Tesco puts its name to a budget 7-inch tablet in the UK: the 119 Hudl (hands-on)

Not content with flogging other people's smartphones and tablets, now UK supermarket chain Tesco has become the latest to launch one of its own. Priced at £119 and available from September 30th, the Hudl features a 7-inch (1,440 x 900 pixel) display for watching those Blinkbox titles in 720p, quad-core 1.5GHz processor, stock Android 4.2.2, microSD expansion beyond the 16GB of internal storage and, according to Tesco, will last around 9 hours on a full charge. Some of the specs, such as dual WiFi antennas stereo speakers (on the rear face) seem carefully designed to square up against Amazon's elderly (and soon-to-be-replaced) Kindle Fire HD, which, at £160, may suddenly look expensive beside the Hudl. Amazon, however, can claim the stronger ecosystem, while Google's Nexus 7 boasts better all-round hardware.

The device is slightly chubby and plasticky, as you'd expect, but it's not some rebadge. Tesco says it worked directly with a manufacturer according to its own design. Also to the retailer's credit, the tablet feels sturdy, which seems to be a theme with certain optional Hudl-branded accessories too, including a pair of headphones and a rubbery case that are intended to be child-friendly. Tesco says it will offer double rewards on ClubCard vouchers, allowing customers to get the device for free if they have enough points for a £60 voucher. There's also an offer coming on Blinkbox vouchers, designed to help boost the Hudl -- we hear vouchers will be half-price next week, so you'll be able to get £20 of streaming content for a tenner.

Update: Hands-on video added after the break!%Gallery-slideshow89967%

Filed under: Tablets

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