A 32-bit phone released in the 64-bit age rouses some questions — let's answer them New Nexus time, baby! It's the time of the year when hardcore fans of Google's version of Android get excited. We see new hardware, new OS versions with sweet features, and we start to think about how we're going to fund our new purchases and the things we're going to do with them. It's #420ROOTIT all day for some, enjoying "pure" Android as-is for others. With every launch of new Nexus hardware comes a little controversy, though. This year it's mostly the size — the Nexus 6 is a big beast of a phone — and the price — the Nexus 6 is priced like a big beast of a phone. (Or like every other phone. Just unlike previous Nexus phones is all.) Division exists on both counts, but in the end the people who really want the new Nexus will buy one in spite of, or because of, both issues. But there's one not-so-little thing that has more than a few scratching their heads and a little worried. Lollipop is built for 64-bit processors, and the Nexus 9 tablet is a 64-bit device. But the Nexus 6 uses a 32-bit processor. Does that mean it's obsolete before it even gets released? Let's rap.

What does 32 or 64-bit even mean for smartphones?