Samsung Galaxy S5 Rumors: Device To Release With 64-Bit Exynos Processor? Samsung Announces Chipset Is Ready To Be Manufactured

As we ease into the Samsung Galaxy S5 rumor season, reports from South Korea indicate that the manufacturer has now completed development of its 64-bit system on a chip, which will soon go into production for implementation in the Galaxy S5.

Korean tech website IT Today reports that a director with Samsung’s System LSI division confirmed during a conference call on Friday that the 64-bit SoC is now ready to be manufactured. Samsung notably announced that it was in the final stages of developing a 64-bit chipset not long after Apple unveiled its iPhone 5S, which features a 64-bit processor. The A7 processor is the first 64-bit chip implemented in a smartphone; however, it may soon be a staple in future generations of mobile devices.

Samsung's 64-Bit Chipset

There is some indication that, in addition to a 64-bit architecture, Samsung’s upcoming SoC may implement a 14nm process based on ARM’s big.LITTLE platform, similar to what is currently seen on the Exynos 5410 and Exynos 5420 “5 Octa” chipsets. Using Cortex-A53 and Cortex-A57 cores, the octa-core chipset would allow for functionality of all cores at once, while maintaining its power-saving capability. Some reports have already referred to the chip as the 64-bit Exynos 5430 “true eight-core” processor; however, a name has not yet been confirmed by Samsung. (Some sources are also suggesting the name “Exynos 6.”)

Android's 64-Bit History

Though Apple may have spearheaded the commercialization of 64-bit computing on mobile devices, the architecture has actually long been developed on the Android platform. Android is notably based on the Linux operating system, which has had 64-bit functionality for even longer. Android based software simply needs the compatible hardware in order to adopt 64-bit support as the framework is already within its code.

More 64-Bit Chip Suppliers To Come

Meanwhile, Samsung isn’t the only manufacturer ready to capitalize on 64-bit mobile computing. Qualcomm has also announced that it may soon begin producing its own 64-bit processors. News of a new 2.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon (APQ8084) processor has recently begun to circulate. The SoC is believed to be apart of the Snapdragon 800 series, featuring an Adreno 420 GPU; it reportedly includes 64-bit DDR3 memory as opposed to 64-bit processing. However, details about the chipset may not be revealed until the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show, where Qualcomm typically unveils its latest products.

Samsung is well known for using its own processing components in its flagship devices as well as components from third party suppliers. Several generations of Samsung Galaxy smartphones have featured either Exynos or Qualcomm chipsets depending on their region of availability. That fact may be a hint that Qualcomm has a 64-bit processor in the works. Notably, the supplier has several tiers of chipsets, which could potentially be upgraded with 64-bit support.

NVIDIA is another developer currently producing 64-bit computing. Its ARMv8 64-bit architecture is expected to be adopted by such chipset manufacturers as Huawei or Broadcom. Apple’s iOS 7 on the A7 SoC is also based on ARMv8-A application support.

When Will Samsung Release It's 64-Bit Powered Galaxy S5?

Current rumors suggest the Samsung Galaxy S5 could release as early as February; however, the Korean manufacturer’s usual Galaxy S series release timeline is between April and May. It may still be too early to determine a release date for the upcoming device. But the rumor mill will soon be churning at full speed with suggestions.

Do you think a 64-bit processor for the Galaxy S5 is a good move for Samsung? Let us know in the comments below.

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