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The BMW Motorrad Smartphone Cradle Is Outrageously Expensive

It's no secret that OEM accessories cost way more than similar items simply because the manufacturer badge is present on them. Sometimes, the OEMs are indeed making sure that the products live up to the highest expectations customers have from the brand, but sometimes things go crazy.
BMW Motorrad Smartphone Cradle 5 photos
Photo: BMW
BMW Motorrad Smartphone CradleBMW Motorrad Smartphone CradleBMW Motorrad Smartphone CradleBMW Motorrad Smartphone Cradle
The most recent item on our "WTF, are you crazy?" list is the new BMW Motorrad Smartphone Cradle. This lovely piece of BMW adventure gear comes with a rather insane price of €195, which, using Google's exchange rate translates to $217. Yes, you read the figures correctly almost two hundred Euros and well north of two hundred bucks, and that's for a phone cradle that doesn't do anything special.

Like its name already says, the BMW Motorrad Smartphone Cradle is a travel accessory that can be installed on any BMW motorcycle and scooter. The item is basically a protective case that can accommodate a smartphone up to 5". Made from durable plastic, the cradle is equipped with a touch-sensitive, clear display that allows riders to view the phone's screen and interact with it.

The phone sits on a shock-absorbing gel pad, and the case can be rotated in landscape and portrait mode, as needed. The case also supports charging via cable and wireless charging according to the Qi standard... and that's about everything the BMW Motorrad Smartphone Cradle does.

Of course, it is waterproof, so riding in the rain will never be a problem. What COULD be a problem is the fact that using this Cradle is only possible if you already have a specific holder/mount on your bike or scooter.

If you don't you can get a BMW Motorrad Navigator holder for another €65 ($72), which would take you to a nice and hefty €260 ($290), which is already more than half of what you'd pay for a brand new Tomtom Rider 400 with lifetime maps, which you can use on the bike, in your car or even when hiking. Not nice BMW, not nice.
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