One much-anticipated device that fans and industry observers is waiting for is the new flagship from tech giant Samsung. The South Korea-based company has just recently released the Galaxy Note 5, and fans are already clamoring for a new addition to Samsung's many smartphone lineups, namely the next iteration for the Galaxy S-series.

Now, speculations seem to assure fans will not have that long to wait, as the Samsung Galaxy S7 may appear in the market in as early as January next year.

According to industry follower and South Korean publication Electronic Times, Samsung Electronics confirmed that the next flagship, the Galaxy S7, will be announced in January next year, and not February or March as earlier reports speculated. The publication did not specify whether Samsung officially confirmed the announcement, or if the information came from company insider sources. However, the report mentioned that the information was also suggested by companies in the parts industries that have partnered with Samsung.

Although the earlier announcement for the Galaxy S7 is a welcome note for fans, this is by no means done hastily. Announcing the Galaxy S7 much earlier than expected is a marketing move by Samsung to corner as much of the market base as possible, in a smartphone industry that is dominated by Apple and other recent flagship releases.

Meanwhile, although the report did not confirm it, it mentioned how Samsung will also introduce new classifications for its flagship lineup, starting with the Galaxy S7. The new flagship lineup will be further divided into premium and sub-premium categories. This dovetailed with reports that concluded that when the new flagship rolls out, it will come in at least three variant models. According to speculations, the premium Galaxy S7 will use Samsung's homegrown Exynos M1 processor, while the sub-premium models may use either a less-powerful Exynos chipset or a Snapdragon 820.