Opera has launched a new browser called Opera One, which will eventually replace its flagship browser. The Norway-based company said this new browser includes elements that will make it ready for a “generative, AI-based future,” without specifying what it means.
The core feature for Opera One, which is launching as a developer preview, is a new tab grouping concept called “Tab Islands”. It automatically groups tabs based on context. For example, if you’re looking for places to eat, tabs with different menus and locations will be clubbed together. If you are working on a number of Google Docs, they will also be grouped together.
Display of the Island tab Image Credits: AapkaDost
Each island (or group) is represented by a vertical colored pill, which you can expand and collapse with a click. There’s a handy collapsed island tooltip that can help you find the right tab group.
Joanna Czajka, product director at Opera, said this new approach is “a natural way to organize your tabs into contextual groups without disrupting your flow.”
Opera isn’t the only browser maker trying to take a new approach to tabs, though. Startups like the Browser Company and SigmaOS have focused on creating different workspaces and opening/finding tabs via a taskbar.
The company added that Opera One uses Multithreaded Compositor, which helps render various complex web animations smoothly through the GPU. Czajka said this helps with better performance with the tab island and other upcoming features, such as a redesigned address bar.
As for AI-focused features for the new browser, Opera didn’t give much detail. But specified that ChatGPT and ChatSonic integrations it introduced in March in the flagship browser will be enabled by default.
Opera said this is the first iteration of Opera One, and it will replace the company’s flagship product on Windows, MacOS and Linux later this year.