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Microsoft's Chromium-based Microsoft Edge web browser has not been released yet as a stable version; the preview versions that Microsoft released, Microsoft Edge Dev and Canary, provide a good understanding of the browser already, however.

The web browser relies on the same core that Google Chrome uses, and that makes these browsers look and behave similarly in most aspects. That's good on the one hand, as it means faster updates and better web standards compatibility, but it also means that there is little that distinguishes the browser from Chrome unless modified.

Companies that rely on Chromium can modify the browser; Vivaldi, Opera and Brave do this to create custom experiences that differ significantly from Chromium and Google Chrome.

Microsoft's Edge browser will be different to a degree as well, and the following list of features highlights just some of the differences between Edge and Chrome.

1. Better Support for commercial Streaming Media services

Microsoft Edge is the only Chromium-based browser that supports Google's Widevine DRM and Microsoft's own PlayReady DRM.

Support for the latter unlocks 4K streams on Netflix, something that only Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge (classic) support on Windows. Chrome, Firefox, and any other browser may stream with a quality of up to 1080p with the help of extensions.

The feature is restricted to Windows 10, however.

2. Internet Explorer Mode

The Chromium-based version of Microsoft Edge will (likely) come with Internet Explorer integration. The feature is listed as an experimental flag at this time which could mean that it is removed without further notice.

It is more likely that the feature remains in Edge once it gets released to provide organizations with an option to access Internet Explorer optimized or exclusive content in Edge.

The feature is not completely integrated right now but the description suggests that Edge users may load Internet Explorer content in a tab in Edge.