LG has launched an Android 2.3-based smartphone with a slide-out, full QWERTY keyboard called Optimus Q2.

Mashable reports that the device has a 4-inch IPS LCD screen, a 5-megapixel camera on the back and a VGA camera on the front for video chat. It also sports a freshly-upgraded 1.2 GHz Tegra 2 CPU, which should make it one of the best-performing Androids on the market.

According to LG, the Optimus Q2 should also be one of the thinnest QWERTY sliders around, which will be appealing to users who must have a physical keyboard but don’t want a very chunky device.

The device is slated for a launch in Korea and Europe later this week at a yet undisclosed price.