Tesco Smartphone To Arrive Before 2014 Ends

Emboldened by its relative success in its first tablet entry, British retailer Tesco has made it known that it seeks to out yet another Android device. This time, however, it will be going for a much coveted and much crowded smartphone market and it plans to do so before the year ends.

Perhaps it was encouraged by the fact that the 7-inch Hudl tablet, pictured above, sold over 550,000 units, which isn't that bad considering it came from a name not usually associated with mobile devices. Or perhaps it felt compelled after hearing the mass of rumors surrounding a possible Amazon smartphone. Whatever the reason or the inspiration, Tesco plans to join the smartphone race and, to the surprise of no one, it will be using Android as its horse.

Tesco is setting its sights higher this time. Unlike the Hudl, which can probably be categorized as a mid-tier budget tablet, Tesco's smartphone is claimed to have specs comparable to the Samsung Galaxy S5. If true, even if it were to launch only by the end of this year, it will still be sporting some very decent hardware. That is, of course, if the schedule goes as planned, which it almost never does.

It might even match the Galaxy S5 in terms of so-called bloatware. Naturally, Tesco will be pre-loading its apps and services on the smartphone. It might not be all that bad as the retailer is working on a smartphone app that will let buyers scan and pay for their goods directly, thereby skipping checkout hell.

At this point, much about this Tesco smartphone is still a mystery, including the price. Part of the Hudl's appeal was that it came with a 119 GBP price tag, around $201 on our side of the pond. Given Tesco's ambitions for the smartphone, it might be asking for a higher amount. Tesco is also planning to do a follow up to its tablet, called the Hudl 2. Details about this one are also scarce, but it is slated to be completely revealed by September.

VIA: The Next Web