Tesco launches Hudl 2 tablet

Tuesday, October 7, 2014 - 09:29 by Simon Crisp

While Tesco may be in hot water at the moment after overestimating its profits by £250 million, it remains a powerful force in British retail and has reiterated its strength with the launch of the Hudl 2 tablet this month.

Priced at £129, which is a tenner more than its predecessor, it packs a lot into an affordable device and avoids some of the pitfalls of other tablet ranges that are linked directly to retailers, such as the Amazon Kindle Fire family.

The Hudl 2 boasts an 8.3 inch screen with a 1080p resolution, which is a great inclusion for a device of this price. It also has a quad core processor built by Intel, which, in turn, allows it to support a mini HDMI output, making it possible to connect the tablet to a TV for some big screen fun.

This device runs Android straight out of the box and Tesco has added some all-important parental controls to the mix, so that it is safe for kids to use the tablet without encountering inappropriate content.

While you can use the Hudl 2 to shop online through Tesco’s official channels, it is not overbearingly loaded with own-brand software. And with full access to the Google Play store, there are millions of downloads to access.

Early impressions suggest that this is not the slickest tablet experience on the market, but buyers are unlikely to be put off given the low asking price.

What you do get is a durable tablet with a decent sized display and all the connectivity options you could want. So for carrying out safe shopping online from the comfort of your sofa, or letting the kids play games to keep them entertained in the car, it could be a bit of a bargain.