14 DAY TRIAL // With the release of supermarket giant Tesco’s new budget tablet, the competition in the 7-inch tablet market has just intensified greatly.
As the company is offering the slate at a super competitive price of £119 / $192 / €142, it’s natural that the Hudl will be in direct competition with other low cost attractive slates like the Amazon Kindle Fire HD and Google’s Nexus 7 (2013). That’s because the Amazon Kindle HD retails at the starting price of £159 / $257 / €190 while the Google Nexus 7’s price starts at £199 / $192 / €238.
Let’s take a look at each of them and see which offers the most attractive configuration in terms of hardware and software.
From the three slates, the Nexus 7 is the one offering the best screen resolution at 1920 x 1200. The Amazon slate follows with its 1200 x 800, with the Hudl completing the triad at 1140 x 900.
In the processor department, however, Tesco delivers the same quad-core 1.5GHz chip as the Nexus 7 (which is a Snapdragon S4 Pro model), while the Amazon only has a 1.2GHz.
If you’re really looking to purchase a light weight device, the Nexus 7 is possible the most slender of the three at just 290 g / 0.63 lbs as Tesco’s slate has only been reported to be easily manageable. The Kindle Fire is quite bulky in comparison, with its 395 g / 0.87 lbs.
Now in the software department, the Tesco and Amazon slates provide a gateway towards their own branded products. Two slates run versions the Android operating system (4.3 in Nexus, 4.2.2 in Hudl), but Amazon runs its own tweaked OS also based on Android.
Amazon offers quick access to its immense data base of books, music and video, but access to the Google Play Store is restricted. Likewise, Tesco offers facilities on its tablets for dedicated shoppers, like the ability to manage shopping finances and to set up grocery lists. However, those who prefer the uncluttered Android experience will probably go with the Google Nexus.
In the end, when it comes to making a choice, it all boils down to what the customer is looking for – a sleeker screen and a decent processors as you’d get with the Google Nexus, unlimited access to all kinds of media and eBooks provided by the Amazon Kindle, or an interface meant to engage ardent shoppers coupled with a bit of TV streaming and casual browsing.
