After all the leaks and rumors about the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 coming from the East, the technology press has all but concluded that Samsung's upcoming phablet will shun the microSD slot in favor of a premium design.

Of course, the news has gotten a lot of long-time Samsung loyalists disappointed, as the presence of a microSD slot for expanding the built-in storage of their phones and a removable battery is one of Samsung's biggest selling points.

We don't have information about the latter, but a new report coming out of Taiwan claims that the Galaxy Note 5 will have a microSD slot after all.

Website Sogi.com.tw says Samsung is preparing to release a dual-SIM variant of the Galaxy Note 5. The second SIM slot will be a hybrid slot that can also be used to place a microSD slot.

But don't get too excited yet. The website says this variant will be available only in certain markets, which does not include the United States. Not that American customers will not be able to get their hands on the Galaxy Note 5 variant with the microSD slot, but they will have to do so through unofficial channels.

The report is not impossible to believe. After all, Samsung has a series of smartphones, the Galaxy A lineup, that are equipped with a hybrid second slot where users can place a second SIM card or a microSD card.

Additionally, some flagship smartphones are now going the dual-SIM route. For instance, the LG G4 has variants that allow for two SIM cards. The OnePlus 2 also offers the same feature.

However, Samsung abandoned the microSD slot when it introduced the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge in a bid to wow the market with slimmer, sleeker phones that sacrifice a couple of practical features.

But then again, Samsung could have heard the uproar from long-time customers who were unhappy about the removal of the microSD slot.

At this point, no one really knows what Samsung has in store, but the company's Galaxy Unpacked event is only less than a week away. By that time, we won't be relying on leaks and rumors to find out what Samsung has to offer.

Photo: Kārlis Dambrāns | Flickr