What Tesco Smartphones and Tablets Could Mean for the Mobile Casino Industry

Tesco smartphones

Good news for mobile gamblers: Tesco is planning to launch a new smartphone, along with an updated version of its Hudl tablet.

The mobile gaming industry is at an all-time peak, offering thousands of games and application for customers of all ages. Now it’s the phone industry’s turn to do its part and bring affordable smartphones to the market. But while Samsung and Apple have no problem at all selling their phones and tablets at high prices, other companies are trying to compete with the two giants by offering something cheaper.

This is exactly what British company Tesco is trying doing to do. The grocery and general merchandise retailer recently announced its plans to launch its own Android smartphone by the end of the year. Rumor has it the device is aiming to be an affordable alternative to some of the most popular phones, including the Samsung Galaxy S5.

In the world of gambling, cheaper smartphones mean instant profits for the mobile casino industry too. If more people can afford to buy these devices, it means that more players will be able to enjoy the advantages of gambling on the go.

Tesco going mobile

The first details on Tesco’s own smartphone were first revealed at the beginning of May, by chief executive officer Philip Clarke. Of course, mobile casino games were not what he had in mind when he came up with the idea. Tesco is actually hoping to take advantage of consumer trends such as mobile shopping.

According to British media, traditional retailers are starting to lose ground, as more and more local customers do their shopping online or via their mobile phones, or simply use the Internet to check prices at rival retailers while they’re at the store. But the company thinks it has found a solution for this problem.

Just like Tesco’s Hudl tablet, the new smartphone will be pre-loaded with mobile apps for Tesco’s shopping sites and digital services. A smartphone-based banking service planned for the near future will complete the package. Clarke refused to reveal more details about the price or specifications of the new Android phone.

While top-of-the-line models such as the Samsung Galaxy S5, Sony Xperia Z2 or HTC One M8 might be too powerful to take down, tech experts have speculated that Tesco’s phone could be a suitable rival for the Google Nexus 5, a device which is already about GBP 200 cheaper than popular smartphones.

There are a number of online casinos offering mobile versions for Android phones, so this is great news for both European and Asian gamblers who will have access to the cheap device.

New tablet coming out in September

But the good news doesn’t stop here. Tesco is also planning to launch a new version of its Hudl tablet, and this could be another cheap option for mobile gamblers. The budget Android-powered device has been successful so far, so the company thought about giving it an upgrade.

According to local media, the Hudl 2 will come with an 8.2-inch 1920x1200p display, Android 4.4.2, 1.83GHz quad-core Intel Z3735D processor and 2GB of RAM. With 16GB of internal storage, a 5MP rear camera, a second 1.2MP front camera and Wi-Fi support, this is more than any mobile gambler could wish for.

Priced at GBP 119, the Hudl has been quite popular so far. The tablet was launched last year in September. Seven months later, Tesco proudly announced that it had sold 500,000 of them. The new version should be launched this September and is expected to do even better.

Smart phone, smart gambling

With the mobile industry growing all over the world, the battle of budget smartphones has begun. After the Kindle Fire tablet proved to be a huge success, Amazon is preparing to release its own-brand Android phone. So is Mozilla, the developer who brought Internet users the Firefox browser. Mozilla’s prototype is nothing fancy, but it only costs $25.

Other companies have already proved that they can create perfectly good, affordable devices. Mobile phone operator EE has also recently launched the cheapest 4G smartphone in the UK, the GBP 99 EE Kestrel, and Motorola sells its Moto G for under GBP 100, but lacks 4G.

All these affordable smartphones make it easy for gamblers to access their favorite mobile games wherever they are. So prepare for a new wave of mobile casino fever, because all of these products will help the gambling industry reach never-before-seen levels.