The much-rumored Samsung Galaxy A7 may finally make its official debut on Jan. 14, 2015, according to the Korean media.

Samsung has long been criticized for its love of plastic, as the company has used polycarbonate even for its highest-end devices. Not too long ago, Samsung finally altered its strategy and launched a Galaxy Alpha with a sleek metal frame, and then announced its new Galaxy A series of smartphones with full-metal bodies.

The company was widely expected to introduce three new smartphones under its latest Galaxy A series - an entry-level Galaxy A3, a mid-range Galaxy A5, and a higher-end Galaxy A7 - all with metallic designs. Samsung, however, unveiled its Galaxy A3 and A5 handsets back in late October, but made no mention whatsoever of the Galaxy A7.

The rumor mill kept churning as always, and the highly-anticipated Samsung Galaxy A7 is now the star of a new leak. According to a new report from the Korean media, Samsung plans to launch its higher-end Galaxy A7 next month, on Jan. 14. The smartphone will reportedly launch in Samsung's home country of South Korea at first, followed by other markets worldwide. No specific timeframe is available for when the Galaxy A7 will make a global debut, and it also remains unclear at this point which other markets it will hit.

Samsung is expected to launch its new Galaxy A7 and the Galaxy A5 at the same time in South Korea. The Galaxy A5 is already available in some markets, but has so far skipped Samsung's home country.

The Samsung Galaxy A7 is expected to launch as the company's thinnest smartphone to date, measuring 150.9 x 75.9 x 6.3 mm. In terms of design, the Galaxy A7 is expected to look very similar to the Galaxy A3 and Galaxy A5, sporting the same stylish metal body, albeit in a larger form factor.

Based on rumors and reports so far, the Galaxy A7 is further expected to rock a 5.5-inch full HD display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and pack a 1.5GHz octa-core processor under the hood, paired with 2GB of RAM. Other rumored specs include 16GB of internal storage capacity, microSD support for additional memory, a 13-megapixel rear camera, and a 5-megapixel front shooter. A 2,500 mAh battery will reportedly keep things up and running, while Android 4.4 KitKat would handle the software side.

With no word from Samsung, however, it's best to take all Galaxy A7-related news with a grain of salt until the company makes it official.