Should I get a phone now, or wait?

[M3thodFud]

So here is my dilemma. My current cellphone is a little over 2 years old, and I am looking for a new phone. The phone that currently has me intrigued is the Sony Xperia Z3 compact. The only thing that does not have me pulling the trigger is that I am curious if the phone is future proof. Yeah, the hardware is great for that little powerhouse, but my real concern is that the upcoming Android L update will support 64-bit processors. Will the Sony Z3c last me two years without the 64-bit processor, or will it just fall behind without it? Some advice would be great, thanks!

 

[Golfdriver97]

Welcome to the forums. I look at it this way: if you wait, you will always be waiting. Get whatever you like now, and worry about what will happen in 2 years in 2 years.

 

[n-strike]

No device will ever be "future proof", but the closest to being that would be any Nexus device.

 

[Rukbat]

As Golfdriver said, and it holds true for computers as well (and even cars - my 2010 doesn't have any Bluetooth anything). they're always going to be coming out with something new (which is why I want to live forever - to see all the new things), so "tomorrow" is always the best time to buy a phone or computer. Two years? A top of the line phone should still be able to run apps that are new two years from now. If you had said 10 years, we'd have a problem.

 

[Devhux]

Now, or within the next month is probably your best time to get a phone. All the manufacturers have pretty much announced their main products that are going to carry them into Spring 2015 or so (or at least until Mobile World Congress in February). The others are correct in that there's always something better around the corner, but outside of the Nexus 6 launch, there really isn't anything major planned for the foreseeable future.

As for your concern regarding 64-bit support, the 32-bit processor in current phones isn't going to suddenly become outdated. Heck, even on desktop PCs there are still far, far more apps supporting 32-bit mode than 64-bit. By the point Android stops supporting 32-bit devices entirely, your phone will feel like a phone running Cupcake (Android 1.5).

 

[JBeef]

I agree with a lot of the above. Now is a good time, all the big players have announced their latest handsets. If you wait, you'll be waiting for a while to get into a similar situation again. If you choose something that you're extremely happy with now it will last. If you have nagging doubts, you'll always be looking for new shinier things.

 

[Rukbat]

By the point Android stops supporting 32-bit devices entirely, your phone will feel like a phone running Cupcake (Android 1.5).

Probably more like using one of the first phones with a camera would be today. The problem won't be the 64 bit processor support, until Google stops supporting 32 bit in Android itself (remember, the apps are written in Java, so as long as the Java Virtual Machine runs on your phone, the apps will), it's going to be apps that require 80GB of internal storage or 6GB of RAM to run. Most apps way into the future will run on today's top of the line phones.