Samsung is expected to launch a circular smartwatch this year, but a new report now claims the company pushed back the launch until later this year.

At a time when all smartwatches came with rectangular form factors, Motorola drew lots of interest last year with its circular Moto 360. LG followed suit and launched a round LG G Watch R, followed by the sleek LG Watch Urbane, and Samsung is expected to join the trend with a circular smartwatch of its own.

Rumors of a round-shaped smartwatch from Samsung have been making rounds for quite some time, and the device is believed to launch as the Gear A. The gadget was initially expected to make its debut sometime in the first half of this year, but a new report now claims that Samsung has pushed back the launch until the second half of 2015. The reason behind this decision reportedly relates to all of the hype currently surrounding the release of the Apple Watch.

The purported Samsung Gear A could debut at the IFA trade show in September this year, alongside the highly-anticipated Samsung Galaxy Note 5 flagship phablet, according to a new report from SamMobile.

Citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter, the publication further adds that this delay aims to ensure Samsung schedules its device launches properly.

"Our sources tell us that the Gear A - codenamed Orbis - will be launched alongside the Galaxy Note 5 at IFA later this year, and that there is a lot discussion going on at Samsung in order to decide the time frame. Apparently, the delay is to ensure Samsung can follow a proper time table with its product launches, and possibly to give the market time to settle down with the Apple Watch, which is grabbing quite the spotlight these days," SamMobile reveals.

The Samsung Gear A is expected to come with a round face and a thin, rotating bezel ring, albeit it remains unclear for now just what functionality this ring would have. The smartwatch is rumored to run Samsung's own Tizen OS, not Google's Android Wear, which suggests that it will likely be compatible only with Samsung devices.

With no official confirmation from Samsung, however, it's all still in the rumor state and should be treated accordingly. We'll keep you up to date as soon as more information becomes available, but take all leaks with a grain of salt.