Tesco unveils plan for smartphone
Tesco’s got plans to launch its first smartphone by the end of 2014, the BBC reports.
The supermarket’s chief executive Philip Clarke, speaking on Radio 5 live’s Wake Up to Money, said the own-brand phone would be pre-installed with Tesco services. It’ll run on Google’s Android software with hardware similar to Samsung’s Galaxy S5.
Tesco has sold half a million units of its Hudl tablet, with a new version – the Hudl 2 – out this September.
Whereas the Hudl, priced at £119, entered the market at the budget end, the smartphone is expected to be higher end, but still aggressively priced.
Speaking on outlook for Tesco, Clarke, who’s been spearheading efforts to turn the store’s fortunes around, referred to the “New Tesco” it's working on building. It plans to open 12 of its big stores this year, but no large Tesco Extras. This is, he said, “the end of new big stores”.