Samsung Galaxy Note 8
The ill-fated Galaxy Note 7's successor, the Galaxy Note 8, is likely to be launched later this year.Creative Commons

Samsung hugely depends on two premium handset series to continue its dominance in the global smartphone market – the Galaxy S and the Galaxy Note devices. Since consumers around the world are getting their hands on this year's Galaxy S8 smartphones, now it's time for the Galaxy Note 8 to trigger some spicy speculation before Samsung releases it later this year.

Adding to ongoing rumours surrounding the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 8, a purported dummy unit of the device has surfaced online, showcasing its exterior design as well as revealing some new secrets about the phone's fingerprint sensor and dual-camera setup. It's worth mentioning here that companies generally ship dummy units of unreleased devices to accessory makers, helping them with timely launch of cases and covers.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8
The dummy units of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.Weibo

The images of the dummy unit suggests that the Galaxy Note 8's front will mostly be covered by the Infinity Display, a new feature the company first introduced with the recently launched Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+. The images also point towards a vertical dual-camera setup and an LED flash at the device's back.

What is more intriguing is the lack of a fingerprint reader on the dummy unit, leading to a speculation that Samsung might have found a way to embed a biometric scanner under the Galaxy Note 8's front display. The problem with implementing an in-screen fingerprint reader had reportedly forced the South Korean tech giant to launch the Galaxy S8 with a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8
There is no fingerprint sensor at the back of the Galaxy Note 8 dummy unit.Weibo

However, the authenticity of these leaked details couldn't be verified. Therefore, you are suggested to take these images with a pinch of salt.

According to rumours, Samsung's next-generation Galaxy Note device could feature a 6.3-inch display and a slightly larger battery. The phone is also expected to sport a 12-megapixel wide-angle lens and a 13-megapixel telephoto lens with up to 3x optical zoom.

In addition, the Galaxy Note 8 is likely to be powered by the Snapdragon 835 chipset in the U.S., and the Exynos 8895 SoC in other parts of the world.

Check out the video below: