Qualcomm has launched a new Snapdragon 410 64-bit chip that will help it make inroads in fast-growing, emerging markets.
The company said it will make smartphone chips with 64-bit features, which is typically found in personal computers.
"We are excited to bring 4G LTE to highly affordable smartphones at a sub $150 ( ̴ 1,000 RMB) price point with the introduction of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor," said Jeff Lorbeck, senior vice president and chief operating officer, Qualcomm Technologies, China. "The Snapdragon 410 chipset will also be the first of many 64-bit capable processors as Qualcomm Technologies helps lead the transition of the mobile ecosystem to 64-bit processing."
In September this year, Apple launched its first smartphone, the iPhone 5s, which is powered by a 64-bit processor. The introduction of a 64-bit processor in a smartphone also led to several speculations that the company plans to merge the iOS mobile platform with the operating system that is used in the Mac laptop and desktop personal computers. Rumors also suggested that future Macs may be built with the same line of chips that is used in the company's iPhones and iPads.
Qualcomm confirmed that its latest Snapdragon 410 chip will also offer 4G cellphone connectivity technology. The new chip should start appearing in low-cost and entry-level handsets towards the second half of 2014.
Michelle Leyden Li, a Qualcomm senior director, who is in charge of marketing the Snapdragon line, also said that the 64-bit technology will become standard across Qualcomm's products.
Samsung, Apple's arch rival, and one of the biggest producers of smartphones, also hinted at its intentions to use 64-bit processors in its future smartphones.
The 64-bit chip will be much faster and efficient when compared to the 32-bit processors used in most of the current mobile devices, and the chip may be adopted by many smartphone makers in the near term. However, a smartphone running on a 64-bit processor will also need changes to the device's software, which is currently designed to work on 32-bit processor.
