Has Tesco improved upon its surprise hit tablet?
Tesco has revealed its second ever tablet following last year’s hugely successful Hudl, but the Hudl 2 appears to be an entirely different proposition.
The first Tesco Hudl took everyone by surprise — including, it seemed, Tesco itself. Now the UK retail giant knows exactly what it has on its hands, and has come up with a vastly improved device.
So, here we have the Tesco Hudl 2, which promises to provide more power and a bigger, better screen the original and all at the same £130 launch price. Here’s how the two compare.
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Tesco Hudl 2 vs Tesco Hudl: Design
Tesco Hudl 2: polycarbonate body, super slim design
Tesco Hudl: 16:10 aspect ratio, polycarbonate body, 370g, 9.85mm thick
We’ve had to be a little vague here, as Tesco hasn’t released a number of the key specs for the Hudl 2, including its weight and thickness.
You can bet that the Hudl 2 is a little heavier than the 370g Hudl, due to the latter’s display. It’s also a longer, less square tablet.
Tesco has stuck with the same soft-touch matte-plastic material for the rear shell, which makes it pleasantly plush and grippy to hold.
On a practical note, Tesco has also managed to squeeze in a set of Dolby-optimised speakers on the back of the Hudl 2 that apparently simulate the placement of surround sound speakers whether you’re listening through the speakers or the headphones.
Tesco Hudl 2 vs Tesco Hudl: Display
Tesco Hudl 2: 8.3-inch, 1920 x 1200 HD
Tesco Hudl: 7-inch, 1,400 x 900 HD
This is arguably the biggest difference between the Hudl and the Hudl 2. While the original tablet had a 7-inch display, the Hudl 2 moves to a new category with its 8.3-inch screen.
That puts it closer to the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4, and bang in between the 7.9-inch iPad mini 2 Retina and the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9.
It’s not just the screen size that has received a boost for the Hudl 2, it’s also sharper. It’s now 1920 x 1200 rather than 1400 x 900.
That works out to a more pixel-dense display, 273ppi as opposed to the original’s 242ppi. All-in-all, it’s a big improvement.
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Tesco Hudl 2 vs Tesco Hudl: CPU and RAM
Tesco Hudl 2: Intel Atom quad-core processor, 1.83GHz, 2GB RAM
Tesco Hudl: A9 quad-core processor, 1.5GHz 1GB RAM
The second biggest improvement over the original Tesco Hudl is the Hudl 2’s power. Whereas the original came with a budget 1.5GHz quad-core ARM CPU, the Hudl 2 comes with an Intel Atom quad-core CPU clocked at 1.83MHz.
That’s a much faster chip, and we found the difference to be instantly noticeable during our time with the tablet.
This difference could also be attributed to the Hudl 2 having double the amount of RAM of the first Hudl, 2GB versus 1GB.
Tesco Hudl 2 vs Tesco Hudl: Software
Tesco Hudl 2: Android 4.4.2
Tesco Hudl: Android 4.2.2
Original Tesco Hudl users benefited from a near-stock version of Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, but they’ve been waiting for an upgrade to Android 4.4 KitKat for a while now.
The Tesco Hudl 2, on the other hand, ships with Android 4.4.2 KitKat. It’s the quickest, slickest version of the OS yet, and Tesco’s tampering has been similarly light.
Sure, you get a bunch of Tesco-themed widgets for Clubcard usage, Blinkbox, online shopping, and the like. But you can remove those from the homescreen, leaving only the little Tesco ‘T’ in the corner as a shortcut to these services.
Mindful of the original Hudl’s popularity as a kid’s tablet, Tesco has fitted the Hudl 2 out with multiple user profile support and a Child Safety mode to keep kids away from unsuitable content.
Tesco Hudl 2 vs Tesco Hudl: Cameras
Tesco Hudl 2: 5MP main camera, 1.2MP front camera
Tesco Hudl: 3MP main camera, 2MP front camera
Taking photos on your tablet still seems a little daft to us, but we see enough iPads and Android tablets held aloft at public events to know that we’re perhaps in the minority here.
As such, the Hudl 2 comes with a superior 5-megapixel camera. The original Hudl had a 3-megapixel example.
More important, to our eyes, is the inclusion of an improved 2-megapixel front-facing camera rather than the first Hudl’s 1.2-megapixel unit. This should improve the performance of video calls significantly.
Tesco Hudl 2 vs Tesco Hudl: Storage
Tesco Hudl 2: 16GB internal storage, microSD up to 48GB
Tesco Hudl: 16GB internal storage, microSD up to 48GB
About the only way in which the Tesco Hudl 2 and the Tesco Hudl are matched, aside from that brilliant £130 launch price, is storage. Both come with 16GB of internal storage, and have a microSD slot for expansion up to 48GB.
Early Verdict
It’s a bit of a no-brainer this, even ahead of a full review. Barring any unforeseen battery life or performance disasters, the Hudl 2 is set-up to be a vast improvement. It’s faster and sharper, and it comes with a more recent version of the Android OS. We’re impressed.
Next, read our Best Tablets round-up
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
