Originally Posted by
Koyote
Yes, this. It almost seems as if Trek got this to market, and then realized that it adds nothing beyond Varia's capabilities -- so they fudged the detection distance (according to the first few brief reviews) and added a phone app that will be used by very few customers. (I mean, who buys a $200 radar tail light when they don't already own a head unit?)
Upthread, it was said that the Trek unit makes the seller more money than the Garmin unit. It's a $200 thing that can be added to the pile of new stuff for people already spending $$ for a new Trek bike. It's less complicated than developing/supporting a Trek head unit.
Using phones is becoming more common (maybe, more so for less experienced cyclists). Having a phone app makes it possible to sell the radar to people who don't even know what a head unit is. The phone app makes it easier to sell than having to say "well, you also need to buy a $300 head unit for this to be useful".
The components that one would use in a recently-designed unit might be better than what was available to Garmin when they designed the Varia so "long ago". So, things like changes and range might just come along for the ride. It wouldn't be surprising to play-up those improvements (even if marginal) for marketing.