Tesco shelves smartphone plan but Hudl 2 tablet due 'in the next few weeks'
The UK's largest grocery retailer, Tesco, has put on hold plans to launch a low-priced smartphone, saying that it wants to concentrate on a new version of its Hudl tablet which is due to be unveiled soon.
Back in May, Tesco announced its plans to bring out a smartphone after the successful launch of the Hudl tablet in September 2013. However, in a statement on the company's website, Robin Terrell, Tesco’s multichannel director, said that the company had decided to put the phone on hold.
Explaining the decision further, Terrell said that the company had been confident that it "could offer customers something we saw was lacking in the mobile market: an affordable, quality 4G smartphone handset". But now, he said, the technology sector is changing so fast that in early July, he took the decision "that we would put the phone on hold and concentrate on the Hudl 2 tablet".
The Android-powered Hudl is available at Tesco for £99, with a soft carrying case costing £3.75. The company said it now has sold more than half a million of the tablets.
Terrell said the Hudl 2 will "improves on just about every area of its predecessor, from screen size to speed, design and accessories" and said "the opportunity remains strong in the tablet market".
Where the first Hudl was used mainly "as a secondary device", the Hudl 2 has "the capability to take its place as customers' primary tablet in the home", he said.