Smartphones: What your device says about you

Are you a happy-go-lucky iPhone or an affluent BlackBerry?

People's choice of smartphone says a lot about their personality, according to a YouGov poll Image: Shutterstock

Want to discover whether a potential business associate is penny-pinching or profligate? Or whether your new partner is a social-networking butterfly or more of a face-to-face communicator?

Well, according to a YouGov poll, all you need do is look at their make of smartphone.

A YouGov report, commissioned by digital banking provider Intelligent Environments, found distinctive differences between iPhone, BlackBerry and Android smartphone users.

For example, if you own an iPhone, you are more likely to be overdrawn, according to the report. Despite this shortcoming, iPhone users are also on average better paid than Android users, with 56 per cent of iPhone users earning £20,000 and above, compared with just 39 per cent of Android users.

However, the BlackBerry brand claims the largest proportion of top earners. Ten per cent of RIM handset owners take home a salary of £50,000 or more compared with seven per cent of iPhone users and five per cent of Android users. They are also the least likely to be overdrawn. Yet BlackBerry users are also the least impressed with apps, with 23 per cent saying they didn't use apps at all.

iPhone owners use smartphones most heavily, with 18 per cent reporting that they spent four hours or more on their phone each day, compared with four per cent of Android and BlackBerry users.

iPhone users also spend the most time using apps for social networking and gaming, leading the report to profile iPhone users as the most happy-go-lucky smartphone owners.

Lost in the big city? Look for an Android user because they are the most likely to use apps for mapping and planning travel.

James Richard, director of mobile at Intelligent Environments, said in a statement there are clear differences between users of the top three mobile platforms.

"It's fair to say that iPhone and BlackBerry have strong identities but given that Android is on a number of handsets, we are clearly seeing more of a mixed user base," said Richard.

The report also found that women are more social. Some 53 per cent of female smartphone users said the apps they use most are for social networking, compared with 45 per cent of men.