Tesco Hudl

For the computer software, see Hudl.

The Tesco Hudl is a tablet computer launched by British retailer Tesco in 2013.^[3] The device featured a seven-inch screen, a 1.5 GHz quad-core processor and 16 GB of internal flash memory (expandable up to 64 GB).^[4] The Hudl ran the Android Jelly Bean operating system^[5] and was manufactured by Wistron.

Tesco Hudl

Tesco Hudl with case attached
Developer	Tesco
Manufacturer	Wistron
Type	Tablet computer
Release date	30 September 2013 (2013-09-30)
Introductory price	£119.00[1]
Discontinued	October 22, 2015 (2015-10-22)[2]
Units sold	500,000
Operating system	Android Jelly Bean[1]
System on a chip	Quad-core Rockchip RK3188 w/ Mali 400 Graphics[1]
CPU	1.5 GHz[1]
Memory	1 GB RAM[1]
Storage	16 GB flash memory[1]
Display	IPS 7-inch (18 cm) LCD display 1440 × 900 px (242 ppi; 95.3 ppcm) (WSXGA) 16:10 aspect ratio (1080p HDMI output)[1]
Camera	720p HD video; 3 MP rear (autofocus) 2 MP front (fixed-focus)
Connectivity	Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n) Bluetooth 4.0 Micro-USB Micro-HDMI[1]
Dimensions	192.8 mm (7.59 in) H 128.8 mm (5.07 in) W 9.85 mm (0.388 in) D[1]
Weight	370 grams (0.82 lb)[1]
Successor	Tesco Hudl 2
Website	tesco.com/hudl

In April 2014, it was announced that Tesco had sold 500,000 Hudl tablets since launch, and a new model was planned.^[6] The second generation Hudl 2 was announced in October 2014.^[7] However, in October 2015, the brand was discontinued.^[2]

Rooting

The Tesco Hudl was mostly vanilla Android with only some vendor customisation, and therefore could be rooted.^[8] The root required users to flash an altered file which grants root permissions.^[8]

Accessories

A range of accessories were available for the device, including a leather case, a soft-touch case, ear-bud headphones, children's headphones, a protective bumper case, a screen protection kit and recharging cables.

Discontinuation and server shutdown

On 26 June 2020, one of Tesco's main support server SSL certificates expired and Tesco did not renew it. This meant that whilst the server was still available, technical workarounds were required in order to access it. This does not affect the day-to-day use of the Hudl tablet, but causes massive problems when a factory reset is performed. During part of the start up process, the tablet attempts to access this server, but the attempt is always unsuccessful (because of the invalid SSL certificate). This effectively blocks the start up process and completely bricks the device. The error is displayed as a WiFi problem. As stated, there are workarounds that can fix the problem (by changing the system date on the tablet), but they will only work for as long as the Tesco server remains operational – a Tesco server switch off is an inevitability with an unknown timeframe. For this reason it is strongly recommended that users do not factory reset Hudl devices.^[9][10]