The Web App Manifest defines a display mode called "minimal-ui" which is similar to standalone with some minimal browser ui in order to allow some basic features (reload, navigation, etc.).
We believe that some websites might not be able to switch to "standalone" or "fullscreen" display modes because of some missing browser features. Such a display mode could help them in the direction of a PWA look and feel.
Comment 1 by paulkinlan@chromium.org
, Apr 18 2016