Tesco has “no plans” for Hudl 3
Despite their popularity, Tesco confirms that its range of Hudl tablets have been put on hold
Tesco’s Hudl 2 tablet is arguably the best budget tablet around. Despite launching last October, it’s successfully driven off much of its cut-price competition since it first came out, but it now seems the Hudl 2 will be the last of its kind, as Tesco has just confirmed that a potential Hudl 3 is decidedly off the cards.
A Tesco spokesman broke the news to Marketing Magazine, saying it has “no plans” to release a third Hudl tablet. When asked what this meant for the future of Tesco’s Hudl range, the spokesperson said that there was “nothing planned at the moment.”
This will no doubt come as sad news for Hudl fans, as it was one of the greatest Android tablets you could buy for under £100. While its battery life wasn’t brilliant, the Hudl 2 had a decent screen and fast internals, making it excellent value for money.
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Of course, that doesn’t mean Hudl is gone for good, as “no plans at the moment” could suggest it might still resurface at some point in the future. However, Marketing Magazine has also learned that several employees who worked on the Hudl and Hudl 2, including the Hudl 2’s lead Android engineer Kirwan Lyster, are no longer involved with Tesco, casting a rather large shadow over any further tablet launches. Likewise, Marketing Magazine reported that a source with knowledge of the matter has also confirmed to them that a Hudl 3 will likely never appear.
It’s not just Hudl tablets that Tesco is killing off, though, as it also closed its digital eBook service Blinkbox Books back in January of this year, and sold its Blinkbox on-demand video service and Tesco Mobile network to TalkTalk a few months later.
The Hudl 2 is still worth buying, but as stocks gradually run out it leaves the race for best budget tablet wide open, with the nearest competitors being the £150 Asus MeMO Pad ME572C and Amazon’s ultra-cheap £50 Fire tablet. To keep up to date with all our top tablet picks, check out our regularly updated Buying Guide and Best Tablets 2015 article.