Samsung Galaxy S8 release date, specs: Device getting optical fingerprint scanner and 'slick design'

Samsung Galaxy S8 is getting more and more attention as Samsung racks up its development on the next flagship following the disastrous launch of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7.

The latest report about the smartphone comes out of Weibo. It claims that Samsung's next big thing will feature an optical fingerprint scanner.

The leak suggests that this new scanning technology will be embedded on the display of the Samsung Galaxy S8 as opposed to the home button, which is the trend in the mobile scene today.

This supports the rumors that the South Korea-based tech firm will ditch the physical home button so the display will be from edge to edge.

If Samsung will make use of the optical fingerprint scanner on the Samsung Galaxy S8, this will make the handset the first smartphone to sport such feature.

Forbes also mentions a patent that Samsung has filed a couple of years back. It mentions a technology that integrates swipe functionality to the fingerprint scanner.

This means that the depending on the direction or the pressure of a user's swipe, they will be able to open a designated app on their Samsung Galaxy S8.

With all that said, the Samsung Galaxy S8 is looking to be a phone of many firsts for Samsung. There is a lot riding on the success of the device as it is expected to redeem the confidence and reputation of the company following the Note 7 fiasco.

Apart from an optical fingerprint scanner, the Samsung Galaxy S8 is also rumored to boast a 4K resolution curved display, the Exynos 8895 chipset and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 830 processor—both are next-generation mobile processors—and a headphone jack.

Wall Street Journal also quotes Samsung as saying that the Samsung Galaxy S8 will sport a "slick design and an improved camera."

With regards to the release date, the Samsung Galaxy S8 is expected to see the light of day in February next year, during the Mobile World Congress (MWC).