Sources have said that Samsung plans to unveil its next flagship Android smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S4, at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February 2013. It will be released the following March at the latest.

An official at the company's headquarters let slip the information a few days after Apple unveiled its new iPhone 5, presumably in direct response. However, the source does not wish to be named.

The official told Korean newspaper The Korean Times of Samsung's intent, which has also been corroborated by local parts suppliers. And the unnamed party claims that the new handset will offer "more than enough to curb Apple’s latest iPhone". It will definitely support 4G networks.

One of the local suppliers also claimed that the screen-size will be 5-inches, up from 4.8-inches on the Galaxy S III. It will also be an OLED display.

If the phone is announced at a Samsung Unpacked event preceding MWC next year, it will will come as slightly surprising, as the Samsung Galaxy S III was launched at a dedicated event in May this year, effectively filling the hole that Apple left behind when it moved its iPhone launches from summer to autumn.

However, the Samsung Galaxy S II was launched during Mobile World Congress in 2011, so it's not completely unheard of.

Pic: (cc) ianfogg42