Privacy-focused Brave browser launched late last year after almost four years of being in the works. The browser is based on the Chromium open-source project and joins the likes of Microsoft Edge that is built on that platform. However, while Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft’s offering currently support ARM64 PCs natively in the stable channels, Brave does not.
That might change, as Windows Insider MVP Jeremy Sinclair was able to compile an unofficial build of the open-source Brave browser that natively supports ARM64 PCs. The recompiled build (version 1.6.33) uses Microsoft’s ARM64 Chromium libraries and can run natively on those PCs like the Surface Pro X. Samsung Galaxy Book S. Native support results in improved performance and efficiency since the browser will not have to run in emulation.
Dear @brave and Windows On ARM community,
— Jeremy Sinclair #WIMVP (@sinclairinat0r) February 16, 2020
TAAAADDDDDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA 💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯#ARM64 #Windows
I told y"all I was gonna do it. pic.twitter.com/f3szfPWTL1
The developer shared the browser files with WindowsCental and it works great. While it is not sure as to when official support arrives for the browser, Sinclair has shared the work with the Brave team who acknowledged the efforts and have intended to hear more from the MVP on the efforts it took for the rebuild.
While most Chromium-based browser makers have begun work for enabling native ARM64 support, with Microsoft leading the way, it shouldn’t be long before Google’s Chrome, the most widely-used PC browser brings support for that platform considering that the search giant reportedly has the code ready to enable support.