LG will reportedly ditch the G series branding for its next flagship smartphone, which is also said to be looking to the past for a refreshed, different design.

It was expected that its next premium phone - after the LG V60 ThinQ announced in February - would be the LG G9 ThinQ.

However, plans have seemingly changed, with sources in Korea claiming to have seen the new device in a private briefing: "At a new product briefing session for domestic mobile operators, LG Electronics said that it would abandon the 'G' brand and introduce a new brand," said an official from the telecommunications industry to Naver News in the company's homeland.

Another source revealed that the handset looks different to the current wave of 5G phones out there: "It is very different from the 5G product design of other manufacturers that have been released so far," he said.

"It reminded me of the moment I first saw a Chocolate phone 15 years ago."

We're not sure which Chocolate phone he is referring to - the K800 with a slide-out keyboard or the "chocolate bar" BL40. But, considering that the K800 hit the market in Korea in 2005 (under the designation KV5900), while the BL40 didn't arrive until 2009, it would make sense it was the former.

Lg To Drop G Series Brand Next Flagship Evokes Classic Chocolate Phone image 2
LG

That could therefore mean that LG is travelling a very different route with its next premium phone.

It'll have a dual screen, claims Naver, plus a 6.7 to 6.9-inch main screen. And, as well as a 4,000mAh battery and Qualcomm "7" series chipset, it is said to be coming with a quad-camera unit.

How that could work in a slider phone format, we're not so sure - so maybe there's a little confusion all round, and it could look more like the BL40 after all.

Either way, we'll happily applaud LG if it does turn out to be trying something different.