It’s not rare to see multiple devices with the same model name but different hardware, aimed at different markets around the world. This is usually not a problem when the availability of those devices is properly contained to their specific markets, but the situation can get a bit messy if users are given the option to purchase different models from one place.
Rumors originating from benchmark sites usually turn out to have some truth to them, even if they don’t get the full picture right, so we should wait and see what Samsung have prepared for us for this year.
It’s also not clear if the new variant is going to ship with the same OS version as its predecessor; there are rumors that Samsung might introduce some small improvements in this regard as well.
Samsung have been quite active on the mobile market lately, and they have been pushing out new releases with varying degrees of success. According to their fans, the important thing is that the company is making an active effort to explore their possibilities and realize their full potential, as some other manufacturers seem to have limited themselves to a small set of hardware/software choices that are seen as the most attractive in the current market. Who knows, maybe Samsung will strike a hidden gold mine with a random idea they have lined up.