Will Sprint get the iPhone now that it's no longer locked to AT&T in the U.S.? That seems to be the question on everyone's mind as of late, and if Citadel Securities analyst Shing Yin is to be believed, the answer is a resounding "Yes." According to Yin, the iPhone will be making its way to Sprint before the holidays this year, a move which he believes makes sense for Apple because of Sprint's (comparatively) cheaper plans and the fact that, after tomorrow, it'll be the sole carrier in the big four with an unlimited data plan.

Yin wasn't the only analyst making Apple-related claims today, as FBR Capital Markets analyst Craig Berger chimed in with his thoughts on a successor for the iPad 2. Berger believes that Apple may be preparing to launch an "iPad 2 Plus" with a higher resolution display that'll be around 250-300 pixels per inch (ppi). To compare, the current iPad has a display that's132 ppi while the iPhone 4's Retina Display is measured at 326 ppi. According to Berger's supply chain sources, the iPad 2 Plus may launch in late 2011.

So will we truly see a Sprint iPhone this year? This isn't the first time we've heard that the iPhone will be Now Network-bound later this year, and one report even suggested that the device was in advanced testing. Plus there was that job listing Apple posted that showed the company was looking for a "Carrier Engineer" near Overland Park, Kan., which just so happens to be where Sprint's HQ is located. The evidence of a Sprint iPhone certainly seems to be adding up, but as with most rumors and analyst claims, this report should probably be taken with a few grains of salt for now.

Via MacRumors (1), (2), Barron's, International Business Times