Samsung Galaxy S8 may be launched earlier than expected, as the Korean company will reportedly release a small batch of the new mobile phones next month. A leaked image of the highly anticipated mobile phone surfaces online. What are the specs and features of the S8?

The Samsung Galaxy S8 release date may happen in February amidst conflicting reports that the Korean company will launch the phone in April. According to Express, a new report suggests that Samsung will be releasing a small batch of Galaxy S8 phones in February and five million units will be available by March.

This is two months earlier than the rumored release of the new Galaxy S8 phone. There have been speculations that Samsung will be launching the new phone during the Mobile World Congress on Feb. 27 while other reports claim that it will be released during a standalone event in New York in April.

The earlier release of the Samsung Galaxy S8 is expected to be the company's attempt to stop images of the new mobile phone from leaking online. However, as BGR reports, a new leaked photo of the S8 seemingly confirms some of the rumored features and specs of the mobile phone.

The said photo came from Ghostek, a third-party smartphone case maker. The publication notes that third-party case companies are often given photos of smartphones so that there will be cases available once they are officially launched in the market.

If the leaked photo is indeed the Samsung Galaxy S8, it seemingly confirms that the fingerprint scanner will be embedded within the entire display of the smartphone. It also shows that there will be no home button on the lower part of the screen.

Reports also claim that the Galaxy S8 will have two models - one will have a 5.1-inch display while the other will be 5.5 inches. Samsung has yet to officially announce the release date of the new smartphone.