The company is reportedly considering the inclusion of a retina scanner in some versions of its new flagship, although that is not yet set in stone. Like the Galaxy S6, Samsung will debut two models: the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge.

With the inclusion of a pressure-sensitive display, Samsung looks set to follow Apple, which is already touting "3D Touch" functionality. With a USB Type-C port, the Galaxy S7 will charge significantly faster, with sources telling the Wall Street Journal that devices will "allow for a full day's charge in under 30 minutes and in some cases significantly faster than that." An improved camera is also said to be coming -- one that that performs better in low-light and sits flat on the back of the device (the Galaxy S6 accommodated a small bump).

Overall, it doesn't appear that the Galaxy S7 family will differ that much from last year's models. However, Samsung's new smartphone chief will hope that he can gauge demand better than his predecessor and avoid making too many (or too few) of its popular handsets. We can expect the Galaxy S7 family to make its debut in or around Mobile World Congress, which opens on February 22nd, with the handsets going on sale a couple of weeks later. The quick launch is said to be deliberate: Samsung doesn't want to let any of its rivals steal a march this time around.