The Director of Naval Construction, William Henry White, provided two design options, both modified versions of the basic "Majestic" form. Both variants had a main battery of four 12-inch guns, belt armour that was thick, and a top speed of . The main difference between the designs was the number of secondary guns; the first had twelve guns and the second had fourteen of the guns. Displacement differed by just 200 tons, at for the 12-gun variant and for the other one. White preferred the 14-gun version, though the consensus of the Board was that twelve guns were sufficient, on the basis that the two additional guns would overcrowd the upper deck, where they would have been placed, and would have increased the size of the crew too much. Additionally, a secondary battery of twelve guns was deemed to be sufficient in comparison to most other foreign battleships. And while an increase in offensive power would have been welcome, members of the Board decided that the weight savings gained by omitting the two guns could be used to strengthen the ships' armour, which they preferred at a time where naval guns were becoming increasingly powerful.