on my phone, which often spills over into other applications. Using these platforms on a desktop makes them far less enticing, which has its advantages.

      Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends

      The sidebar's functionality isn't confined to the previously mentioned apps. Opera has an experimental feature that lets you add any web platform to the sidebar. For sites that Opera doesn't support natively, I quickly added them to the messengers section.

      My top choices were Reddit and Microsoft Teams, and I briefly included a Threads instance before making room for other tools like Pinboards and bookmarks.

      A Truly Useful AI

      This is a somewhat controversial feature, but hear me out. Opera's sidebar already includes quick-access ChatGPT integration. Additionally, the browser features its own AI agent called Aria, accessible via a simple keyboard shortcut.

      Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends

      Aria can utilize OpenAI’s GPT

My preferred web browser is one that you may have overlooked – and you definitely shouldn’t. My preferred web browser is one that you may have overlooked – and you definitely shouldn’t. My preferred web browser is one that you may have overlooked – and you definitely shouldn’t. My preferred web browser is one that you may have overlooked – and you definitely shouldn’t. My preferred web browser is one that you may have overlooked – and you definitely shouldn’t. My preferred web browser is one that you may have overlooked – and you definitely shouldn’t. My preferred web browser is one that you may have overlooked – and you definitely shouldn’t. My preferred web browser is one that you may have overlooked – and you definitely shouldn’t. My preferred web browser is one that you may have overlooked – and you definitely shouldn’t. My preferred web browser is one that you may have overlooked – and you definitely shouldn’t.

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My preferred web browser is one that you may have overlooked – and you definitely shouldn’t.

The Opera browser is constructed on the same core as Chrome, yet it provides a variety of unique features that have significantly enhanced my productivity.