Opera has released the R2 preview of its flagship Opera One browser. It is available for download on the developer channel, offering users the chance to test features such as improved media controls, split-screen, new built-in AI capabilities, and more.
Image source: opera.com
A notable innovation in Opera One R2 is the redesigned media controls, which allow you to quickly pause and resume a piece of content with minimal distraction from your work — just hover your mouse over the sidebar without switching from the current tab. The browser can automatically pause and resume playback when you start a video or receive an incoming call. A floating picture-in-picture window lets you pause playback, go to the previous and next playback items, quickly mute the sound, and more.
The upcoming Opera One R2 will feature AI-generated themes with customizable dynamic backgrounds and sound effects. The current version expands the capabilities of the built-in Aria AI system: it supports image generation, allows you to compose queries with image loading, and can also read its answers out loud. A page context mode has appeared, which means that the AI can prepare a summary of the content on the open page, offer translations, and other operations.
The browser now has a split-screen mode, which means you can have two pages in one window — just move one of the tabs to the desired side. Those who like to keep a large number of tabs open will like the “trace” function — the titles of recently viewed tabs are underlined with a thin line. And for additional personalization, you can assign a smiley to each tab. Opera One R2 is available for download on the developer channel — you can download versions for Windows, macOS, and Linux. The public version is scheduled for release this year.