Tesco Hudl 2 review – discontinued but not forgotten

Android 4.4

Tesco has largely left Android 4.4.2 alone, but its custom launcher has nicer fonts and a transparent background for the app tray compared to stock Android. This custom launcher also give you easy access to Tesco’s own widgets (you’re asked if you want to sign in to your Tesco account as well as Google when you first turn on the tablet) showing information such as Clubcard points, your nearest Tesco and new recipes.

You can always delete them if they prove too bothersome, but you may find them useful if you’re a regular Tesco shopper. The one thing we didn’t like about the Tesco launcher was the jerky animation when flicking to the Tesco widgets page.

Tesco has also added a couple of custom apps. The first two are a sort of friendly introduction to the world of Android, which the less tech-savvy Tesco shopper may appreciate. ‘Get started’ takes you through how to use your tablet, and ‘Top apps’ gives you Tesco’s pick of the Google Play store, divided into categories such as Movies, Music, Reading, Gaming and so on. Both apps are well designed and look great; the Hudl 2 certainly feels like a professionally put together piece of kit.

The Hudl 2 feels tough enough to give to your kids, and families will appreciate the Child Safety app. This lets you add profiles for up to seven members of your family, and set the web pages they can view, the apps they can use and at what times of day they can use their tablet, and for how long. The software asks for each child’s age and sets defaults accordingly, and altering each child’s profile is simple.

Camera

The original Hudl’s 3.2-megapixel camera was poor, and the Hudl 2’s 5-megapixel sensor isn’t brilliant either. Images look low-resolution and smeary with little detail; the camera is the most obvious place where costs have been cut. Still, a  camera is arguably less important on a tablet than a smartphone, so we can forgive this flaw, particularly on such an inexpensive tablet. 

Conclusion

We liked the original Hudl, which we considered basic but great value, but the Hudl 2 is a vast improvement. The tablet’s design, screen and parental control software are great, and although the tablet isn’t a spectacular performer, it’s certainly quick enough. The only disappointment is the battery life, making this more a tablet for the home than for travelling. Despite this, for £99, there’s just nothing that can touch it, and if you’re a savvy Tesco Clubcard user you don’t even need to pay anything at all, as Tesco’s ClubCard Boost lets you turn every £5 of ClubCard vouchers into £10 off the tablet. The Hudl 2 is a massive bargain, and a Best Buy.