There was a rumor yesterday that LG might go the modular route, with a smartphone that might have a secondary, add-on screen. More reports followed up and claimed the Korean phone-maker will probably avoid foldable smartphones and instead explore with modularity a little bit. We’ll have to see if this theory holds true. Until then, the images you see above and below were claimed to depict the upcoming LG G8.

That was until Ken Hong, Head of LG Electronics’ global corporate communications, responded on Twitter to the renders, claiming they were “speculative”, “not real”, and not representing the LG G8. Despite the similarities with the G7 ThinQ (with a horizontal camera), and @OnLeaks’ track record of accurate leaks, it seems that LG is shutting this rumor down from the get-go.

Which begs the question: what future LG phone is this? The original report puts together the G8 moniker with the Alpha codename of the device. It is totally possible that the Alpha is real, but not end up being the G8. Or, could it be another G7 variant, like the Q9? Maybe this will be one of the many phones LG is preparing for MWC. The company always has several devices ready for the Barcelona show, ranging from low-end to mid-range, sometimes even premium. We’ll have to wait for more details on this one.

Correct, not real.

— Ken Hong (@visitken) January 18, 2019