ARM Predicts 64-Bit LTE Smartphones Will Ship for Under Rs. 4,300 in 2015

ARM Holdings, the chip design company, recently took to Twitter to reveal its 15 forecasts for 2015. Perhaps the most notable takeaway was the prediction that the majority of smartphones shipping this year will be 64-bit capable, while adding that some manufacturers will manage to sell 64-bit smartphones with LTE support priced under $70 (approximately Rs. 4,300).

#ARM15for15 1. 50% smartphones shipped in 2015 will be #64bit capable pic.twitter.com/AsTQngexOd

-- ARM Holdings (@ARMHoldings) January 21, 2015

#ARM15for15 5. #64bit LTE smartphones will ship for under $70 pic.twitter.com/sjEOX3PSDf

-- ARM Holdings (@ARMHoldings) January 21, 2015

It's worth noting that the current batches of 64-bit capable smartphones are being launched in the high-end and mid-range segment, with only more recent offerings (such as the Lenovo A6000) using 64-bit chipsets in the budget segment. Both Qualcomm and MediaTek have budget 64-bit capable chipsets, such as the Snapdragon 410 and MT6732. With the increasing number of handsets using 64-bit architecture, we can expect more and more in the budget segment.

Some of the other forecasts shared by ARM include the prediction that biometrics will drive alternative user ID strategies. The company believes that 2015 will see a rise in payments using biometric identification.

Additionally, the chipmaker speculates that a massive mobile payment surge based on chip and smartphone technology will make the retail segment more efficient.

#ARM15for15 9. Massive mobile payment surge w/ #chipandpin & smartphones will make retail more efficient pic.twitter.com/A646vcyLtP

-- ARM Holdings (@ARMHoldings) January 21, 2015

Meanwhile, it speculates that wearable segment will have to deliver more useful and contextual information to become truly must-use accessories. It notes, "#Wearables must pass 'don't leave home without me' test by delivering actionable, contextual info."

For OEMs and other major companies, the year 2015 will see more acquisitions of semiconductor vendors. ARM says, "More OEMs & internet co's will acquire semi vendors to drive their USP into value chain."

ARM also speculates that mobile operators will deploy smartphone services as de facto healthcare for rural areas; the biggest IoT revenues will be in cities and enterprises; increasing cyber-attack concerns will drive hardware security from sensor to server; benchmark data will shift end-user choice to purpose-optimised servers versus monolithic approaches; effort will turn to efficiency and form factor as wirelessly chargeable consumer devices enter market; system performance demands will move NFV from software on server to tightly coupled hardware accelerators, and latest IoT buzz will shift from wearables to robotics.