Samsung takes on Google Chrome, expands browser reach (GOOGL, GOOG)

Global Mobile Browser User Share

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An update to Samsung’s mobile browser, Samsung Internet, could threaten Google’s mobile browser dominance. Last Thursday, Samsung opened up access to its mobile internet browser to all users on Lollipop (Android 5.1) and later, according to ZDNet, meaning the browser is now available to nearly 75% of Android devices globally. Initially, Samsung’s web browser was accessible only on Samsung devices.

The move to open Samsung's proprietary web browser to all compatible Android devices makes sense for three key reasons, according to Samsung internet software engineer Jungkee Song.

It expands the reach of Samsung's experiences. Samsung offers a wide array of devices, including smartphones, tablets, a VR headset, a smartwatch, smart TVs, and home appliances that have mobile web experiences. An open web browser embedded on all devices will offer a variety of different avenues to reach consumers.
It allows Samsung to be at the forefront of delivering new device technologies. The tech firm is constantly developing new technologies — like biosensors, payments, and VR — that run mobile web experiences.
It diversifies the mobile web, encouraging innovation. The addition of another mobile browser could foster competition between platforms, presenting opportunities to potentially innovate the mobile web experience that might not be available on bigger browsers like Chrome and Safari.

Samsung is perhaps most well suited to provide a successful alternative to Google's browser within the Android ecosystem. The phone maker’s browser has roughly 400 million active users (MAU) globally, giving the company a solid foundation to launch across platforms.

Of course, Samsung has a long way to go to make a dent in Google Chrome’s global market share. As of July 2017, Samsung Internet accounts for just under 7% of the global mobile browser market, compared with Chrome’s 50%, according to StatCounter.

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