Nokia brags with best-in-industry HTML5 performance on the N9 browser, downplays Flash support

The MeeGo-powered Nokia N9 comes with an all-new HTML5-enabled browser – a crucial piece of software for the Finns, who failed to deliver a contemporary browser in Symbian^3, at least before the Anna update. Maybe that's the reason why Nokia picked “the browser that doesn’t annoy me” motto for the browser in the N9 and to a certain extent it seems that the company has succeeded with meeting this goal. 

There are three ways of using the browser: you can just type in addresses, pick them from your bookmarks or tap a shortcut from the launcher. It supports pinch-to-zoom and double-tap to zoom, as well as increasing the font without affecting other elements.

But it's HTML5 where the N9 browser truly shines. With a score of 283 at one HTML5 test, it outranks all other mobile browsers and takes on some desktop ones. Luckily, it supports HTML5 videos and CSS 3D, but also other mobile elements of the specifications for HTML5 like motion and location awareness. CSS 3, Javascript 1.8, XHTML and XML are all supported as well.

But the biggest downer is thelack of Adobe Flash support. You'd have to completely rely on HTML5, which might be good in the future when the standard gets widely adopted, but currently a big part of the web is in Flash. Luckily, though, YouTube already delivers content via HTML5 and the N9 browser makes use of that. Check out the screenshots below and don't hesitate to share your feelings towards Nokia's decision to go Flash-less!