Galaxy S5 could have 64-bit chip too, Samsung hints

The next generation of high-end Samsung Galaxy phones will have 64-bit processing just like the iPhone 5S, according to the company's co-CEO JK Shin.

"Not in the shortest time. But yes, our next smartphones will have 64-bit processing functionality," Shin said, as reported by the Korea Times. That could well refer to the follow-up to the Galaxy S4, due in March next year.

Never a company to be left behind by Apple for long, Samsung's Shin admitted he'd followed the iPhone 5S launch on Tuesday night.

The main advantage of a 64-bit chip is that it can use more than 4GB of memory, a restriction Samsung's phones are yet to bump up against -- the firm's very latest phone, the mighty Galaxy Note 3, has 3GB of RAM.

As my CNET.com colleague Stephen Shankland points out in a well-explained article here, 64-bit chips don't offer much benefit right now, whatever Apple's unmarked performance graphs claim. But they will in the future when more RAM is available -- and by giving software makers a headstart, their apps will make the most of 64-bit chips by the time everyone has them.

The Note 3, unveiled last week at IFA in Berlin, is Samsung's most powerful phone yet, on paper at least, with a zippy 2.3GHz quad-core processor (but 'only' 32-bit, mind) and a mahoosive 3,200mAh battery. There's a huge 5.7-inch 1080p screen, 4G and a 13-megapixel camera too.

It's out in the UK on 25 September, on a range of startlingly expensive deals you can read about here.

What do you make of the 64-bit chip situation? Does Samsung need to play catch-up with Apple on this? Does the Note 3 having a 32-bit chip put you off? Chip in down in the comments, or on our chippy Facebook page.