Opera is testing a new feature update for its flagship browser, Opera One. R2 is now available in the developer channel, allowing users to try media control improvements, the new Split Screen feature, upgrades for the built-in AI, and other changes.
Today we’re giving you a first glance at Opera One R2, a reimagined and updated version of our browser shipping in developer today, with its mainstream release scheduled for later this year. This release will expand on the innovations that characterize Opera One, and bring improvements in key areas such as: Multimedia, AI and Tab management.
Opera One R2 features reworked media controls that let you quickly pause or resume playback without distracting too much. You can just hover the cursor over the sidebar without switching from your current tab. The browser can also automatically pause and resume playback when you play a video or receive a call. The picture-in-picture floating window allows you to pause, rewind, skip forward, mute, and perform other actions with the now-playing video.
A future update for Opera One R2 will bring AI-generated themes (a similar thing exists in Microsoft Edge but with much more limited capabilities) with customizable dynamic backgrounds and sound elements. This feature is not available in the current R2 release, so look out for future updates.
Opera"s built-in AI, Aria, now supports Image Generation and Voice Output, which allows you to generate pictures, ask questions with images, and make the assistant read answers for you for better accessibility. Finally, Aria now supports Page Context mode, which provides deeper context about the current page by summarizing it, extracting more data, translating content, and more.
Opera One R2 brings Split Screen capabilities, allowing you to have two tabs side-by-side in one browser window. To enter Split Screen, all you have to do is drag a tab to the desired side. Another neat addition to tabs in Opera One is tab traces—subtle underscores that let you quickly locate recently viewed tabs, in case you are one of those tab hoarders with tens of tabs open at all times.
Finally, you can assign emojis to each tab for some extra personalization. This will help you identify tabs and just make the experience slightly more personal.
Opera One R2 is now available in the developer channel. Opera plans to release it to the general public later this year. If you want to try it right now, head to the official website and download the installer, which is available on Windows, macOS, and Linux.