Consumers can always tell that something’s amiss when an announcement is made that a carrier will stop selling a smartphone. Once Motorola told press that the company would stop carrying the Droid 3 towards the end of this month, rumors began to fly. Those rumors were largely centered on the arrival of a Droid 4, which was non-existent (at least to consumers) at the time. Now, Motorola has officially announced that the company will start carrying the Droid 4 in a few weeks.

If you were a fan of the Droid 3, the 4 certainly won’t disappoint. Right out of the gate, the Droid 4 will come packed with Gingerbread 2.3, a full QWERTY keyboard, 8-megapixel camera, 16-gigabytes of storage, and a 4-inch qHD display. Not bad, right? This is the sentiment that reviewers across the board are expressing this morning. If you’re looking for a new phone, consider holding out on buying anything until the new Droid 4 comes out – here’s what you can expect to find.

A Motorola Powerhouse Lineup

Motorola has been quietly moving through the shadows lately. Not only is Motorola home to the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and the Motorola Razr, but this company has also lined up a lot of neat accessories that work with available Motorola phones. The Droid 4 will also be compatible with the accessories that Motorola offers. Of course, this includes Motorola’s new “lapdocks.” If you aren’t familiar with the Motorola lapdocks, it’s worth knowing what these devices consist of.

Essentially, the Motorola lapdock is an interesting mix of a laptop and dock (hence the name “lapdock”). Basically, a lapdock, once connected to your smartphone, will turn your phone into a laptop. If this sounds like a good idea to you, the Droid 4 might be the phone that you’ll want to purchase, since this is the latest phone to become part of the Motorola lineup. As always, accessories sold separately through Motorola.

Missing Sandwich?

Gingerbread 2.3 is nothing to sneeze at, but you might be wondering why the Droid 4 doesn’t come with the popular Ice Cream Sandwich. Motorola has told press that the Droid 4 will gain an Ice Cream Sandwich update within the near future (a few weeks after its launch), though some are skeptical of this timeline. In most instances, it takes more than a few weeks for a company to upgrade any given smartphone, and it’s likely that this will be the case with the Droid 4.

Still, the Droid 4 promises to be a top-seller for those who like the simple and easy to use layout of the phone. With so many smartphones moving towards the touchscreen keyboard option, the Droid 4 offers those who prefer a tactile touch something to grasp (quite literally). All in all, the Droid 4 is a phone that you’ll want to keep your eye on if you are shopping around. Don’t get hung up on the fact that this Motorola offering doesn’t come with Ice Cream Sandwich (yet), it’s still one heck of a phone that will no doubt appeal to many consumers once it arrives on store shelves.