As the saying so often goes when it comes to dating, it’s a jungle out there – and apparently survival of the fittest now also includes the right phone.
Of course, mobile phones as a status symbol is nothing new, from the early days of having the best cover on a Nokia 5110, then the tiniest flip phone possible, to the first gen iPhone and on to today’s vast and dizzying array of devices.
However, many of us may not be aware that potential partners will judge us so harshly on our choice of phone, but apparently, that’s the case.
A vox pop in the US revealed men with Android phones would immediately be deemed less attractive (or a nerd, which definitely isn’t the same thing).
When posed with the question ‘He’s a 10, but has an Android – what would his new rating be?’, the answers were, frankly, savage.
‘A three,’ answered one woman.
‘That’s a zero,’ said another.
Others were equally as negative, but at least explained their ridiculous POV.
‘It’s a zero – our pictures for Instagram are gonna be terrible,’ said one.
‘It’s green texts and I’m doing blue,’ said another. ‘And I’m not doing WhatsApp either.’
Interestingly, those two answers are quite telling in very different ways.
With so many different social media platforms now offering messaging and users overwhelmed by updates and communications, old-fashioned SMS has been enjoying something of a resurgence of late – while Whatsapp has dropped more than a million users in the UK alone since 2020.
In the US there are around 80 million users, still around a quarter of the population, but fewer than most of us would have probably imagined.
And regarding how selfies will look on Instagram, a non-iPhone photo is absolutely no problem.
In fact, many major tech publications rank Android phone cameras above the iPhone, including TechRadar and Tom’s Guide, both of which argue the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is the pick for pics.
Of course, it depends what kind of photography you plan on doing (a stargazer? You’ll want the Pixel 8). Cost is also a consideration, with decent camera phones now ranging anywhere from £150 to four figures for the iPhone Pro Max.
That factor was commented on by one particularly judgey member of the vox pop panel – ‘Are you broke? Like how can you not afford an Apple’ – which is of course utter tripe, and for many, there are more important things in life (and love) than a small, trendy rectangle.
And hopefully, in the UK we’re more open minded about such matters. Clearly in the US Apple is still queen, with a recent survey revealing 87% of teens own an iPhone.
At home, Apple has just over a 50% share of the market, although certain cities take a bigger bite – London, we’re looking at you – and iPhones are still more popular with younger users.
But what about future partners? Britain, we hope you will look past the smartphone, and into the soul.
They’re not so easy to upgrade.
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