I have received my Beeline Moto II and have ridden with it a bit so I thought I'd do a small overview of what the major differences are between the old device and new one.
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Physically the new Moto II is noticeably larger across and thicker. It overall just feels much bigger in hand. The old unit had 4 buttons around the outside edge of the device while the new device has no visible buttons, instead you push down toward the display around the outside edge where the cut marks are and it clicks in. The buttons serve the same purpose as the older unit, just different in how you use them. Charging is now via USB-C instead of proprietary cradle that you have twist the unit into.
The way I personally have the device mounted on my bike it sits just between the bars and the clocks on my R9T and that positioning meant the 4 old buttons were very hard to press since I had to contort my hands around or twist the device out of its mount to operate it. That doesn't seem to be an issue with the new device even mounted exactly where the old one was.
I have the metal units and on the old unit the entire outside case was aluminum along the sides and bottom. The new "metal" unit is only metal around the display but plastic on the sides and bottom. This makes it very light compared to the original metal unit, but I would have liked the sides to remain metal. Still I like the reduced weight since it means my chosen mounting method is moves around less. Still the old one is easier to use while off the bike.
Speaking of mounting, Beeline has changed the twist mount on the bottom of the device. The new mount is + shaped and can be twisted into its mount from more directions and appears to be almost entirely proprietary. Unfortunately the change means that the old mounts aren't entirely compatible and require either buying an entirely new mount or buying a small optional part that can be swapped most of the older mounts to make the new device fit. Another unfortunate side effect is that the old mount was effectively a Garmin mount with slightly wider tabs so a lot of the Garmin device mounts worked with it or could be made to work with very minor trimming. I use my old Beeline on my bicycle using a Garmin mount and will probably continue use the old device as a bicycle only unit now.
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The display is another area where there are massive changes. You can see that the display takes up much more of the device now. Less obvious is that the display technology has changed. The new device seems to be either TFT or OLED and is color (even if my screenshots don't show it). The backlight seems to always be on with the new device and is super readable in the sun but much more natural looking in the dark. My screenshots make it look green, but the whole screen looks basically black even in the dark, while the backlight looks blue on the old device and has to be manually turned on. If the backlight is not turned on with the old device it is basically only readable in sunlight like an old Casio watch. The overall effect is that the new device shows more information and is more readable in more situations without having to interact with it.
Good news the cute motorcycle on screen that reacts to rotating the device is still there, but faces the opposite direction!
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Navigation UI is largest and most noticeable difference between the two in day to day use. The old device was designed to be more minimal showing just an arrow of where your next turn will be, the distance to that turn and your total progress along your trip. It would occasionally show more specific information like which turn in a roundabout to take. I learned to love the simplicity of the old device but it had a bit of an adjustment period. The new unit actually shows a simplified portion of a map on screen and your highlighted route. It still gives you the distance to your turn but the simplified map view provides way more information about your upcoming turn or the conditions of the road. For example, there was no way to know how sharp the upcoming turn was without a map. There was also know way to know if the road ahead was straight or curvy. You also had no idea if you had to take two turns in rapid succession. Now you will see those things very clearly.
Another minor change are two small LED lights at the top of the display on the new unit. They blink white to get your attention as you approach a turn. It winds up being subtle but attention catching feature that isn't too harsh.
If you simply turn the device on and use it to track your ride but not provide navigation both can be set to show your speed but the larger display on the new one can show much more detailed info on it if you choose to, like a compass and heading, your distance traveled, total time riding and a clock. All that data is available on the old device, but can't be displayed all at once, you have to scroll through the UI to see it while riding.
Battery life is long enough that I haven't noticed or cared if it is longer or shorter than the old device. I care even less because I can charge it with any USB-C cable I use for everything anyway.
Physically the new Moto II is noticeably larger across and thicker. It overall just feels much bigger in hand. The old unit had 4 buttons around the outside edge of the device while the new device has no visible buttons, instead you push down toward the display around the outside edge where the cut marks are and it clicks in. The buttons serve the same purpose as the older unit, just different in how you use them. Charging is now via USB-C instead of proprietary cradle that you have twist the unit into.
The way I personally have the device mounted on my bike it sits just between the bars and the clocks on my R9T and that positioning meant the 4 old buttons were very hard to press since I had to contort my hands around or twist the device out of its mount to operate it. That doesn't seem to be an issue with the new device even mounted exactly where the old one was.
I have the metal units and on the old unit the entire outside case was aluminum along the sides and bottom. The new "metal" unit is only metal around the display but plastic on the sides and bottom. This makes it very light compared to the original metal unit, but I would have liked the sides to remain metal. Still I like the reduced weight since it means my chosen mounting method is moves around less. Still the old one is easier to use while off the bike.
Speaking of mounting, Beeline has changed the twist mount on the bottom of the device. The new mount is + shaped and can be twisted into its mount from more directions and appears to be almost entirely proprietary. Unfortunately the change means that the old mounts aren't entirely compatible and require either buying an entirely new mount or buying a small optional part that can be swapped most of the older mounts to make the new device fit. Another unfortunate side effect is that the old mount was effectively a Garmin mount with slightly wider tabs so a lot of the Garmin device mounts worked with it or could be made to work with very minor trimming. I use my old Beeline on my bicycle using a Garmin mount and will probably continue use the old device as a bicycle only unit now.
The display is another area where there are massive changes. You can see that the display takes up much more of the device now. Less obvious is that the display technology has changed. The new device seems to be either TFT or OLED and is color (even if my screenshots don't show it). The backlight seems to always be on with the new device and is super readable in the sun but much more natural looking in the dark. My screenshots make it look green, but the whole screen looks basically black even in the dark, while the backlight looks blue on the old device and has to be manually turned on. If the backlight is not turned on with the old device it is basically only readable in sunlight like an old Casio watch. The overall effect is that the new device shows more information and is more readable in more situations without having to interact with it.
Good news the cute motorcycle on screen that reacts to rotating the device is still there, but faces the opposite direction!
Navigation UI is largest and most noticeable difference between the two in day to day use. The old device was designed to be more minimal showing just an arrow of where your next turn will be, the distance to that turn and your total progress along your trip. It would occasionally show more specific information like which turn in a roundabout to take. I learned to love the simplicity of the old device but it had a bit of an adjustment period. The new unit actually shows a simplified portion of a map on screen and your highlighted route. It still gives you the distance to your turn but the simplified map view provides way more information about your upcoming turn or the conditions of the road. For example, there was no way to know how sharp the upcoming turn was without a map. There was also know way to know if the road ahead was straight or curvy. You also had no idea if you had to take two turns in rapid succession. Now you will see those things very clearly.
Another minor change are two small LED lights at the top of the display on the new unit. They blink white to get your attention as you approach a turn. It winds up being subtle but attention catching feature that isn't too harsh.
If you simply turn the device on and use it to track your ride but not provide navigation both can be set to show your speed but the larger display on the new one can show much more detailed info on it if you choose to, like a compass and heading, your distance traveled, total time riding and a clock. All that data is available on the old device, but can't be displayed all at once, you have to scroll through the UI to see it while riding.
Battery life is long enough that I haven't noticed or cared if it is longer or shorter than the old device. I care even less because I can charge it with any USB-C cable I use for everything anyway.
