ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The Murena Pill is obtainable 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 tablet customers, myself included, battle to really embrace an Android machine. It is arduous to flee the bloatware and Google-ification that comes with Android tablets and easily use the machine for its capabilities. All I need is a pill for leisure, gentle work, and video games that is not slowed down by extras or monitoring my use.
Additionally: Finally, an Android tablet that I wouldn’t mind putting my iPad Pro away for
It is a massive purpose why I largely choose Apple units, together with iPads, over Android. However the Murena Pixel Tablet is a ready-made, de-Googled Android pill you should buy that does not require tinkering or work in your finish. And after testing it for just a few weeks
The Murena Pill runs on /e/OS, a customized Android model developed by Murena, an organization targeted 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 just a few 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 totally different ranges of Android tablets and iPads, switching to the Murena pill is releasing: there are not any compelled ecosystems or distractions. You really 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 tested Samsung’s largest tablet, and it gave me zero iPad Pro envy
To get probably the most non-public 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 might 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 machine through SMS, a CryptPad-powered Murena Vault for cloud storage, and detailed privateness studies 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 comparable. The one slight distinction is within the Murena Pill’s decrease GPU scores, that are probably because of the lack of Google graphics libraries and driver tuning.
Additionally: I did not expect this $300 Android tablet to be as impressive as it is
When you think about a privacy-focused pill, you might instantly consider an iPad. These are typically extra non-public than your common Android tablets, due to Apple’s efforts to guard person knowledge, however you are still locked into Apple’s ecosystem whenever you use an iPad. Whereas Apple might not promote your knowledge if you happen to choose out of monitoring, it nonetheless is aware of your habits.
The Murena Pill offers customers extra independence from massive tech: there isn’t any Apple or Google concerned, and no account is required to make use of it.
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
In the event you’re an Android fan who needs extra management over your privateness and digital life, the Murena Tablet is presently one of the 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 replaced my Kindle with an iPad Mini as my ebook reader – 8 reasons why I don’t regret it
Other than having a extra non-public expertise, the Murena Pill is barely quicker 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 attributable to processing efficiency.
