Android L reportedly accelerating race to 64-bit smartphones

Manufacturers of Android devices may have scoffed at the notion of a 64-bit smartphone when Apple unveiled the iPhone 5S last year, but those same hardware makers are apparently tripping over themselves to play catch-up now.DigiTimes today reported that Google's forthcoming Android L operating system appears to be moving up the timetable for adoption of 64-bit hardware capable of taking full advantage of it.According to unnamed industry sources, 64-bit CPUs could become "mainstream technology" for Android smartphones by the end of next year now that manufacturers have stepped up efforts to adopt the speedier architecture.Lenovo, K-Touch, Huawei, Vivo and HTC have all reportedly signed up for Qualcomm's 64-bit Snapdragon 610, 614 and/or 410 processors, which have been designed with rapid migration to Android L in mind.On your marks64-bit processors from rivals MediaTek and Samsung Electronics have already started making their way into the supply chain, with MediaTek's architecture reportedly already in the hands of "China-based handset vendors."Samsung apparently plans to keep its own 64-bit technology closer to home with in-house smartphones for the remainder of 2014, presumably expanding availability for other customers next year.Huawei subsidiary HiSilicon Technologies also appears to have a roadmap to 64-bit already laid out, but sources claim those processors won't appear until the first half of 2015 at the earliest.Google still hasn't confirmed an official launch (or even a final name) for Android L, which could roll out next month at the earliest, suggesting many of the first handsets to ship with the OS upgrade may not take full advantage of what the software has to offer.Take a gander at our review of the Motorola Moto X (2014)!

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