How to Enjoy Browsing Using Opera Mini

One of the most used mobile browsers in developing countries is Opera Mini. Many phones (Android) come pre-installed with this browser. And very many people know not any other browser.

People who use Opera Mini will tell you:

• It is a light app
• It doesn’t lag
• Quickly loads websites
• Uses little data i.e. Saves you MBs.

They always say that.

I don’t use Opera Mini unless I am in interior areas where internet connection might be very slow. However, most of the people who read this blog access it through Opera Mini. And it is always very hard to make sure they see the site the same way someone using say Chrome Browser does. It is always hard to ensure they see the site as it really is.

This is because Opera Mini very highly compresses sites. If you were to browse with 90MB on normal browsers, you’d probably only need 15MB using Opera Mini. But you’ll find that things don’t load properly and you won’t be able to see everything the site has.

However recently (around September last year ) we saw new changes from Opera. And the new Opera Mini came with two very handy settings:

• Extreme Saving Mode
• High Data Saving Mode

Extreme Saving Mode:

This is the default state with which the app launches when you first install it. And it is the best data saver mode of easily all existing browsers. But it has a couple of issues.

It very highly compresses everything to an extent: You can’t comment, You can’t see menus. You can’t like stuff. You can’t enjoy the proper site outline.

This is because this mode has very limited JavaScript support. JavaScript is executed on Opera’s servers when you submit something or click a link, thereby hindering AJAX and JavaScript frameworks like jQuery to work correctly on it.

Thus one gets x’s and funny doodles when browsing.

And the comment sections are nothing short of funny (but stressing to people like me)

This mode saves data yes, but makes one lose out on many things.

High Data Saving Mode:

I only recently discovered the two modes. And this is the best mode to use if you are looking to save yourself data and time. Pages load very quickly on this mode.

Everything works as if you are on a normal browser. Yes the execution, I presume, is through the same Opera servers, but you get to enjoy almost everything the site has to offer.

Meaning you can like things, comment using any comment box; Facebook, Disqus, WordPress etc.

You can see that menu buttons and even sticky bars work.

You can add your thoughts using all comment boxes:

This mode also saves you data and is fast. It even appears to be faster than the other mode. Check out the video I made comparing both modes –>> Click Here <<– and tell me which mode you’d prefer using.

You see that small Opera logo on the bottom right? Use it. Go to Savings Mode and Switch from Extreme to High.

There now. I hope you can enjoy Opera Mini.

I think I have officially started using this app for most of my browsing. The extreme mode is impossible to cope with. I’d advise against it.

Tell me what you think in the comment sections below. And share this with friends who use Opera Mini.

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