Nearly 2 in 5 young adults see Android phone as a turnoff to (potential) partner

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, it appears that shared interests and humor are no longer the only determining factors for a successful date. According to research from ThePhoneLab among Dutch people between the ages of 16 and 29, a striking statistic emerges: 39% of young adults consider an Android phone to be a serious “red flag” with a (potential) partner. For two in five singles, the smartphone brand is thus an unexpected dealbreaker in the search for love.

Expert explains: smartphones as an extension of identity

That technology plays a role in mate choice is well explained psychologically, according to experts. Tom van Bommel, co-founder of neuromarketing research firm Unravel, points to the difference between everyday products and visible status objects.

“For most types of products, people are usually not that dismissive; it’s rare that you’ll turn down someone who buys the wrong sprinkles,” Van Bommel said. “The big exception to this are products you are seen with, such as cars, clothes and also your phone. For those specific products, brands do form an extension of a person’s identity. People use it to show who they are and what group they belong to. So someone with a different phone to yourself actually falls ‘outside your group’ – a turn-off, in other words.”

Young adults extra susceptible due to group drive

According to Van Bommel, this social dynamic plays especially strongly among young adults. The smartphone is constantly visible: while scrolling on social media, talking on the phone or when paying for a drink on a first date. The device thus automatically becomes part of the first impression.

“Especially in young adults, this social drive is especially strong, because people at that age have a strong group drive,” Van Bommel said. As a result, symbols of “belonging,” such as brands and technology, become extra important in how young people judge each other.

Boris Blijham, founder of ThePhoneLab, adds, “The smartphone acts as a mental shortcut: a signal on which assumptions are based about preferences and lifestyle. Like clothing style and communication style, the type of phone thus becomes part of the first impression.”

Online culture reinforces social value of technology

Moreover, on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, numerous memes and discussions about “iPhone versus Android” circulate. This reinforces the perception that this difference is not just about technology, but about identity, status and group feeling. Thus, smartphone brands have become a cultural symbol with even influence on romantic preferences.

According to Blijham, this research shows how strongly technology is intertwined with identity and image. “A smartphone has long since ceased to be a purely functional product. It has become a lifestyle item that says something about who you are, where you belong and how you present yourself. The fact that young people even base their dating choices on it underscores how great the social value of technology now is.”