Samsung, the world’s biggest smartphone maker, could launch its new Galaxy S7 handsets sooner than expected, in an attempt to boost flagging sales figures.

The South Korean company is planning to launch two versions of its new flagship smartphone – a 5.2-inch flat-screen version, and a 5.5-inch, curved-screen version that will be called the ‘Galaxy S7 Edge’ – according to local media reports.

Samsung is reportedly preparing an initial production run of about 5 million units, including 3.3 million of the flat-screen devices and around 1.6 million of the curved-screen version, with plans to launch the handset in February.

Traditionally the Galaxy S handsets have been announced just before the annual Mobile World Congress (MWC) event in Barcelona, before going on sale in April.

Samsung

However, the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge are not selling as well as Samsung hoped they would, and recent reports have placed the announcement date of the Galaxy S7 much earlier than in previous years.

Some suggest that the new devices could even be unveiled in January, after the rush of announcements from the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas has died down.

This would allow the new devices to be included in the company’s first quarter sales figures for the Galaxy range, which would otherwise have been lower than last year, according to analysts.

The company pulled the same trick earlier this year, by bringing forward the announcement and release of the Galaxy Note 5 .

Historically, the new Note has been announced at Berlin’s IFA event in September. However, this year it was announced in August, meaning that sales figures could be included in the company’s third quarter results.

The Galaxy S7 devices are expected to look fairly similar to the S6, but with a new processor, improved camera and better battery life. It may also feature a pressure-sensitive screen, similar to that used in Apple’s iPhone 6s .

Meanwhile, the long-rumoured Galaxy S6 Mini appears to have been accidentally listed on a Middle Eastern retail website, suggesting that the device could go on sale imminently.

The listing on LetsTango.com, which has since been removed, included specifications and images of the device, revealing a 4.6-inch display, a fingerprint sensor, a 15-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.