Droid 4 LTE Slider Specs, Pics Leak Ahead of Rumored 12/8 Launch

Droid 4 is essentially a Droid RAZR, shrunk and with a keyboard offers nice boost over Droid 3 specs

The Droid 4 -- if reports are to be believed -- is almost upon us. Launching on America's largest network, Verizon Wireless -- a joint venture between Verizon Communications, Inc. (VZ) and Vodafone Group Plc. (LON:VOD) -- the product is poised to become the premium Android slider smartphone.

Currently, the best Android sliders on the market are Galaxy S designs from Samsung Electronics Comp., Ltd.'s (KS:005930). The "Stratosphere" Galaxy S variant on Verizon Wireless is the only LTE slider, while the Samsung Galaxy Epic 4G on Sprint Nextel Corp. (S) is the only WiMAX slider. There's also the just launched Galaxy S II variant "Samsung Captivate Glide" on AT&T, Inc. (T), but it features gimped specs (compared to its sleek S II brethren) and a HSPA+ modem (no LTE), so it's arguably worse than the Stratosphere.

Past that, things get downright old fashioned with models like the Droid 3/Milestone 3 from Motorola (on Verizon Wireless) and the G2 Touch from HTC Corp. (TPE:2498) (on Deutsche Telekom AG's (ETR:DTE) T-Mobile USA).

The Droid 4 is a major leap from the Droid 3, essentially offering almost all the goodies of the LTE-capable Droid RAZR in a smaller 4.0-inch slider package (the RAZR measures 4.3-inches for its diagonal).

Here are some pics of the new LTE slider:

Droid 4
Supposedly these are official shots, according to Droid Life.

Upgrades over the Droid 3 include (according to Droid Life and other sources):

CPU: Faster 1.2 GHz TI OMAP 4430 processor, an OMAP 4 CPU with full h.264 Decoding (which the similar Tegra 2, reportedly has trouble with) (the Droid 3 packed a slower OMAP 4430)
GPU: PowerVR SGX 540 @ 304 MHz
Cameras: 1.3 MP "HD" front-facing camera (Droid 3's was 0.3 MP); auto-stabilization on the back camera
Battery: 1785 mAh (up from 1540 mAh)
Modem: LTE capable (Droid was 3G)
Keyboard: Backlit
Casing: Gorilla Glass
Software: FIPS 140-2 "government-grade" encryption for email, calendar, and contacts.
beds
organic superfoods