LG has teased the design for its forthcoming new smartphone - and it is heading down a "minimalist" route.

The handset was originally expected to be the LG G9 ThinQ, but a recent report claimed that it will be called something totally different, with the company ditching the "G-series" branding.

That same report did mention a sleeker, refreshed design for the phone, however, with an anonymous source even comparing it to a classic LG Chocolate phone: "It is very different from the 5G product design of other manufacturers that have been released so far," he said.

Now we can see what he means.

LG teases minimalist design for new smartphone image 2
LG

"Our upcoming smartphone will draw on the rich history of classic LG designs which have always been distinctive at first touch," said the vice president of LG mobile design, Cha Yong-duk.

It features a "raindrop" camera on the rear, with three circular lens and an LED flash underneath looking like raindrops cascading down the upper-left-hand side.

LG also describes the curvature of the phone front and back as 3D Arc Design. It exudes a "more natural feeling in the hand than previous LG phones," claims LG.

There is no indication yet as to when the new phone(s) could be announced. We'll keep you informed in the coming days and weeks.