New study: Android users are more honest than iPhone owners

Michael Timmermann | March 22nd, 2017

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Are you Team Android or Team iPhone? Your choice of smartphone may reveal some surprising clues about your personality, according to a new study.

Android vs. iPhone: What your smartphone says about you

Researchers from Lancaster University in the UK asked more than 500 smartphone users to answer questions about themselves and their attitude toward their phone. They found that iPhone users were more likely to be female, younger, extroverts and to see their phone as a status object.

Meanwhile, the study revealed that Android users were more likely to be male, older, honest and agreeable. Also, they reported being less interested in wealth and status.

“In this study, we demonstrate for the first time that an individual’s choice of smartphone operating system can provide useful clues when it comes to predicting their personality and other individual characteristics,” said Dr. David Ellis of Lancaster University.

In the United States, Androids and iPhones are both incredibly popular. According to data released by comScore in early 2016, Android was the top smartphone platform with 52.7% market share and Apple had 43.9%.

Weighing the pros and cons

As you probably know, Clark is 100% Team Android. His main problem with the iPhone is the astronomical price: $649 for the newly-released iPhone 7. If you’re on a budget, there are a number of great Android phones for under $200. You just have to be okay with having a good (but maybe not great) phone.

While these budget devices don’t have all the bells and whistles that a new iPhone has, you can get the Moto G4 (one of Clark’s favorites) for $149 and bring it to any carrier. Republic Wireless is a good example. They’ll sell you a $20 a month plan for that phone. So you could get a new Android phone and two years of service for $629, about the price of a new iPhone.

We know that many people reading this are still going to get an iPhone anyway. We understand. It’s a great phone! But you can save yourself a lot of money by waiting for the price of the newest model to drop or even buying a refurbished iPhone through a “secret” page on Apple’s website.

Back to the study…

Based on the Android and iPhone users in your life, do you think there’s a link between the type of smartphone someone owns and their personality? Let us know on Facebook and Twitter.

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