(Update: press images leaked) 2017 Galaxy A series likely to be unveiled on January 5

Update, December 29: WinFuture.de published press renders of the Galaxy A3 (2017) and Galaxy A5 (2017). Check them out below.

Original post, December 28: We all love to talk about flagships, but when it comes to actually buying phones, most of us actually settle for the middle of the range. In Samsung’s case, that means the popular Galaxy A series, whose latest generation is about to be unveiled.

Samsung Malaysia, the branch that recently teased the water resistance capabilities of the Galaxy A (2017) series, just sent out invitations for a local press event scheduled for January 5 (via Lowyat.net).

Southeast Asia is a crucial market for Samsung’s mid-range sales, so there’s a good chance the Kuala Lumpur event will mark the global launch of the device. Incidentally or not, Samsung’s CES 2017 conference will kick off just hours after the Malaysian event on January 5.

The copy is rather generic, but the invitation features the same water imagery that led us to believe that the Galaxy A (2017) will be water resistant, just like Samsung’s higher-end devices.

The current A series was launched almost exactly a year ago, so the timing is right for a new generation. The Galaxy A5 (2017) will be available in four colors at launch and come with features like a 5.2-inch Full HD display, an Exynos 7880 processor, 3GB of RAM, and a 16MP camera. The A5 (2017) is likely to cost around $400, according to reports out of China. Meanwhile, the Galaxy A7 (2017) is expected to come with similar specifications and a larger 5.5-inch display.