Motorola's cool new QWERTY, the Photon Q 4G LTE (pictures)

The Photon Q 4G LTE has a 4.3-inch qHD LCD that uses what Motorola calls ColorBoost technology. The result is extra brightness and colors that pop almost like an AMOLED screen.

The Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE's primary life purpose is to provide an awesome physical typing experience and it succeeds. The phone's keyboard layout is virtually identical to that of the Motorola Droid 4, another excellent QWERTY made by Moto. There are five rows, including a dedicated number row, a wide spacebar, plus bright LED backlighting.

It's hard to ignore the Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE's half-inch thickness and 6-ounce weight. On the right edge of the phone are small volume buttons and a camera shutter button.

On the left side of the Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE are ports for Micro-USB and HDMI connections. The phone is also compatible with an optional HD Dock accessory to charge and output video content to HDTVs simultaneously.

On back of the Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE is a more conventional back plate as opposed to the fancy Kevlar material coating the Droid Razr, Droid Razr Maxx, and Atrix HD.

The top edge of the Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE has just one button, the phone's power key. There's also a 3.5mm headphone jack placed here.

Embedded under the Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE's rear surface is a nonremovable battery.

The Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE comes with an 8-megapixel camera that snaps pictures quickly. It also has many image-capture settings and image filters.

Like many smartphones these days, the Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE has a dedicated app for checking the forecast.