Samsung: 64-bit CPU coming to Galaxy phones
Not to be outdone by Apple, Samsung has picked up the A7 gauntlet and promises 64-bit chips for its next Galaxy range.
Apple may be the first to offer a 64-bit handset, but Samsung promises that more are on the way.
Samsung Mobile co-CEO Shin Jong-kyun told The Korea Times that the next generation of Galaxy phones will come with 64-bit processing. He wasn't able to give an exact time frame, but said that the new range wouldn't be happening "in the shortest time".
Apple has hyped the power of its A7 processor in the iPhone 5s, saying that it offers twice the speed of the A6. Many reports have indicated that users may not experience any real difference, with ExtremeTech saying that "the benefit of being the first company to launch a 64-bit mobile processor, even with full OS support, is approximately zero".
Others, such as our own Stephen Shankland, had suggested that while the purported speed boosts may not be as forthcoming as suggested, "Apple is smart to lay the foundations for 64-bit mobile computing now".
Shin also issued a challenge to Apple in terms of pushing products into China and Japan. The iPhone 5c had been rumoured to be a lower-cost phone, designed as part of a strategy to build Apple's market in China, although the actual product does not appear to have been priced competitively enough for this purpose.
Shin said to The Korea Times that "Samsung understands that Apple intends to boost its mobile business in China, as well as in Japan, meaning that we should try harder in these countries".