Phoenix: Microsoft working on Edge redesign
According to a report, Microsoft is working on a redesign of its Edge web browser, code-named "Phoenix," that should better differentiate Microsoft Edge from its browser competition.
Development focuses on an updated user interface compatible with Windows 11, productivity features and deeper integration with Windows 11.
Edge Phoenix was first shared by WalkingCat on Twitter and is an internal redesign of the browser. Microsoft used the browser to collected feedback internally regarding changes and make development decisions based on it.
It is a project that Microsoft has been working on since last summer and is being developed piecemeal. Bits of Phoenix are included in development editions of Microsoft's Edge web browser already. The experimental features need to be enabled before they become available, and should be considered a work in progress at this stage.
Edge: Experimental appearance features
The following flags are available in Microsoft Edge Canary:
- Show Windows 11 visual effects in title bar and toolbar: edge://flags/#edge-visual-rejuv-mica
- Make Rounded Tabs feature available: edge://flags/#edge-visual-rejuv-rounded-tabs
- Enable Windows 11 Acrylic effect in menus: edge://flags/#edge-visual-rejuv-materials-menu
These features enable rounded tabs in Edge and make the title bar, toolbar and menus look more like a native Windows 11 application than a generic Chromium-based browser. It is an attempt to make Microsoft Edge stand out from the rest.
The Split View feature that Microsoft rolled out in development editions of Microsoft Edge was first envisioned in Phoenix. Microsoft could roll out specific features to Edge over time, or launch a massive update that incorporates all of the redesign features at once.
Windows Central reports that Microsoft is testing a Tab Activity Center feature in Edge that works similarly to the Screen Time and Digital Wellbeing features of Apple's iPhone and Google's Android operating systems. Tab Activity Center offers insights on browser usage.
Other ideas that Microsoft considers is adding system-wide password management functionality to Edge and adding Edge's setup to the Windows out of the box experience.
It is likely that some experiments won't make it into stable versions of the Edge browser.
Closing Words
Microsoft's current approach when it comes to differentiate its browser from others has been focused on security and functions. Most Home users may not notice differences in security, as most of it is happening in the background.
Functionality-wise, Edge has received several features that differentiate it from Chrome. There is the Edge sidebar, support for vertical tabs, Microsoft Rewards integration, the sleeping tabs feature or tracking prevention.
Now You: do you use Microsoft Edge? What is your take on the redesign?
Reminds me of Opera Neon.
https://www.opera.com/browsers/neon
That project with the “revolutionary UI” that they called “the browser of the future”. Then they released like one snapshot and abandoned it. I think it didn’t even supported extensions. IMO, someone at Opera got high and thought that this would be a good idea.
Edge just looks like how Opera looks by default with its useless sidebar. The thing is with Opera you can turn off most of the useless things, but if the same is possible for Edge, then it makes their redesign useless. It also reminds me of all the useless redesigns of Firefox – just for the sake of showing something to their last 3 users.
“According to a report, Microsoft is working on a redesign of its Edge web browser, code-named “Phoenix,” that should better differentiate Microsoft Edge from its browser competition.” – Martin
How original, oh wait, NOT:
“Firefox was created in 2002 under the code name “Phoenix” by members of the Mozilla community who desired a standalone browser rather than the Mozilla Application Suite bundle.”
– https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefox
That’s ONE MICROSOFT WAY for you. Billions of dollars yet they still have to copy/take/buy from others.
Microsoft is unable to avoid the destruction of its own software. Everything MS touches won’t ever breathe again. Just a pity itself. Thanks for the article.
” It is an attempt to make Microsoft Edge stand out from the rest.”
By making Edge look like Firefox??
It’s so hideous, this latest design fad. Hope it moves along very fast. I’m hoping this Phoenix never sees the light of day. Firefox lets you change the design, unlike Edge and Chrome, which force you to accept any unfavorable modifications made by Microsoft and Google.
Back to Firefox if they ever release that ugly rounded crap. Microsoft please fire your design team.
Looks nothing like Chrome. To me it kind of looks like Firefox Proton with those tabs.
Chrome tabs are almost square nowadays and quite big. I just enabled this feature in Edge, and it does look like Firefox with those small tabs. It’s not quite like the picture where the tabs look even smaller. It does remove system colors from the top though which is lame.
Looks more like Chrome than anything else.