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agentTools:
  projectIndex: https://support.speedcurve.com/llms.txt
---

# Synthetic update: Chrome 88, Firefox 85, Lighthouse 7.2

Updated test agents will be rolled on Monday 1 March (NZDT) to all regions. They include updates to several pieces of core software, including:

* Chrome has been updated from version 84 to 88
* Firefox has been updated from version 78 to 85
* Lighthouse has been updated from version 6.1.1 to 7.2.0
* SpeedCurve now uses Lighthouse's own simulated throttling to more closely match how Lighthouse runs in other environments. This should not have a noticeable impact on your Lighthouse scores.

There have been several changes in Chrome that may affect your metrics, including some general performance improvements as well as [changes to some Web Vitals metrics.](https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromium/src/+/master/docs/speed/metrics_changelog/README.md) While we can't predict how these changes will affect your pages, in general, we have noticed the following trends:

* Lighthouse performance scores are generally consistent, but are lower for some pages due to LCP and CLS changes mentioned below.
* CPU scripting time and other CPU-bound metrics like First CPU Idle are slightly lower (JS execution is faster).
* CPU layout time is lower (layouts are faster).
* Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) is slightly higher for some pages. This is more pronounced on mobile.
* Largest Contentful Paint is higher for some pages.