Everyone's got an opinion when it comes to what Apple might end up doing for the iPhone 5, whether that means including a dual-core A5 CPU or stretching the smartphone's screen to fit the phone edge-to-edge. By many accounts, though, this could be one of Apple's smaller upgrades, less of a big step than the iPhone 4 was over the 3GS. To that end, we're already hearing rumors about what the follow-up to this next iPhone could bring. Speculation into the cellular radio for the iPhone 6 — or whatever Apple decides to call its sixth-generation iPhone — has it supporting LTE to finally bring the line some 4G speed. The latest rumor about the iPhone 6 focuses on its display technology, suggesting Sharp could produce a super-thin, low-power, high-resolution LTPS LCD for the smartphone.

LTPS screens (low temperature polysilicon) allow for more of the display hardware to be integrated right onto the screen itself. That may only shave a fraction of a millimeter off the phone's thickness, but when we're looking at sub-one-centimeter phones, every little bit helps. While details aren't yet available, supposedly the LTPS Sharp's rumored to produce would let more light through per equivalent surface area than screens available today, leading to brighter, richer-looking graphics.

The rumors, put forth by Japanese newspaper Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, have Sharp transforming one of its plants to manufacture the LTPS displays, readying them for an iPhone 6 launch in 2012.

Source: Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun (Google translate)

Via: MacRumors