Google introduced a new benchmark called Core Web Vitals to gauge website speed last year. It’s already played a role in search rankings since May 2020, so it’s vital for developers to know how their websites work. They’ve been able to use the Vitals web extension to judge desktop speed and frame rates for some time now, but starting with Chrome 90, Google wants to bring these live stats right into the desktop versions and browser mobiles. They come in the form of a new Performance HUD overlay.

Google Engineering Manager Addy Osmani writes in her blog that the Performance HUD will be part of the Chrome DevTools and you can turn them on and off as needed. When enabled, they will show developers both basic web metrics and fluency metrics. Since native functionality is also available on mobile browsers, the original limitations of the desktop-only browser extension are removed.

If you want to check the HUD for yourself, install Chrome Canary (the most unstable version of the browser), go to chrome: // flags, search for “Show performance metrics in HUD” and activate the entry. Metrics will be displayed continuously after a reboot until you turn off the indicator for now.

Google makes it easier for developers to judge website performance is good news for everyone – no one likes slow and janky sites, and the new HUD is one of several tools that help developers identify and to solve the problems.

Chrome Canary (unstable)
Chrome Canary (unstable)