Opera One Review

New tab page in Opera One

A new version of an old classic.

A few months ago, I wrote a review of the Opera web browser. It (erroneously) received an overall A-. Since then, Opera has released an update which makes major changes to the browser, so I decided to come back to it. This article is about the main version of Opera (not Opera GX or Opera Crypto), which is now called Opera One. In this article, I will give an overview of the new features added in the update, assess Opera's privacy, and compare it to other browsers. For more information on the Opera browser, go to opera.com or read my previous article here.

Overview

In terms of interface, Opera One is nearly identical to the versions preceding it. The buttons are rounded, tabs look more like Firefox than Chrome, and the sidebar has a big space for AI chatbots, but that appears to be the extent of the changes. The real difference is that you can now choose what parts you want to see (yes, you can finally get rid of that annoying Google box).

The update adds several important features. The first and most obvious of these is Tab Islands. Tab Islands are like tab groups in other browsers, but Opera will automatically group tabs for you. In my experience, all this does is group tabs opened as links with the tab they were opened from. You can also manually create an Island by dragging two tabs on top of each other, and you can drag other tabs into or out of existing Islands as well. Another new feature is the Aria chatbot, which is based on OpenAI's GPT-3 algorithm. In my tests, I found that the AI is selectively blind, having the ability to search the web but only using it occasionally. There are also some minor changes such as a built-in music player.

Even before the update, Opera had some unique features, such as My Flow, a file syncing system that allows for file transfer between linked devices, and a browser screenshot tool which is very useful for making memes. Opera also has a library of browser specific add-ons, which are similar to Chrome extensions (which can also be used on Opera).

In terms of privacy, Opera falls short of the competition. Its tracker blocker did not perform quite as well in my tests, blocking nothing on google.com (to Brave's 18 and Vivaldi's 1). It did better on weather.com, blocking 18 trackers and ads to Brave and Vivaldi's 8. Opera's Panopticlick score is unknown, as the browser was unable to run the test (this is a problem with many websites on Opera, including some of its own webpages). Its privacy policy is very long and reveals some concerning amounts of data collection, as well as a behaviorally targeted advertising model reminiscent of Google.

All things considered, I would not recommend using the Opera browser. There are much better browsers out there with better privacy. While Opera does have some interesting features, they are not worth the risk to your privacy.

Browser Grade

Opera One has a good interface and many features, but bad privacy and a tendency to not render websites. How does it stack up against the competition?

Opera's targeted advertising, bad privacy policy, and complete failure to even attempt Panopticlick–let alone actually pass–give this browser a failing grade. It has a mediocre tracker blocker and a free VPN (which are always a bad idea), but these are insufficient to offset Opera's low privacy standards.

Privacy: F

Browsers are graded by how good their tracker blockers are, support for FLoC and other native tracking tools, malware/nefarious script blocking, and collection of user data.

Interface: A+

Browsers are graded on the quality of their interface. Interfaces should be easy to use and should look good.

Opera's interface is clean and easy to use. All of its features are right there in the side menu or on the right of the address bar. The outline-less address bar and well-designed icons as well as a minimalist color scheme make for a very sleek look. In the new update, the annoying Google box is now optional, along with other customizability improvements.

Opera One has many useful features. A battery saver increases run time, Pinboards, Tab Islands, and My Flow boost productivity, the screenshot tool makes fun memes, and an AI chatbot adds some extra capability. However, Opera is lacking in one critically important feature: the ability to render websites. Many websites are displayed as plain HTML instead of their normal formats, and functionality is often lost. It is for this reason that I give Opera One a C.

Features: C

Browsers are graded on the presence of several useful features (tab bar, tab groups, bookmarks), as well as customizability and extra features that the browser has.

Overall Grade: F

This article was published July 29th, 2023 under Browser Reviews.

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