Smartphone lovers who have restlessly been waiting to catch a glimpse of Samsung's Galaxy S8 will soon have something to cheer about since the highly anticipated phone's release date is around the corner. But ahead of its scheduled launch, the new version of Android Nougat OS (operating system) that will be running on the Galaxy S8 has found its way on the internet in the form of leaked screenshots.

Samsung Galaxy S8 has been subject to a slew of rumors and leaks. Lining with this, the next Galaxy S flagship smartphone and its larger variant i.e. the Galaxy S8 Plus are expected to oust the physical home button in favor of a nearly bezel-less edge-to-edge model.

This will allegedly allow Samsung to ship the Galaxy S8 with a massive 5.8-inch Quad HD display while retaining the footprint of the Galaxy S7. Aside from that, rumors are rife about a 6.2-inch QHD AMOLED display model, which will be marketed as the Galaxy S8 Plus.

A bunch of purported changes has been made in the Galaxy S8. For instance, the device's fingerprint scanner will be rear-mounted. This is because Samsung suffered a considerable number of delays to its avant-garde technology used to embed the functionality underneath the glass display.

While there have been umpteen leaks surrounding the Galaxy S8's hardware, details about the software running on the upcoming Galaxy S smartphone have been hard to come by. But that's about to change.

A cluster of screenshots taken from the most recent APK (Android Package Kit) of Samsung Smart Switch, which is an app used to transfer data from one Samsung device to another; allowed tech buffs to take a gander at exactly what the OS will look like on the Galaxy S8. The leaked screenshots were dredged up by SamMobile.

The recently surfaced images bring out the main homepage as well as app launcher in the open along with a slew of other redesigned app icons, just as they will show up on the Galaxy S8. Moreover, the software leak also confirms that the South Korean handset maker will retain its highly skinned version of Google's open-source Android mobile OS.

There is a possibility this newfangled software redesign will eventually filter down to other Samsung smartphones, including the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge, which are being updated to Google's current mobile OS, Android 7.0 Nougat. The design of the Home Button, Multi-Tasking, and Back button have been radically redesigned with Samsung getting rid of the square, circle and triangle used nearly by every Android manufacturer.

The new screenshots coincide with previous reports that indicated Samsung will ditch the Home Button from the front of the Galaxy S8. Moreover, previously surfaced hardware leaks seemed to confirm that the popular handset maker would resort to the Edge screen that came with the Galaxy S6 Edge and S7 Edge.

This weightless panel swipes in from the right-hand side of the screen allowing quick access to a slew of options including contacts, sports scores, headlines and lots more. It's worth noting, though, the leaked screenshot does not show the UI (user interface) element, Express reported.

Samsung Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8 Plus Release Date

 Amidst the lack of an official UK release date or price announcement, the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus are currently up for pre-order. Both the flagship smartphones, along with an upgraded Gear VR headset will be announced at an event on March 29. The device will then hit the store shelves in the UK -- on April 28th, 2017, according to tech tipster, Evan Blass.

Stay tuned for more Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus related news and updates!