'iPhone-challenger' Samsung Galaxy S IV image 'leaked' online

An image claiming to be of the new Samsung Galaxy S IV has been leaked online.

An image claiming to be of the new Samsung Galaxy S IV has been leaked online.

The image shows only minor cosmetic differences to the Galaxy S III.

SamMobile.com, that posted the picture, claimed it originated from an insider at Samsung, but could not confirm the specifications of the device or any further details.

According to the Telegraph, a major change shown on the leaked image is the absence of physical buttons from the front of the device and a taller screen.

The photo is the first purported image of Samsung's next iPhone-challenger, the successor to last year's best-selling Galaxy S III.

Samsung became the top selling phone handset maker in the world in 2012, with sales of the Galaxy range of smartphones leading the companies net profit up 91 per cent year-on-year at the end of its third quarter, the paper said.

Over the course of the year Samsung added two new phones to the Galaxy S line, the S III and S III mini.

According to the paper, the Galaxy S III sold more than 30 million handsets in just seven months.