Keyboard sliders, once a popular smartphone form factor, have nearly faded into obscurity but they are not going without a fight. As software keyboards have improved in recent years, users have opted for more slender devices that no longer incorporate a physical keyboard. But LG and T-Mobile USA seem to believe that there is still an audience for such a device. The usually reliable @evleaks has revealed the LG Optimus F3Q and indicated that it is headed to the U.S. carrier at some unspecified point in the future.
LG Optimus F3Q, for T-Mobile USA pic.twitter.com/Lysho2CFJs
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) December 6, 2013
There are no device details to go with the image. Based on the name, the Optimus F3Q could be a QWERTY variant of the mid-range LG Optimus F3 (LS720), carried at one point by Virgin Mobile in Canada, which comes with a 4-inch WVGA (480×800) display, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, Google Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean, LTE connectivity, 1.24GB of onboard storage with a microSD card slot for expansion and 5MP and VGA cameras.
There is no word yet on pricing and availability. There is no word on Canadian availability either.
Do you still use a keyboard slider phone? Would you go back to one such as the LG Optimus F3Q? Let us know below.
Update: Giving further credence to the credibility to this rumour, MyLGPhones.com now has the LG Optimus F3Q user guide both in English and Spanish. The T-Mobile model bears model number LG-D520BK.
Sources : @evleaks // MyLGPhones.com