It looks like Samsung is following in the footsteps of the iPhone 5S and HTC One and giving its Galaxy S5 phone the metal case treatment.  

That's according to a report in the Taipei Times, which said analysts at Barclays Capital Securities Taiwan Ltd were expecting smartphone orders early next year for Catcher Technology Co, which makes the metal casings for Apple's MacBook Air notebook and the iPad mini tablet.

"The new orders will be for Apple's new iPhone 5S and Samsung Electronics Co's premium Galaxy series during the first half of next year," the report said.

This is a prediction worth taking seriously as Samsung tends to make announcements around its smartphone devices around the April/May time.

It's likely that a new metal option would get a good reception from  Samsung fans as the brand has been criticised for the cheap look and feel of the plastic used in its Galaxy range up until now.

The soft leather-like backing fabric and stitch detail on the Note 3 went down well with critics and embracing the metal could capitalise on that corner of the market that wants a more premium look and feel.

Predictions are that the S5 will be launching as early as Q1 in 2014 and it's expected to run on Android 4.4 KitKat, although Samsung could opt for the new Tizen OS. 

Other rumors circulating on the specs front include a 5.3-inch OLED YOUM flexible display and 2Ghz Exynos 5 Octa core processor.