Recs.
Updated
SpecsUpdate
Pros
Pro Built-in adblocking
Other apps make it difficult to block ads without rooting your phone or going through unoptimized add-on stores, but Link Bubble blocks them out of the box, making browsing much less crowded. Contains an optional "Allow Brave Acceptable Ads" So you can support the site you truly enjoy.
Pro Sync is now available
Option to synchronize data between devices using peer-to-peer connections. No sign-in required, only a sync code.
Cons
Con Download package is very large considering it as a browser
Brave takes on a lot of roles besides just browsing so it is understandably a larger file.
Con Same security-holes as Chrome
On the desktop: Brave uses the same browser engine as Chrome, meaning it has the same security-holes as Chrome. Chrome is a big target for hackers (being the most popular browser in the world), and a webpage that will hack Chrome may also hack Brave.
However, Brave has security features that Chrome doesn't (such as a built-in adblocker). Those features will stop many hacking attempts.
Con A browser for NFT-ers(?)
There would be less of a problem with using Web3 solutions if they weren't sometimes looking like an art for art's sake, a jerkcircle shoving down it's own topic down the users' throat. Replacing the Web 2.0 with another commercial solution is bound to end up as a reinvention of the wheel, where even more commercialization and direct monetization will push digital exclusion. Non-profit open source community has achieved great things while so far NFTs and cryptos are, not without a reason, ridiculed.
Con Promotes search engines that track users such as Bing and Google
Google Search is the first search engine on the list.
Con Power hungry, uses much more battery power than other browsers
Per default Brave enables hardware acceleration which results in a much higher energy (battery) consumption than the most other web browsers.
Con Hypocritical/deceptive stance on privacy and advertisement
Brave is advertised as a browser that respects your privacy and blocks ads while still supporting content creators. However, at the same time the company is making deals with Facebook, Twitter and others to whitelist their trackers and ads
Con Bookmark button located on the left side of the URL bar and can't be moved
Recommendations
Comments
Flagged Pros + Cons
Con New, and a bit buggy still
Developers are rapidly killing bugs, but it still sometimes suffers a glitch or two. Until the developers get caught up, it still feels like a brand new product.
Con Doesn't use the original Chromium UI
Brave doesn't use the original Chromium interface at the moment, that means a lot of features are missing and need to be reimplemented. However, Brave 1.0 plans to fix this.
Con No custom adblock filter support
On some pages some ads are still showing up or some anti adblock scripts are blocking Brave Shield. Had to install uBlock Origin as second adblock.
Out of Date Pros + Cons
Con No dark theme / theming whatsoever
There is no ability to theme the browser, meaning that people who use dark themed Linux desktops will just have to live with clashing colors between the rest of their desktop and the brave menu bar.
Con Interface is outdated, and still can see the tabs in fullscreen mode
With the latest version this should be fixed
Con No Sync at the moment
There is no device sync available at the moment but it is coming soon