Opera Mini has generally been regarded as the best mobile web browser for quite some time. Now, the app has upped its game even further with this beta release of version 5.

Opera Mini 5 offers a faster and more powerful browsing experience than any previous version of the app. The small and compact program has borrowed much more from its desktop-based big brother this time, so if you enjoy using Opera on your PC or Mac then you can now look forward to a similarly smooth ride on your mobile.

The user interface in Opera Mini 5 is more usable than ever. This is thanks to the addition of a Speed Dial feature, whereby you can set one-click shortcuts for up to nine of your favorite sites. Just like in the desktop version, these display thumbnail previews of the sites to make things as clear and simple as possible.

Opera Mini utilizes a tab-based interface, meaning that you can load multiple pages at once simply by clicking on the tab icon at the top of the interface. You can thumb through the pages you have open using the left and right direction buttons. Other navigational aids have also been added, such as an auto-complete feature in the address bar and a built-in search bar. Unfortunately, the search bar only features two sources - Google and Wikipedia.

Viewing pages in Opera Mini 5 is a delight. As with the previous version, you can opt to view the whole web page on screen or move the cursor over a particular part of the page and tap to zoom in (there are only two levels of zoom though). Load times are as impressive as ever thanks to Opera's unique server-side rendering technology.

For those who love to tinker around with stuff, Opera Mini 5 is sure to please because the program is simply rammed with options. You can alter image quality, font size, and fullscreen browsing, and there are a wealth of privacy settings too. The program even has its own password manager.

There are still a few small bugs in this beta version of Opera Mini 5, but hopefully these will be ironed out by the time the final build is released, and it's nothing that seriously interferes with your browsing.

Opera Mini 5 is a slimline, easy-to-use browser that will significantly speed up your mobile internet experience