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commentary I’m not sure I understand what Motorola was doing last week when it announced three Droid Razr models for the remainder of 2012.
On one hand, I get that an iconic company like Moto wants to show that it’s still in the game. And I understand the benefit in giving customers choices. In this case, however, the number of choices is simply too much. While I see the value in both the Droid Razr M and the Droid Razr Maxx HD, I don’t see a need for the Droid Razr HD.
Looking at the official specifications for both the Droid Razr HD and the Droid Razr Maxx HD, I see very little difference between the two. Because of its higher-capacity battery, the Maxx HD is slightly thicker and heavier. But aside from that and the different storage capacities (16GB vs. 32GB), there’s very little difference between them. And, really, who isn’t going to simply toss in a 32GB microSD card right away?
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Yes, the Droid Razr Maxx HD comes with the industry-leading 3,300mAh battery, promising up to 32 hours of mixed usage. But you know what? The Droid Razr HD’s 2,530mAh battery is no slouch.
Consider that the HTC One X features an 1,800mAh battery, while the Samsung Galaxy S III comes with a 2,100 mAh battery. On paper, the Droid Razr HD is already a clear winner on this front. My question is, why doesn’t Motorola just commit to one or the other?
Although we’ve yet to hear pricing on all three of these new models, I suspect it will range from $99 to $199 or $99 or $249 with two-year service agreements. So what is it, three price points for three types of users? It’s not hard to imagine a consumer asking about the Droid Razr HD and getting talked into the bigger, badder counterpart for just a bit more.
I fear that Motorola has invested too much time and effort into these two HD models. If the new Motorola is all about speed, battery life, and performance, then why bother with something that comes up short on Day 1? You’re going to confuse customers who already have so many other Droid phones to consider.
Again, I think the Droid Razr M is a great design that will likely become popular. It’s also the right price for hardware that still competes with most of today’s top Android phones. But with the two Razr HDs, it’s hard to see how Motorola justifies two models that so closely resemble each other.
Hopefully, Moto comes to its senses in the next few months and announces that the Droid Razr Maxx HD is the only one on the horizon. Oh, and don’t get me started on the whole “let’s announce a phone that’s not due for a few more months” deal.
Am I alone here? Maybe it’s just me and I don’t see it the way Motorola and consumers do. What was your initial reaction after seeing the debut of three Droid Razr models all set to arrive in the span of a few months? Can you see any reason for Motorola to have invested so much research, development, time, and money?
