Samsung Galaxy S8: Take a look at leaked image of the device ahead of launch

What appears to be an official high-resolution image of the Samsung Galaxy S8 has been leaked online ahead of its launch this month.

Famed tipster Evan Blass posted the image on Twitter which looks like the first press photo Samsung may send out. Some bloggers and journalists later claimed that this was the actual Galaxy S8.

The image shows off the usual Galaxy S design but with a dual-curved edge screen this time and a greater screen is to body ratio. The screen shows the date as 29 March, 2017, which is when Samsung will unveil the device as confirmed by the company at the recently held Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Much speculation had built up around the Galaxy S8 at the MWC 2017 event but the company only introduced the Galaxy Tab S3 and Galaxy Book.

Along with the Galaxy S8, an upgraded version of the device, the Galaxy S8 Plus, is also expected to be unveiled. It will sport the same design as the S8 but is expected to have a larger display of 6.2 inches compared to the former's 5.8-inch screen. Both models will sport super AMOLED panels running on the octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 or the Exynos 8895 SoC depending on the market.

The Galaxy S8 will be Samsung's first flagship smartphone release for 2017 and the company is banking on its successful reception. The company's last release, the Galaxy Note 7, had to be pulled from the market following serious safety threats related to the phone's battery which exploded in many cases.