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Smartphone users would 'rather lose their wallet'

Peter Flanagan New Technology Correspondent

THE vast majority of smartphone users say they would rather lose their wallet than their phone, according to a new survey.

In a sign of the times in Ireland, the report, from insurance firm MobileCover, found that 70pc of people who used a smartphone, such as an iPhone or Blackberry, believe that losing their mobile would be worse than misplacing their wallet.

Nearly 40pc of those surveyed have either lost a smartphone or had one stolen from them.

Perhaps not surprisingly, most Irish people lose their phones in bars and nightclubs, while a fifth of phones go missing when a person is commuting.

Despite the high rate of loss and theft, barely a third of users have some sort of security or tracking application for their device, say MobileCover.

The survey is timely, as Christmas – traditionally one of the busiest times of the year for upgrades – approaches. About a fifth of respondents will change their phone this month, and are most likely to go for a Samsung phone.

That brand is the most popular here now, with a 37pc share of the Irish market. Apple's iPhone has about a quarter of the market, followed by Nokia and HTC.

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