Microsoft's newest internet browser is so good that I forgot I switched from Google Chrome

I actually tried using Microsoft's Bing — the default search engine in Edge — but after a while, I reverted back to the Google search engine. Bing results were overall quite good, but Google still can't be beat. And Google search is better integrated with other Google services I use, like YouTube.

After the initial setup, my bookmarks toolbar was automatically transferred and looks exactly like it does on Chrome, and I installed my favorite extensions with relative ease. One of the biggest "things" about the new Edge is that it supports Chrome extensions too, so you get the wide variety of options that previous versions of Edge didn't have.

Any extension you used in Chrome will work in Edge, which is huge news. I couldn't do my work on previous versions of Edge, as I was so reliant on certain extensions to add key features and functionalities to the browser.

That said, Microsoft needs to work on making it easier to find the extensions you want. Right now, Microsoft positions the official Edge extension library as the primary way to get extensions, and some of my extensions aren't available there.

Instead, I need to search for "Chrome web store" and go from there to get the extensions I want. It's a little workaround, but no big deal, and not a deal-breaker. More than anything, it's useful that I can pick any Google Chrome extension I want and start using it with no hassle.

For one, it doesn't use up as much of my computer's precious resources as Chrome does — namely the RAM that Chrome devours, leading to slow performance over time. And loading web pages on Edge has been just as fast, if not faster.

Right now, with exactly the same number of tabs (19) and the same websites loaded on both web browsers on Windows 10, Edge is using 1.6 GB of RAM and Chrome is using 2 GB.

Managing privacy on Edge is much easier than it is on Chrome. Edge's privacy settings are well laid out and do a better job of telling you what it's doing on the privacy front and how it could affect your experience.

On the "strict" privacy setting in Edge, which blocks most trackers on sites, some sites have asked me to disable my ad blocker. The thing is I don't have an ad blocker installed on Edge. That's impressive.

On Chrome, the closest privacy setting I could find to Edge's "strict" option is blocking third-party cookies, and that didn't seem to have any effect on ads.

In many ways, Edge is more or less a Chrome doppelganger, but with a couple of little extras that can plant the seed of considering switching. It's worth a shot, if just for the clearer and more robust privacy settings and the reduced impact on your computer's RAM.

And if you're setting up a new Windows 10 computer, the new Edge has what it takes to be your default web browser rather than just a tool to download Chrome the moment you boot it up.

Down the line, I wouldn't be surprised if the new Edge gets more little features that further set it apart from Chrome.

At the same time, Google's ecosystem goes beyond the Chrome web browser. Chrome is linked in some way or another to my Google account, which includes Gmail, Google Maps, Google Calendar, and so on, and all that ties in with the Google stuff on my smartphone. Microsoft's biggest obstacle will be combatting Google's incredible and far-reaching ecosystem.

To that end, Edge is available on Android and iOS, so your computer and smartphone lives don't have to be separate. 

I should note that everyone has a different way of using their web browser of choice, with innumerable little tricks, shortcuts, and customizations, that it's almost impossible for my experience to translate perfectly to yours. If you're making too many compromises or uncomfortable changes when checking out Edge, then maybe it's not for you!