Opera goes back to basics with Opera Mini 4.5 browser

Opera is targeting the most basic phones with the new version of its Opera Mini browser.

The Norwegian software company, which claims to have around 300-million global users, says Opera Mini 4.5 is built to work on even “the most basic of phones”, with the only pre-requisite being that it is capable of running a Java engine.

Given that it is capable of functioning on such basic devices, the browser includes some pretty impressive features, including a download manager and a privacy mode that prevents it from saving any Facebook logins or browsing data.

If Opera markets it correctly therefore, the browser could see serious adoption in emerging market countries, where feature and even dumb phones still predominate. As renowned web analyst Mary Meeker recently noted, only 1.5-billion of the world’s 5-billion mobile phone users are on smartphones. That means that there’s still massive potential for a high functioning mobile browser.

“Getting online is a must in the modern world, and the kind of equipment you choose to use should not stand in the way of having a first-class browsing experience,” says Christian Uribe, Product Manager for Opera Mini for Opera Software. “That’s why we introduced some of the best-loved features from the advanced series of Opera browsers for basic phones. Having an excellent download manager is just as important for the students downloading class work to their phones as it is for business people with more advanced phones.”

The browser also claims to be light on data, a must for people in emerging market countries, where data can often be pricey. Opera claims that its compression technology means that viewing a webpage may cost as little as 10% of what it costs using other browsers.

Opera says that the browser will run on any phone capable of running a Java game. It adds that people with more capable Java phones will be given the option to download Opera Mini 7.5, which is a more advanced version, better suited to phones with more capable hardware.

Opera Mini 4.5 can be downloaded from m.opera.com and, like all Opera browsers, is free to download.