Up until recently, Apple’s iPhone 5S was the only Smartphone in the market to pack the advanced A7 processor. This was the first 64-bit processor that put the iPhone ahead of its closest competitors on the Android and Windows phone platforms. If you are an Android fan, don’t despair yet as Qualcomm has announced two 64 bit processors that will keep you at par with iPhone users. These two are the snapdragon 810 and 808 processors.
64 bit processor on a Smartphone
Without going in too deep trying to explain all the jargon, lets talk about 64 bit processors and their benefits. For those who do not know, the bit number represents the system memory or RAM.
The 64-bit processor in this case will allow Smartphones to have over 4GB of RAM (current maximum) opening a whole world of possibilities for manufacturers. At the moment, there is no Android Smartphone having 4GB of RAM.
Performance: Smartphone performance will significantly improve but not to a great extent. This is because most apps currently on the Android ecosystem are optimized for 32 bit processors and may not benefit from 64 bit processors. This does not mean 64-bit processors are useless because they will still result in improved performance for the core apps on Smartphones.
For improved performance of third party app, they will need to be optimized for 64 bit processors. This is not a problem given the fact that Qualcomm plans to have these processors on Smartphones from mid nest year. Enough time for developers to optimize their apps.
The Snapdragon 810 processor
This will be the higher end of the two 64 bit processors by Qualcomm. It will have an Octa-core design and will be able to handle 4K video with Ultra HD displays, 55MP image sensors, high speed 64 bit LPDDR4 RAM that will allow programs to run faster and consume less power, improved connectivity using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and NFC.
The Snapdragon 808 processor
This particular one will have a six-core design that can support 2K displays, LPDDR3 memory, improved Wi-Fi connections and better graphics.
Both these two processors will be smaller, lighter and will consume less power.
This is quite an impressive move by Qualcomm but they will have to wait for Google to release a 64 bit version of Android for ARM based mobile devices for full adoption of the 64 bit processors.
