Opera 34 revamps Turbo Mode to deliver more data savings, faster browsing speeds

Opera Software has unveiled Opera 34 FINAL, a major new release of its desktop web browser, with a separate mobile release due shortly.

The new desktop build's primary focus is on delivering an improved Opera Turbo experience, but it also adds a handful of new features, including a number of improvements to its download engine as well as support for MSE Audio.

Opera 34’s main highlight is the unveiling of a new and more secure version of its Opera Turbo tool. This allows users to speed up downloads on slow networks, such as congested Wi-Fi networks or 3G connections.

It also provides data savings on bandwidth-limited plans through the compression of web pages before they’re delivered to the end user.

Version 34’s update comes with the promise that browsing speeds will be up to 15 percent faster than before. Data savings are improved by 23 percent, which translates in real terms to users saving up to 70 percent of their normal data usage when Opera Turbo is enabled.

Two other notable improvements in Opera 34 see downloads gain a cancel button (in addition to the pause/resume button), while the browser can now offer to resume partially complete downloads after a browser restart.

Eagle-eyed users will also note that the Discover section has been renamed to News, while Mac users will be pleased to learn the new release adds support for the native Share button, making it possible to share content from the browser with other networks and apps.

The final update sees Opera 34 gain support for MSE Audio, which allows it to play streams from Google Play Music and other similar services.

Opera FINAL 34 is available now as a freeware download for Windows, Mac and 64-bit Linux users, with the Android version due imminently. Also available are Opera Mini for Android, and Opera Mini for iOS 12.0, which recently added synced speed dials and support for iOS 9 features like 3D touch and Spotlight search.