6 ms·

Hardly “dethroning” Google. UC is for low end feature phones that cannot run any other browser.

cdata 9y ago
Only speculating, but I would guess that "low end" describes a lot (perhaps even the large majority) of phones in active use in China, India and other Asian countries.
- melling 9y ago
  Yes, the browser for the next 3 billion people.
  - chiefalchemist 9y ago
    Yes. Provided the websites/web-based applications aren't hogs. We're talking to you Slack ;)
intopieces 9y ago
And when those users upgrade to a mid-tier phone in the future, what browser do you suspect they will adopt? The thing they are used to, or the thing that is new?
- Techonomicon 9y ago
  The thing that is installed by default.
- GuiA 9y ago
  The one preinstalled on their phone, as long as it has a text field at the top where they can just type where they want to go. Most people don’t give any thought to these things.
  - t3ra 9y ago
    No they won't bcuz UC comes with features that people actually like -data compression (which also acts as a vpn to access blocked content) -content feeds
- kinkrtyavimoodh 9y ago
  Most click on "Internet" to go to their browser, so yeah I don't think there's much brand loyalty.
- snaky 9y ago
  UCBrowser will ship preinstalled as system browser on their mid-tier phone too (MTK, 6" 18:9, 3-4GB RAM, $100-$150)
greenbush 9y ago
I don't think you read the article. :) The article specifically talks about smartphones, not feature phones. It mentions how Chrome is an issue for cheaper smartphones with less storage: "The UC Browser app takes up 31 megabytes of space, compared with Chrome’s 125 megabytes". And aside from a smaller app size, UC also compresses data and blocks ads to reduce data requirements (data tends to be expensive in emerging countries). Let's face it, Chrome is designed by and for people living in the west, where people have smartphones with lots of storage and typically buy monthly plans with unlimited (or large allowance of) data.
- aceofspad3s 9y ago
  >The UC Browser app takes up 31 megabytes of space, compared with Chrome’s 125 megabytes Given that bundling Chrome is a requirement if you want to ship a mobile phone with the Play Store, this is a moot point
  - Endy 9y ago
    Several devices I've bought in the last few years (mostly cheap ones of chinese manufacture), did not include Google Play; they mostly encouraged either Aptoide or 1Mobile Market. Heck, that's part of why I keep F-Droid on my phone now.
- cvsh 9y ago
  Right but this part... >giving owner Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. an advantage in the race among technology giants to capture the next generation of internet users ...seems suspect. Most western Chrome users started off with Netscape, Internet Explorer, Safari, etc., and then switched when they got better machines and got tech-savvier and realized it was a better browser. So just because a browser reaches a user first does not, I think, mean it has "capture"d that "generation".
  - skellera 9y ago
    I think you overestimate most people. There’s a reason why IE is still supported on the web. People will continue to use what they know if it isn’t negatively impacting them. Most people don’t use all the extra features in the browser. They just want Facebook to work. That said, I don’t trust the security of this browser so I don’t think it’s a good thing people are using it.
snaky 9y ago
Nope, look at some 'low-end phones' of 2017 Leagoo M9 - Android 7.0, 1280x640 IPS 5.5", 4-core MTK6580, 2GB RAM, 16GB ROM, 8MP, WiFi, BT, dual SIM (second slot is universal, SIM card or memory card) - $55 ZTE Axon 7 Mini 4G (Global Version) - Android 6.0, 1920x1080 5.2", octa-core Snapdragon 617, 3GB RAM, 32GB ROM, 8MP+16MP, WiFi, BT, dual SIM - $120 And with Android Go they will run even faster.
- LaurensBER 9y ago
  It's amazing that we can get portable Linux devices with specs like that for so little money these days. It's a shame that Mediatek doesn't respect the GPL so hackability is low otherwise there would be so many prototype/IOT/research uses for a device like this!
  - snaky 9y ago
    The state of affairs of Linux and smartphones is pretty grim outside of MTK world too. https://fosdem.org/2018/schedule/event/hwenablement_mainline_linux_on_motorola_droid_4/ https://fosdem.org/2018/schedule/event/hwenablement_mainline...
  - userbinator 9y ago
    Thanks to MTK datasheet leaks (try finding the docs for Qualcomm or even Broadcom stuff...), and the easy rooting (no locked bootloaders), "hackability" is actually quite high. You can also find the source code pretty easily even if it's not officially released --- a lot of these Chinese smartphones are based on the same hardware with only cosmetic differences. The culture/ecosystem is very different: https://www.bunniestudios.com/blog/?p=4297 https://www.bunniestudios.com/blog/?p=4297
kurthr 9y ago
I don't know why you're getting downvoted. Although UC does make an Android version, they are much better known for supporting Java even if Android comprises more than half of their total users. Note that it's been banned from the PlayStore as well for inflating installs "with malicious redirect ads": http://indianexpress.com/article/technology/social/uc-browser-disappears-from-google-play-store-for-misleading-promotions-4938185/ http://indianexpress.com/article/technology/social/uc-browse...

Only speculating, but I would guess that "low end" describes a lot (perhaps even the large majority) of phones in active use in China, India and other Asian countries.

melling 9y ago
Yes, the browser for the next 3 billion people.
- chiefalchemist 9y ago
  Yes. Provided the websites/web-based applications aren't hogs. We're talking to you Slack ;)

intopieces 9y ago

And when those users upgrade to a mid-tier phone in the future, what browser do you suspect they will adopt? The thing they are used to, or the thing that is new?

Techonomicon 9y ago
The thing that is installed by default.
GuiA 9y ago
The one preinstalled on their phone, as long as it has a text field at the top where they can just type where they want to go. Most people don’t give any thought to these things.
- t3ra 9y ago
  No they won't bcuz UC comes with features that people actually like -data compression (which also acts as a vpn to access blocked content) -content feeds
kinkrtyavimoodh 9y ago
Most click on "Internet" to go to their browser, so yeah I don't think there's much brand loyalty.
snaky 9y ago
UCBrowser will ship preinstalled as system browser on their mid-tier phone too (MTK, 6" 18:9, 3-4GB RAM, $100-$150)

greenbush 9y ago

I don't think you read the article. :) The article specifically talks about smartphones, not feature phones. It mentions how Chrome is an issue for cheaper smartphones with less storage: "The UC Browser app takes up 31 megabytes of space, compared with Chrome’s 125 megabytes". And aside from a smaller app size, UC also compresses data and blocks ads to reduce data requirements (data tends to be expensive in emerging countries). Let's face it, Chrome is designed by and for people living in the west, where people have smartphones with lots of storage and typically buy monthly plans with unlimited (or large allowance of) data.

aceofspad3s 9y ago
>The UC Browser app takes up 31 megabytes of space, compared with Chrome’s 125 megabytes Given that bundling Chrome is a requirement if you want to ship a mobile phone with the Play Store, this is a moot point
- Endy 9y ago
  Several devices I've bought in the last few years (mostly cheap ones of chinese manufacture), did not include Google Play; they mostly encouraged either Aptoide or 1Mobile Market. Heck, that's part of why I keep F-Droid on my phone now.
cvsh 9y ago
Right but this part... >giving owner Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. an advantage in the race among technology giants to capture the next generation of internet users ...seems suspect. Most western Chrome users started off with Netscape, Internet Explorer, Safari, etc., and then switched when they got better machines and got tech-savvier and realized it was a better browser. So just because a browser reaches a user first does not, I think, mean it has "capture"d that "generation".
- skellera 9y ago
  I think you overestimate most people. There’s a reason why IE is still supported on the web. People will continue to use what they know if it isn’t negatively impacting them. Most people don’t use all the extra features in the browser. They just want Facebook to work. That said, I don’t trust the security of this browser so I don’t think it’s a good thing people are using it.

snaky 9y ago

Nope, look at some 'low-end phones' of 2017 Leagoo M9 - Android 7.0, 1280x640 IPS 5.5", 4-core MTK6580, 2GB RAM, 16GB ROM, 8MP, WiFi, BT, dual SIM (second slot is universal, SIM card or memory card) - $55 ZTE Axon 7 Mini 4G (Global Version) - Android 6.0, 1920x1080 5.2", octa-core Snapdragon 617, 3GB RAM, 32GB ROM, 8MP+16MP, WiFi, BT, dual SIM - $120 And with Android Go they will run even faster.

LaurensBER 9y ago
It's amazing that we can get portable Linux devices with specs like that for so little money these days. It's a shame that Mediatek doesn't respect the GPL so hackability is low otherwise there would be so many prototype/IOT/research uses for a device like this!
- snaky 9y ago
  The state of affairs of Linux and smartphones is pretty grim outside of MTK world too. https://fosdem.org/2018/schedule/event/hwenablement_mainline_linux_on_motorola_droid_4/ https://fosdem.org/2018/schedule/event/hwenablement_mainline...
- userbinator 9y ago
  Thanks to MTK datasheet leaks (try finding the docs for Qualcomm or even Broadcom stuff...), and the easy rooting (no locked bootloaders), "hackability" is actually quite high. You can also find the source code pretty easily even if it's not officially released --- a lot of these Chinese smartphones are based on the same hardware with only cosmetic differences. The culture/ecosystem is very different: https://www.bunniestudios.com/blog/?p=4297 https://www.bunniestudios.com/blog/?p=4297

kurthr 9y ago

I don't know why you're getting downvoted. Although UC does make an Android version, they are much better known for supporting Java even if Android comprises more than half of their total users. Note that it's been banned from the PlayStore as well for inflating installs "with malicious redirect ads": http://indianexpress.com/article/technology/social/uc-browser-disappears-from-google-play-store-for-misleading-promotions-4938185/ http://indianexpress.com/article/technology/social/uc-browse...