Rise of the cheap tablet: First Tesco, now Argos becomes the latest store to launch a cut-price device - and it costs less than £100

The 7-inch MyTablet costs £99.99 and will be on sale from 16 October
It runs Google's Android Jelly Bean and comes with 8GB of storage
The device is aimed at teenagers with parental controls enabled by default

PUBLISHED: 04:51 EST, 15 October 2013 | UPDATED: 06:41 EST, 15 October 2013

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High-street chain Argos is jumping on the budget tablet bandwagon by launching its own low-cost device in a bid to undercut rivals Tesco, Amazon and Google.

The 7-inch MyTablet costs just £99.99 - the same price as the Kindle Fire, £20 cheaper than Tesco's Hudl and Amazon's Kindle Fire HD, and £100 cheaper than Google's latest Nexus 7.

Argos has said the device is aimed at teenagers and will come with parental controls enabled by default when it goes on sale Wednesday.

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The 7-inch MyTablet, pictured, costs just £99.99. It runs Google's Android Jelly Bean and has 8GB of memory. Argos is pitching the device at teenagers and the MyTablet will come with parental controls enabled

Tech reviewer explains all the features of the £99.99 Argos...

The high-street retailer said the proportion of Argos sales via mobile devices, which include tablets, is now 15 per cent.

MyTablet runs Google's Android Jelly Bean operating system and comes preloaded with apps, including Facebook and Twitter, plus games and Skype.

'Millions of people have bought tablets during the last year but there is still around 75 per cent of the UK population without one.

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'We know that tablets will feature heavily on Christmas lists this year,' said John Walden, managing director of Argos.

'At just £99.99 the Argos MyTablet is highly competitive with a great specification.'

A spokesman added the device has been designed 'with teenagers in mind offering all the functionality of a traditional tablet with built-in parental controls for younger users.'

It is powered by a 1.6GHz dual-core processor and has with a 1024 x 600 resolution LCD screen - giving the MyTablet a pixel density of 169. Argos claims it has a five-hour battery life.

HOW DOES THE MYTABLET COMPARE TO RIVAL TABLETS?

Specification	Argos MyTablet	Tesco Hudl	New Google Nexus 7	iPad mini	Kindle Fire	Kindle Fire HD
Screen size	7-inches	7-inches	7-inches	7.9-inches	7-inches	7-inches
Resolution	1024 x 600	1440 x 900	1920 x 1200	1024 x 768	1024 x 600	1280 x 800
Pixels-per-inch (PPI)	169	237	323	163	170	216
Camera	2MP rear, 0.3MP front	3MP rear, 2MP front	5MP rear, 1.2 MP front	5MP rear, 1.2 MP front	N/A	1.3MP front-facing camera
Basic storage	8GB	16GB	16GB	16GB	16GB	16GB
Price*	From £99.99	From £119 (£60 with Clubcard Points)	From 16GB Wi-Fi £149	From £269	From £129**	From £119

*Direct from retailers. Prices may vary on third-party shops or during promotions

**Currently £99 on offer

Although this pixel density is lower than Google's 323 PPI and Tesco's 237 PPI, it is six points higher than Apple's iPad mini.

MyTablet comes with 8GB of memory - half the basic storage of other 7-inch tablets on the market - but does have a MicroSD port that supports an extra 32GB.

MyTablet will be available in pink, pictured, and silver.

MyTablet is available in pink, pictured, and silver. It goes on sale 16 October and is powered by a 1.6GHz dual-core processor

Elsewhere, the device has a built-in 2MP rear-facing camera plus a low-resolution 0.3MP front-facing camera, and has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

After Apple dominated the tablet market for years, Google was the first major company to challenge the iPad and, in particular, the later iPad mini with the launch of its Nexus 7 by Asus.

It was a budget tablet that went on sale for £159, compared to the iPad mini's £269, without compromising on the majority of features.

The search giant launched a Nexus 7 successor earlier this year that cost £199 and came with the world's highest resolution screen.

Tesco then took it a step further with the launch of its Hudl tablet last month.

The 7-inch Hudl costs just £119 and beats the majority of other budget tablets in terms of screen pixel density.

It could even be bought for as little as £60 when purchased with Clubcard vouchers.

At the launch, Tesco insisted it had not cut corners to produce the budget tablet and claimed it would beat similarly priced competitors ‘hands down’.

The Argos MyTablet is available from 16 October from the Argos website, through the Argos app or high-street stores.

WHAT DOES THE MYTABLET MEAN FOR THE MARKET?

Commenting on the rise of budget tablets, Stephen Ebbett, global director of gadget insurer Protect Your Bubble, told MailOnline: 'There will always be a market for luxe tablets like the iPad, favoured by early adopters and professionals, just as there will always be a market for budget, child-friendly slates.

'The average British family doesn't really care about having high-resolution screens, as long as they keep their kids quiet on long car journeys.

'That's why bargain-priced slates from trusted budget brands are worthy contenders for the booming two-tier tablet market. It's likely we'll see more sub £100 tablets emerge, but it's unlikely they'll match the quality of Hudl and MyTablet.'

While Oliver Folkard, technology expert at uSwitch.com, added: 'Following the launch of Microsoft’s pricey Surface slates and Tesco’s pocket-money priced Hudl, Argos’ effort is more evidence of how diverse the tablet market is becoming.

'With inevitable snobbery around retailer-branded devices, it's highly unlikely image-conscious teenagers will want to be seen out and about with an Argos or Tesco tablet. But young families who just want to keep kids entertained won't care.

'The Hudl and MyTablet have robust spec sheets, but are loss leaders for the retailers, so it's unlikely we'll see good quality entry-level tablets get much cheaper than £99.

'But such a low price tag could spell the end of the humble laptop for some consumers. Tablets are changing how and when we get online - and are truly portable. But it’s unlikely that cheap tablets will fully replace smartphones.'

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burns94, Brentwood, United Kingdom, moments ago

Most teenagers would want an iPad.

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Elle, Birmingham, moments ago

Hm it looks really cheap, like a child's toy. Stick with people who know what they are doing. Apple, Amazon, Google, Samsung all make great tablets.

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Micky082, North East, UK, moments ago

All I'll say is you get what you pay for.

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MstBaster, London, moments ago

I once bought a cheap tablet, couldn't get it to work with GPS, not in the slightest. Major compatibility problems. I ended up throwing it away. Complete waste of money. I wrote to the supplier, they tried to give me some blurb about it does work, but as an IT professional with 20 years experience, I had spent something like 8 hours struggling to get it to work and failed. BE VERY careful what you buy if it's cheap and not one of the well known brands like, Apple, Asus, Samsung.