Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE is real, to be released “very soon”

Diversity is the hallmark of the Android ecosystem, but there is still one equation that no manufacturer has tried to solve just yet. What do you get when you combine the latest version of Android, snappy hardware, LTE speeds, and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard?
We’d say you have a good chance to create a winning gadget, which is why the increasing hype surrounding the upcoming Motorola Photon Q LTE makes us very happy. The first rumors about the Sprint-bound phone popped up on the web several months ago, and now finally we have been given confirmation that the handset is real and nearing a release.
The confirmation comes straight from Sprint’s CEO Dan Hesse, who revealed during today’s earnings call that the Photon Q is a new LTE “world phone coming very soon”. Of course, Hesse was reluctant to announce any other details about the device, so its tech specs, exact release date, and pricing are still subject for speculation.
The Photon Q will be the successor of a not very successful Photon 4G handset, already discontinued by Sprint. However, the new phone should be much snappier than the original Photon, if early rumors prove accurate. Sprint will probably promote it as the world’s fastest QWERTY handset.

A 4.3-inch 720p HD display, Android 4.0 ICS out of the box, a dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor and a built-in kickstand are the other “guns” Motorola and Sprint are supposedly planning to equip the new Photon Q with. None of the details have been confirmed, but we’re guessing we’ll find out something official about the phone sometimes soon.
If that proves to be the case, the Photon Q LTE might be heading for an early fall release, which would throw it in a direct battle against the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, Sony Hayabusa, or Sony Mint.
Could the Photon Q 4G LTE fight those high-end Android devices to the death? Would you be interested in getting it? And if so, what would be a fair price to ask for the new Motorola-Sprint slider?