Google Chrome vs Samsung Browser in 2026

This is the choice most Galaxy owners make without noticing. Samsung Browser, called Samsung Internet until 2026, is already on the phone; Chrome is also already on the phone. Both are Chromium, so pages render identically and neither is faster in any way you would feel — the question is which set of defaults and which account you want your browsing tied to.

What Samsung gives you that Chrome does not

Smart Anti-Tracking blocks cross-site trackers out of the box, and ad blocking is built in rather than left to extensions. That is why Samsung Browser scores 3 for privacy against Chrome's 2, one of the lowest privacy scores in our directory. Chrome collects for an advertising business; Samsung collects for a hardware business, and the difference shows in the defaults even though neither is a privacy tool.

Samsung Pass handles passwords and passkeys, and if you already unlock things with your fingerprint on a Galaxy it is the smoother path. The 2026 Windows release added an assistant built with Perplexity that answers questions about your open tabs, which is a real feature rather than a checkbox.

Where Chrome wins

Reach, mostly. Chrome runs on all five major platforms; Samsung Browser runs on Android and Windows only, with no macOS, Linux or iOS build. If you have an iPhone, an iPad or a Mac anywhere in your life, Samsung Browser cannot follow you there and Chrome can.

Chrome also scores 4 for extensions against Samsung's 3, and 5 for AI features against 4 — Gemini is now built into the browser with a side panel that reads your open tabs and agentic browsing on paid tiers, which is further along than Samsung's assistant. Chrome's sync is the more complete implementation, and the ecosystem around it is vastly larger.

Which should you choose?

Choose Samsung Browser if you use a Galaxy phone and a Windows PC, want tracker blocking and ad blocking without configuring anything, and are already inside Samsung's account ecosystem. On that hardware it is the more considerate default, and it is genuinely surprising how few people who could benefit from it ever try it deliberately.

Choose Chrome if any Apple or Linux device is part of your setup, if you want the deepest AI integration in a mainstream browser, or if you simply want the browser that works the same everywhere. It is the weaker choice on privacy, and that is the honest trade — you get reach and polish and give up defaults that would have protected you.