Galaxy S4 owners will reportedly get a minor KitKat 4.4 bump up this week before actually absorbing the TouchWiz make over that was earlier hinted.

Samsung-centric tech site SamMobile tweeted this week that Galaxy S4 users, presumably the international and unlocked editions, will surely get a minor firmware update on Jan 10. The patch packs design improvements though post seems to indicate that changes would be minor.

However, the big leap can be expected to come around soon enough as perennial gadget scoop provider @evleaks posted new images that purportedly show the new Galaxy smartphone interface that supposedly will be showcased first via the GS4.

While SamMobile is clear on when the interim Galaxy S4 KitKat update is touching down, @evleaks is a bit vague on when the GS4 TouchWiz revamp will materialise. Yet Sammy watchers are expecting the overhaul to be implemented between January and February 2014.

Before taking on a new UI, the Galaxy S4 will have to chew in first the small update, which should start filtering out silently. Just like the case with other Galaxy software upgrades. As mentioned, the patch will intro a slight change in the TouchWiz user interface, which should preview the bigger alterations to come.

While the reports are unclear on what the exact changes Samsung will deliver, experts believe that GS4 stability and security will benefit from the upcoming patch. Minor as it is, the update is likely geared only for the unlocked versions.

That would most likely mean that telco-issued GS4s will skip the update as most network service providers will simply wait out for the bigger jump before reconfiguring it to bear their imprints and standards prior to actual release.

So the big leap really is the one sounded off by @evleaks and the same source allowed some peeks of the graphical changes to expect, which are viewable here.

For the most part, the changes will likely cover new icons and backdrops or other eye-candy elements that will make TouchWiz more attractive to users.

TouchWiz, of course, is the Samsung device skin sitting on top of Android. Experts are predicting that for 2014, Samsung will attempt to make its 'floating operating system' more apparent, hiding as best as it can the base Android it uses as the core system.

This move is somehow confirmed when the Galaxy maker unleashed its latest batch of Galaxy Tab Pro and Galaxy Note Pro, which highlight the introduction of Magazine UX or the company's user interface for its line of tablets.

As for the smartphone TouchWiz interface, it is expected that the Samsung KitKat 4.4.2 update will bring in a new handset look and feel once the software is ready for global distribution, which is pegged to happen in the next few weeks.

Note, however, that another Galaxy S platform boost is forthcoming, which is likely more exciting, as Samsung preps for the much-chattered Galaxy S5 release date that reportedly will happen March or April 2014.