First Opera R3 developer release comes with new design

February 14th, 2019

Hello,

Today we are releasing the developer version of the new Opera browser (v.59), codenamed R3 (Reborn 3). In each of our Reborn releases we seek to redefine the modern browser, both in terms of look and functionality.

We are extremely excited that R3 will be the world’s first Web 3-ready desktop browser. Today, however, we would like to discuss the upgrades to the design of the browser interface that enhance your browsing experience.

The browser is your frame for the web

The main function of a frame of a picture or painting is to enhance the viewer’s experience of the work it houses, not to distract from it. We believe a browser should provide such a frame for the web.

With R3, we’ve put web content at center stage. We’ve removed dividing lines between sections so you can browse without borders and unhindered by unnecessary distractions. And, just as no one frame is effective for every picture or in every lighting, we’ve given the browser two distinct themes, light and dark.

Light and dark theme inspired by photography

The design of each of these themes was inspired by high-key and low-key lighting photography, where the goals are to maximize or minimize the amount of light in a photo while still retaining contrast. Depending on your mood, your setting or the content you are viewing, you are in control of how you frame it.

With the light theme, your entire browser, including the sidebar and tab area, is bright and clean. To us, this evokes a feeling of openness and optimism. We designed it to spark productivity and lift your mood.

The dark theme signifies to us a certain elegance and focus. It turns the browser dark and subdued, almost mysterious. But on a practical note, it’s also soothing for the eyes.

It comes down to what works best for you – we’re giving you a choice to frame your web browsing in a way that works for you.

Minimalist design in a powerful browser

We believe that minimalism is more than a look; it serves a specific purpose. It’s easy to achieve a minimalist design by stripping down features, resulting in a cleaner looking but less functional browser. This was not our goal with R3.

There is no other browser that comes close to Opera in terms of features and functionality, and we didn’t intend to make any compromises. What we’ve done with R3 is to refine our features and place them in a way that they are fully accessible without getting in your way. Our vision of minimalism is such that your browser is more functional for your daily use, not less.

R3’s design changes

We’ve achieved this in very specific ways. We’ve given the browser a fresh new look and moved some of its key functionalities, so that there is nothing to distract you from your content.

The new tabs have been designed to elicit a visceral response; whichever tab you have open, it feels physically open and stays on top of other tabs.

After thorough testing we have also decided to move EasySetup and Snapshot to the access bar, where they are better placed for convenient access.

The Snapshot tool, which lets you take screenshots of a website, has been placed next to other web browsing functionalities such as “Send to My Flow” and bookmarks. This means that now all the key interactions you can have with a website, such as adding it to bookmarks, sending it to your “Flow” or taking a screenshot, are in one place.

The EasySetup panel has been moved from the browser’s start page to the toolbar area to keep the browser’s basic settings at hand. This makes it easier for you to adjust the theme, wallpaper and switch on some of Opera’s crucial features while you browse.

Integrated Crypto Wallet

Our brand new browser also features an integrated Crypto Wallet, which lets you browse Web 3 while signing crypto-transactions with your phone. To use it, you have to pair the crypto wallet in Opera for computers with your Opera for Android browser.

Test Opera R3 now

We hope you enjoy the design changes in our new browser. We will let you know more about how R3 defines the new standard of browsing through features in the blog post on our browser’s launch day in March.

You can download the developer version of our brand new browser from one of the links at the bottom of this post.

To get the latest updates from our team, make sure to visit our Reborn 3 page and sign up there.

All changes are listed here.

* They include a small change to the sidebar: from now on, if your sidebar is unpinned, it won’t be visible on the browser’s internal pages including Speed Dial. You can change it’s visibility in Easy setup.

Installation links