Motorola Delays Droid 4 to February

Motorola is pushing the Droid 4 release to February 2, as Verizon spreads out the launch of its high-end smartphones to capitalize on sales.

A leaked Verizon document suggests Droid 4, originally expected on December 22, won't hit store shelves for over a month. The device features a design strikingly-similar to the Droid Razr, and offers many of the same specs, but it includes slide-out QWERTY keyboard and a thicker form factor.

Verizon, which plans to sell the Droid 4 for $300 with a two-year contract, likely pushed back the device to give other LTE flagship phones breathing room. The carrier launched the Razr, HTC Rezound and Samsung Galaxy Nexus in the past two months, alongside other 4G LTE handsets such as the HTC Thunderbolt and Motorola Droid Bionic.

The company has spread out the release of its smartphones in the past to give other devices the spotlight. Samsung's Galaxy Nexus was reportedly ready to go on sale in early November, but Verizon instead chose to run marketing campaigns centered around the Razr and Rezound before launching the Nexus earlier this month.

Another reason for the Droid 4 delay may have been to keep customers who have purchased a Droid 3 happy. The device launched in July, and although technology quickly becomes outdated, a December launch of the Droid 4 would be less than six months after its predecessor.

The postponed launch of the Droid 4 also gives Verizon a high profile release to kick off next year. The device will be largely similar to the Razr, but the addition of an LTE device with a physical keyboard will likely lead many customers to make the switch from Verizon's 3G to its 4G network.

Customers eager to get their hands on the Droid 4 will be disappointed by Verizon's decision, but from a strategic standpoint, it may be the one that makes the most sense for the carrier.

Motorola Delays Droid 4 to February originally appeared at Mobiledia on Fri Dec 23, 2011 2:29 pm.

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