With the launch of Samsung Electronic Co. Ltd.’s new flagship Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge less than a week away the buzz around both phones has continued to intensify, complete with newly leaked pictures, and an even wilder report: that the phones will ship with a free Gear VR headset.

The latest leak pics come via the usually reliable Evan Blass on Twitter (see above), and show the front and backs of each phone.

Although looking highly similar to the S6 in form factor, the phones do appear to have more rounded bodies, and the darker version appears to be black instead of the deep blue Samsung previously delivered with the S6.

It’s hard to tell from the pics anything about what’s inside the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge, but we are expecting to see the return of water resistance and a microSD card slot; a 5.7-inch model as well as a 12.2-megapixel camera, and pressure sensitive display and high-speed charging.

Free Gear VR

In a report completely out of left field, multiple reports claim that both the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge will ship with a free Gear VR headset.

Android World broke the news first, claiming that the Gear VR offer will be available for free with pre-orders beginning February 21, which is also the same day as the launch event for the phone.

That report was subsequently confirmed by Evan Blass, who simply linked to the report and stated that it was indeed “true.”

The promotion is believed to only be good through to March 10th.

Samsung’s Gear VR first went on sale back in November for $99 and shipped with a range of new VR games, including titles such Land’s End by Ustwo Games, Bandit Six: Salvo by Climax Studios, and Dead Secret by Robot Invader.

Like Google’s Cardboard virtual reality headset, the Gear VR relies on a smartphone being inserted into it to provide the actual viewing experience but also features a number of enhancements including improved ergonomics and a touchpad that delivers easier navigation.

Samsung was previously rumored to be launching a 360 degree VR camera alongside the Galaxy S7 but it’s not clear if this will still be occurring; perhaps what we might see is Samsung using the event to push the VR credentials of its new phones with complimentary devices, a clear point of market differentiation in its ongoing back for market dominance against Apple’s iPhone.

Stay tuned for all the latest from the Mobile World Congress on SiliconANGLE in the coming week; if you’re a tech junkie it certainly is shaping up to be a good one.

Image credit: unknown source via Evan Blass