ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The Murena Pill is out there beginning at $549 for the 128GB model.
- This de-Googled Pixel Pill runs on /e/OS, a customized model of Android 13 that removes all default Google providers, trackers, and bloatware
- Getting a de-Googled Murena Pill comes at a premium with no speaker dock, for $549, whereas the Google Pixel Pill alone begins at $399 (presently $299) at $479 with a dock.
Many pill customers, myself included, wrestle to really embrace an Android gadget. It is onerous to flee the bloatware and Google-ification that comes with Android tablets and easily use the gadget for its capabilities. All I would like is a pill for leisure, gentle work, and video games that is not slowed down by extras or monitoring my use.
Additionally: Lastly, an Android pill that I would not thoughts placing my iPad Professional away for
It is a massive motive why I largely desire Apple units, together with iPads, over Android. However the Murena Pixel Pill is a ready-made, de-Googled Android pill you should purchase that does not require tinkering or work in your finish. And after testing it for a couple of weeks
The Murena Pill runs on /e/OS, a customized Android model developed by Murena, an organization centered on privacy-first units. It’s a de-Googled Pixel Pill, so it’s bodily the identical {hardware} as Google’s pill, however skips the bloatware and monitoring that comes with Android.
A de-Googled pill would not come preloaded with the Google apps you get with different out-of-the-box Android tablets. It has a couple of apps from Murena, like an app retailer, browser, e-mail, and so on. However as a substitute of the 60+ apps that come preloaded in your Google Pixel Pill (and different Android tablets, for that matter), the Murena Pill solely comes with 23.
Utilizing the Murena Pill on a day-to-day foundation is a refreshing expertise. When you get used to completely different ranges of Android tablets and iPads, switching to the Murena pill is liberating: there are not any compelled ecosystems or distractions. You actually select your apps and providers, all the way down to deciding whether or not you employ an account together with your pill or not.
Additionally: I examined Samsung’s largest pill, and it gave me zero iPad Professional envy
To get probably the most personal expertise, I selected to not use a registered account with my Murena Pill. I am nonetheless capable of obtain apps and use them as I’d and log into my most well-liked apps, like Gmail and YouTube, if I select to take action. However I get to decide on to have these apps on my pill and the way a lot data I share with apps like these.
Murena simply introduced the /e/OS 3.0 replace, which features a new Qwant-powered search engine, known as Murena Discover. The replace additionally provides stronger parental controls, speech-to-text messaging, the power to discover a gadget by way of SMS, a CryptPad-powered Murena Vault for cloud storage, and detailed privateness stories on app monitoring.
Murena Pixel Pill (left) and the Google Pixel Pill (proper).
Maria Diaz/ZDNET
| Geekbench 6 scores | Beginning value | Single-Core CPU Benchmark | Multi-Core CPU Benchmark | GPU benchmark |
| Murena Pill | $549 | 1,477 | 3,867 | 4,158 |
| Google Pixel Pill | $399 | 1,451 | 3,787 | 4,961 |
| Lenovo Concept Tab Professional (2025) | $290 | 1,408 | 4,525 | 7,977 |
| iPad 10 | $299 | 2,083 | 4,902 | 16,973 |
The Murena Pill and the Google Pixel Pill are each the identical pill, it is the identical {hardware}, so benchmark scores are unsurprisingly fairly related. The one slight distinction is within the Murena Pill’s decrease GPU scores, that are seemingly because of the lack of Google graphics libraries and driver tuning.
Additionally: I didn’t anticipate this $300 Android pill to be as spectacular as it’s
When you think about a privacy-focused pill, it’s possible you’ll instantly consider an iPad. These are usually extra personal than your common Android tablets, due to Apple’s efforts to guard consumer knowledge, however you are still locked into Apple’s ecosystem once you use an iPad. Whereas Apple could not promote your knowledge when you choose out of monitoring, it nonetheless is aware of your habits.
The Murena Pill offers customers extra independence from massive tech: there is no Apple or Google concerned, and no account is required to make use of it.
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
If you happen to’re an Android fan who desires extra management over your privateness and digital life, the Murena Pill is presently the very best privacy-focused Android pill. It is a ready-made, de-Googled pill that you simply need not tinker with or flash an OS on. The Murena Pill requires no work, solely than you to set it up such as you would some other pill.
Additionally: I changed my Kindle with an iPad Mini as my e-book reader – 8 explanation why I do not remorse it
Except for having a extra personal expertise, the Murena Pill is barely sooner in on a regular basis use. It has no bloatware, so you’ll be able to breeze by most duties and apps and never fear about your apps randomly crashing or glitching as a result of processing efficiency.
