The run-up to Christmas will see a welter of spending on electronics of all kinds, with purchasers ranging from people keen to give “the best” (whether phones or tablets) to those looking more for a robust result at a shopper-friendly price – particularly in the families and children market.

One of the deadliest battlegrounds in the spending war will surely be the unequal struggle between the hard copy book, traditionally a big seller at Christmas but now going “niche”, and the Nook, Kindle, etc – which despite recession woes could see sales spin into overdrive during the peak gift-buying season.

Another, of course, is the rather different arena whose main players include iPad – a brand name so famous it can definitely hope for a yuletide boost to sales.

But more recently a low-cost entry to the tablets market from Tesco has been raising eyebrows – not just because it’s cheap (£119) by comparison with some broadly comparable rivals, but because its technical spec certainly isn’t in the “just like Daddy’s” category. It runs an up to date version of Android, backed by a 1.5 GHz processor, an HD screen and expandable storage.

If some of the professional reviewers may seem a little sniffy about this upstart – one complains it has a “my first tablet” style of layout, although new users may find that an advantage - few if any are openly hostile. The consensus seems to be that the adoption of the tablet by one of Britain’s massive multiple supermarket retailers was only a matter of time.

That being the case, the item in question – the Hudl - had to be price-attractive, but also carry the quality credentials necessary to assure the average customer he or she is getting a “serious” item that’s reliable and up to reasonable wear and tear.

One reviewer notes that while the cheaper Androids often have tinny-sounding speakers which distort sound at any volume that’s not the case with the Hudl, Meanwhile it can reportedly be expected to run for anything from seven to nine hours, depending on which review you believe.

Naturally it has am inbuilt sales advantage, in that it has a solid advertising presence on the ground, in virtually every high street in the country – and another is that the brand name itself gently nudges the buyer towards embedded links to Tesco products and services.

In fact it is perfectly possible to ignore the Tesco merchandising side of things – which are accessed through a non-intrusive T-logo icon – but the supermarket giant will have done its sums, and will have a very good idea of what percentage of Hudl users will also use it to buy from Tesco on a regular basis.

Could be it will be seen as utilitarian rather than “special”, and will be most suited to the sort of person who doesn’t really want to get too heavily involved with the technical details of its operating system.

But despite Hudl’s apparent lack of “glamour” it may be able to woo buyers across a much wider age spectrum than some of its rivals. Its “dependable” bread-and-butter brand name is a definite plus too.

The Tesco Hudl tablet price is an eye-catcher, naturally, but while some have suggested the profit margin is so slight the firm can’t expect it to be a financial success they are overlooking the incremental retail sales it could generate as mass ownership takes off – and of course that can only be achieved if large numbers of ordinary buyers are attracted to buy it in the first place.

There are various other lures built into the package, and many regular Tesco users – already used to the in-house reward schemes – may well bolt it on to their usual preferences.

So it is a neatly calculated piece of equipment (with a built-in shopping bonus if you’re a regular Tesco user) and while the company already appears pleased by its running-in performance it will be hoping for major success between now and January.

It’s up against strong competition, of course, but its early track record – 35,000 sold almost immediately upon launch – is impressive. Only post-festive sales figures will show whether the system is a long-term winner, but in the budget tablet league the Hudl has already proved itself a serious contender.