- Firefox 157 debuts the Nova redesign with rounded tabs, new themes, and a common interface on desktop and mobile.
- Compact Mode returns, with automatic adjustment for small screens, and New Tab gains options for pinning shortcuts.
- Mozilla strengthens user control over AI and maintains its discourse on privacy and open source.
- The browser is still far behind Chrome despite the push from choice screens in Europe.
Mozilla has launched Firefox 157 , a version that proudly features the redesign known internally as Nova, changing the browser's appearance on both desktop and mobile. The company has tweaked colors, icons, themes, tabs, toolbars, the New Tab page, and private browsing to offer a more modern look without sacrificing its core identity.
The move isn't just cosmetic. Firefox is undergoing this refresh in a context of modest market share compared to the dominance of Chrome and Chromium-based browsers like Edge. Mozilla itself admits that many users don't distinguish between the Firefox browser and a search engine, nor do they know what's behind engines like Gecko, Blink, or Chromium, so the redesign aims to capture the attention of those who have never considered switching.
What changes does Nova make to the interface?
Nova's visual language relies on rounded tabs, a curved address bar, and redesigned toolbars . The changes affect everyday browser elements and aim to give desktop and mobile a consistent identity, with updated colors and icons.
Mozilla maintains that this facelift doesn't negatively impact performance , a promise repeatedly made by the team and consistent with the idea of modernizing the browser without making it sluggish. The redesign comes after months of testing in development channels and a process that Mozilla wanted to complete without compromising the product's core functionality.
Compact mode, themes, and New Tab
One of the most celebrated new features is the return of Compact Mode , an option that reduces the space occupied by tabs and the toolbar to make more room for content. It includes an automatic adjustment for small screens, where every pixel counts.
- New theme selector with more styles, backgrounds, and customization options.
- New Tab page with more control to pin and organize shortcuts.
- Privacy controls and choice over artificial intelligence functions.
Personalization is gaining importance, but Mozilla insists that the user remains in control. Unlike other browsers that have incorporated assistants and smart features more or less by force, Firefox offers options to disable these capabilities and states that less than 10% of its engineering is currently dedicated to AI, using open models when it does integrate them. For those who want more control, they can change Firefox's custom theme according to their preferences.
The strategy behind the redesign
Ajit Varma, head of Firefox, has explained in several interviews that the goal is to create moments of consideration : instants when someone stops to choose a browser, not because of ideology, but because the experience convinces them. Paddy Harrington, an analyst at Forrester, sums up the main barrier with an uncomfortable phrase: the problem is that Firefox isn't Chrome.
In Europe, the Digital Markets Act has mandated browser choice screens on new devices. According to Mozilla, this regulatory window has helped gain users in the EU, including in Spain, although the company acknowledges that the overall trend remains upward. Another positive development has been the end of Manifest V2 support in Chrome, which left some complete ad blockers without a place in Chromium, while Firefox continues to support them.
Privacy, AI, and an uneasy dependency
Firefox maintains its focus on privacy, open source, and user control , but its financial situation introduces nuances. Most of its revenue depends on its agreement with Google to have Google's search engine appear as the default, an uneasy relationship because Google, its main financial backer, also owns Chrome and is the dominant force in the search market.
The redesign also raises questions about the limits of aesthetics. Varma argues that, by controlling the entire system and not simply creating a superficial fork of Chromium, Mozilla can make bolder changes. The problem is that many consumers continue to choose Chrome out of habit, because it comes pre-installed, syncs with their accounts, or is simply more familiar to them.
What does this mean for the Spanish user?
Anyone with the latest version of Firefox will notice the changes upon opening it, especially if they're looking for a less cluttered interface. Compact Mode, themes, and customizable New Tab are the most tangible improvements, while AI features take a backseat and can be turned off. This version is designed for both desktop and mobile , so the new look will be consistent across different devices.
For Spain, the redesign comes at a time when competition hinges as much on interface as on trust. The choice screens promoted by Brussels have given Mozilla an extra opportunity in the European market, but the browser still needs more than just a good visual finish to regain ground against Chrome.
Mozilla has made Firefox 157 a noticeable update, with Nova as its defining feature , the return of Compact Mode, and more customization options, but without abandoning its core principles of privacy and control. The key will be whether this new look is enough to encourage more people to try it in Spain and the rest of Europe, in a market where inertia clearly favors Google and its ecosystem.
