A purported image of Samsung’s next flagship Android smartphone appeared online today. Courtesy SamMobile, the above picture depicts a device that is similar to the Galaxy S III, but with a few notable alterations.

SamMobile credits an “insider at Samsung” as the source of the pic, and admits there is no way to confirm it’s the real thing. Still, the design seems to be in keeping with recent Samsung offerings, such as the Galaxy Note II and the Galaxy Premier. It’s almost certain to be closer to the real Galaxy S IV than, say, some of the crazy iPhone 5 mock-ups that were created in the year before that smartphone’s release.

One thing to note about the above picture is the thinner side bezels, at least when compared to the Galaxy S III. The Galaxy S IV is already rumored to have a 4.99″ screen and a 1920 x 1080 resolution screen. Other rumored specs include a quad-core Exynos processor and a 13 MP rear camera.

Also noticeable about the leaked image is the lack of a physical home button. Google has been re-designing it’s Android operating system for use with devices that have no back, home, or menu buttons, and it appears Samsung may be leading the way with buttonless devices.

Something that is certain, unlike the image, is that Samsung has teased a big announcement of “something new” at the Computer Electronics Show (CES) next week. It certainly could be the next Samsung smartphone, but it’s more likely that Samsung will create its own event for the debut of such a big product – sometime in February is the current rumor.

(via BGR)