Google releases Chrome browser for Intel-powered Motorola Razr I

Browser gets tweaked to improve performance on niche Android chips

Google has released an updated version of its Chrome mobile web browser for Android, optimised to work on Motorola's Intel-powered Razr I smartphone.

The new version of Google Chrome is available via the Android Play Store now and adds support for all Intel x86 devices.

"We are now pleased to announce the availability of Chrome for Android on Intel x86 devices, available for download on Google Play and from the Google Play Store on your Motorola Razr I," Motorola said.

"This smartphone puts the Google universe in your hand and now you'll now be able to experience the speed, security, and simplicity of Chrome."

The Motorola Razr I is the second Intel-powered smartphone to arrive in the UK, and is set for release in October, with the chip giant trying to wrestle control of the smartphone market away from Arm.

Intel has tried to differentiate itself from rivals like Qualcomm and Nvidia that use Arm's architecture by claiming there is currently no need for multi-core processors in a smartphone.

Motorola has even claimed the Razr I's 2GHz single-core chip could outperform all top-end dual-core competitors.

"The Razr I is 40 percent more powerful than the iPhone 4S," said Jim Wicks, senior vice president at Motorola.

Qualcomm has subsequently challenged Intel on these claims, though, reporting that its new line of Snapdragon processors are faster, during an interview with V3 earlier in September.

Additionally, there remain compatibility issues between Intel chips and a number of popular Android apps, including Mozilla's Firefox mobile browser.

At the time of publishing neither Motorola nor Intel had responded to V3's request for comment whether Firefox would be optimised to work on the Razr I.

For a more in depth look at the Razr I check out V3's full review.