How Rich People Use Their Smartphones

Do rich folks use their smartphones differently than the poor? Research by The Luxury Institute and Toronto’s Polar Mobile suggests so.

According to the TLI, those earning annual incomes of $150,000 (mean income $295,000, mean net worth $2.8 million) display different habits than less wealthy folks. For example, the rich are less likely to play games or tweet from their device. Rather, they prefer to read news and utilize travel and finance apps.

“As you get older and have family and significant others, aging parents, and a lot more assets and investments, you’re going to need apps for far more relevant things than playing games and chatting with your peers,” said Milton Pedraza, CEO of The Luxury Institute.

And while rich people are more likely to buy apps, TLI found, they actually download only about half as many overall as the average user.

Nearly half of wealthy smartphone users own an iPhone, according to data from Nielsen. About one-third use an Android device, while less than one quarter use a BlackBerry. This contrasts the average, which sees 46% of users owning Androids, 30% owning iPhones, and 15% owning BlackBerrys.