Incoming: Motorola Photon Q headed for sprint with Android 4.0, QWERTY keyboard

Motorola has officially introduced the Photon Q, an Android-based smartphone that comes with a relatively rare slide-out QWERTY keyboard. A successor to the Photon 4G, which was listed as Sprint’s first international 4G device when they launched it last year, the Photon Q also features support for the Carrier’s 4G LTE network as well as a heavily upgraded spec.

Powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM, the Photon Q is fronted by a 4.3-inch 540 x 960 ColorBoost screen and a front-facing ‘HD’ cam for quality video chats and conference calls. The rear-facing cam is an 8-megapixel snapper that also features 1080p recording and playback, while an HDMI port allows for content streaming to an HDTV with a ‘Mirror Mode.’ The Photon Q also features NFC connectivity with Android Beam support and Motorola’s Smartactions app that’ll let it automatically switch settings.

No word on pricing and availability yet – it’s currently listed as “coming soon” on Sprint – but it’s doesn’t like a launch date is that far off.