Samsung fans are eagerly anticipating the company's next flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S8. And while it was previously believed that the South Korean tech company would introduce the device in February, a new rumor claims that the date has been pushed back to April 2017.

The general conception was that Samsung would unveil the Galaxy S8 a day before the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in February — something that the company has done time and again. But according to new reports, this will not be the case next year. Instead, Samsung will apparently debut the Galaxy S8 at an event in New York that is scheduled for April. 

The postponement of its launch may have disappointed some Samsung fans out there, but it seems that the decision was made during a meeting held at the company's headquarters in South Korea. It is unclear why the company has chosen to push back the unveiling date by approximately two months, although one particular reason comes to mind.

It is already widely known that Samsung suffered a huge scandal earlier this year when its Galaxy Note 7 phablets started spontaneously combusting. A lot of consumers were hurt and the resulting feedback was not good. It has been speculated that the delay was carefully planned in order to make more time for the upcoming smartphone's quality assurance. After all, the South Korean tech giant would not want another flaming scandal in 2017.

In addition to that, reports also note that the Samsung Galaxy S8 will be significantly more expensive than the last — by at least 15–20 percent. This means that the price bracket for the device could land around $950. And while the cost may be too much, perhaps its specifications will make up for it.

If Samsung does launch the smartphone in April, then chances are it will hit the market a month later, in May 2017. However, since Samsung has yet to confirm anything, it would be best for readers to take this news with a grain of salt for now.