Will the Samsung Galaxy S4 get a 'floating touch display'?

Days before the official unveiling of the Samsung Galaxy S4 – the successor to the popular Samsung Galaxy S3 – rumors continue to swirl about the phone's design. 

On Thursday, at an event in New York, Samsung will introduce its newest smartphone. 

The Galaxy S IV is expected to ship with the Android 4.2.1 operating system, and a faster processor and slimmer build than its predecessor. And according to a new report over at Sammobile, the device could also get a floating touch display: a screen, in other words, that allows users to access apps or type emails without actually putting finger to glass. 

Sammobile hasn't identified its source – it says only that it recently "received new information" – so take the report with a grain of salt. But the supposition that the Galaxy S4 will feature next-gen tech is not particularly new. Last week, the New York Times reported that the new Samsung smartphone will be equipped with a feature that tracks the motion of our eyeballs and adjusts the screen accordingly. 

"For example," a reporter for the Times wrote, "when users read articles and their eyes reach the bottom of the page, the software will automatically scroll down to reveal the next paragraphs of text."

Samsung and Apple make the two most popular smart phones in the world. Recent figures show Apple narrowly pulling ahead of Samsung in the global race. But as IGN notes, the iPhone 5 is newer than the Samsung Galaxy S3, and benefited from a high-profile launch last fall. Once Samsung launches its new smart phone, the South Korean conglomerate will get its turn in the spotlight. And if Samsung has a super-advanced phone to show off, all the better. 

In related news, Samsung has released a pair of teaser ads that seem to indicate that the Galaxy S4 will be available in a range of colors. The Samsung Galaxy S3, which launched last year, was available only in blue and white. 

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[Editor's note: The original version of this article misstated the anticipated version of Android. The Galaxy S4 is expected to run Android 4.2.1.]