Samsung Galaxy S5 release date is expected to be sometime Spring 2014. The South Korean tech giant’s 2013 flagship- the new S4, however, is expected to be release this month. Rumors suggest that the S5 release date will have a metal chassis.

ET News is reporting that the company is gearing up to outfit the Galaxy S5 with a metal exterior and that they’re schedule to begin production for the handset by the end of 2013. Android Geeks earlier reported that the new look is part of its new Design 3.0 approach revamp for its famous handset. ET News claims that a sample of the device has already been developed in Europe and will be sent to Vietnam for mass production soon.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 having a metal exterior has already been in discussion in numerous tech circles. It is reported that the move is a differentiation tactic by Asian’s largest tech manufacturer to differentiate itself from premium devices released by HTC, Sony and Apple.

Metal exterior rumors are common for Samsung devices reported the blog Phandroid. Such reports for both the Galaxy Note 2 and the Galaxy S4 were in circulation before their release, only to be launched with the same signature polycarbonate casing.

The soon-to-be revealed Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is expected to have a metal exterior early on, but most of the news’ followers on the said device now predict that it will arrive with the standard Samsung exterior.

Samsung has been heavily criticized for the plastic design on its high-end devices, which costs more than $500, according to the International Business Times. The company rebutted, however, saying that the plastic chasses make for a quick and efficient manufacturing that enables release of new flagship devices, the succeeding product easily beating out its predecessor. The most recent Samsung Galaxy S4 has sold more than 20 million handsets since its late-April debut, this was despite complaints about its plastic casing.

The company has since experimented with metal design in its water, dust and shock resistant Samsung Galaxy S4 Active, which it debuted in June. The device has received rave reviews for its change in material, which could probably be a stepping stone to the tech manufacturer and leader incorporating more metal into its devices in the future.

ET News recently reported that Samsung is dealing with the idea of having metal exteriors for its website with caution and will reportedly do an extensive pre-production testing to avoid issues that come with metal chasses like radio interference.