The US researchers have created a map which shows those living in posh areas in the world's biggest cities are far more likely to own Apple's iPhone, while those in lower income areas almost always own an Android handset.
Developed by the US-based mapping provider MapBox and social media aggregation firm Gnip, the map reveals the places from where phone owners tweet.
The developers analysed three billion tweets and found that in New York, affluent iOS owners are in Manhattan, while the suburbs are dominated by the low-cost Android cell phones.
"In the map, one can see that the iPhones, in red, are predominantly in wealthy sections of the city while the Android phones, in green, have more coverage in poorer sections," the developers were quoted as saying in media reports.
The iPhone owners download apps and games the most, leaving app developers make twice as much money from the Apple iPhone apps than hugely popular Android handsets.
According to latest figures, there have been 50 billion total downloads from the Apple App Store, still just ahead of Google Play's recently touted 48 billion.
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