Analysis: New (3G) iPhone to Sport OLED Screen

A recent interview with Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney has revealed that Apple's iPhone might still be on track for receiving the OLED-treatment. Organic light-emitting diode or OLED is a new display technology said to provide higher contrast and lower power consumption, the latter being exactly what a 3G iPhone needs.

Since 3G is more power hungry than 2G (naturally), a traditional backlit LED screen would drain the iPhone's battery of juice even faster. As such, the Gartner analyst believes that the Cupertino labs are going to be busy implementing the new screens for an upcoming iPhone.

Also, since it's only a matter of time before the 3G iPhone hits the market, it's only the logical choice for Apple to make, the analyst reckons, more so due to the fact that this is "a hallmark of Apple," Dulaney told Electronista. "They like to put in these new things."

OLEDs are already being used for cameras, cellphones, and portable media players, while "the technology not only consumes less power but produces higher contrast ratios than LCDs, which are forced to light even black pixels," the tech-based web site reveals.

Also, OLEDs take up less space than traditional backlit LEDs used in most handsets today. This could very well lead to the introduction of a GPS receiver and additional storage, Dulaney notes.

The Gartner expert also weighed in on recent rumors of a widespread iPhone shortage as a sign of 3G model's early release. Dulaney dismisses the possibility that Apple is bumping up the release of the 3G iPhone, claiming supply issues or component shortages as the main possible reasons for the iPhone shortage.

Dulaney strongly believes that a new iPhone is due out by September, with its official introduction occurring sometime around June, when Apple plans to roll out iPhone firmware 2.0.