Predictions for Apple's upcoming iPhone 6 keep are getting fancier and fancier. The latest rumor suggests a solar power panel for the 2014 phone, but just how realistic is this advanced feature?

Recently, Matt Margolis, an analyst, wrote an article suggesting that the iPhone 6 will be solar-powered.

"Did Apple place an initial order last week for $68m worth of solar cell coating equipment, so they could use lasers to scribe solar cells onto sapphire screens, for the iPhones and iPods that will be released in 2014?" Margolis wrote on Seeking Alpha.

According to Margolis, Apple wants to implement a solar-powered sapphire glass screen on the iPhone 6 to extend its battery life. The analyst also pointed out that Apple filed a patent for integrated sensor and solar assembly.

"Integrated touch sensor and solar panel configurations that may be used on portable devices, particularly handheld portable devices such as a media player or phone are disclosed," the patent reads. "The integrated touch sensor array and solar cell stack-ups may include electrodes that are used both for collecting solar energy and for sensing on a touch sensor array."

In a "Fact Checklist," Margolis states that "Apple filed solar patents that will allow them to power their electronic devices directly through solar cells, Apple posted and filled a Thin Films Engineer position with solar experience ... [and] Apple recently posted a Manufacturing Design Engineer position that includes 'scribing' and 'PVD coating' which relate to thin films (solar cells) and lasers."

The most obvious form of skepticism comes with acknowledging that Margolis may not be the most reputable source simply because he is not a super well-known analyst.

24/7 Wall St. points out that the solar powered phone seems a possibility as Apple struggles to rule the smartphone industry, but that doesn't mean that Apple will use the sun to do so.

"The new iPhone does not need the ability to use solar power to radically change the smartphone industry..." the website says. "...What makes the iPhone rumor unimportant is that new features are not what will carry Apple's flagship forward. Analysts who hope for huge sales in China have a much more accurate view of what could make the iPhone the market leader again."

According to Forbes, an iPhone 6 with solar cells is not likely because the technology is not advanced enough yet.

"A thin transparent film with embedded solar cells has very low efficiency in terms of converting light to electricity," Nigam Arorra, a Forbes contributor, wrote. "And there is not a significant advantage towards improving battery life. As with all technologies, the efficiency will improve over a period of time. A sapphire screen with a laminate of film containing solar cells is likely in iPhone 7 but not in iPhone 6."

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