Following the launch of the first major smartphone with a 64-bit processor, the Apple iPhone 5S during the fall of 2013, it looks like 64-bit processors are set to dominate the mobile market, with Android devices driving the growth. The only catch? Market penetration won't happen immediately.

According to a new ABI Research report from, Android devices will make up a bulk of the devices equipped with 64-bit processor by the year 2018. That's not to say Android fans will have to wait that long for top-quality devices with 64-bit processors -- Intel, Marvell, MediaTek, Qualcomm, and Nvidia all revealed 64-bit processors at the Mobile World Congress in February. 64-bit Android devices should begin rolling off the production line during the second half of 2014, when a major Android update should release.

At the moment, a majority of 64-bit Android devices are targeted at the mid-range market.

"A number of early adopters will initially use 64-bit as a catchy marketing strategy to easily communicate differentiation using 'more-is-better' adage previously used for promoting performance in the multi-core processor race," said Malik Saadi, practice director at ABI Research.

"This is not to say that 64-bit processing will not add any significant value to the Android sphere but the benefits of this technology will become apparent only when its implementation over Android matures."

The ABI Research report estimates that shipments of 64-bit mobile processors should exceed 182 million by the end of 2014. Of these, only 20 percent should be Android devices. Instead, count on Apple to really drive 2014's 64-bit growth.

Apple debuted the 64-bit A7 chip with the release of the iPhone 5S, iPad Air, and second-generation iPad mini. The launch of those products marked the first time a 64-bit processor appeared in top-tier mobile products. Since then, 64-bit processors have moved higher up on manufacturers' lists of must-haves.

ABI Research predicts that 64-bit processor shipments for smartphones and tablets will exceed 1.12 billion units, for 55 percent of the total market. Android devices are expected to be the recipient of 60 percent of these chips, with Apple's iOS trailing at 30 percent, and Windows Phone coming in at third with 9 percent market share.

The ARM instruction set is forecasted to be the most popular style for 64-bit chips, although the x86 architecture is expected to gain up to 10 percent market share by 2018.

The report was substantiated with findings from ABI Research's Mobile Device Semiconductors Research Service.

The fact that Android will eventually outnumber iOS in the 64-bit category should come as no surprise. Android beat out iOS in both the smartphone and tablet categories in 2013, a first for Google's operating system. Despite the strong showing in 2013, however, there is some concern that Android might be losing steam, and that fringe mobile operating systems could begin to gain larger footholds in the near future.

"We expect Android's growth to slow further in 2014 due to market saturation, and rivals like Microsoft or Firefox will be ready to pounce on any signs of a major slowdown for Android this year," reads the January Strategy Analytics report detailing Android's 2013 smartphone market share.