Which Smartphones Do Obama and Other World Leaders Use?

World leaders live in the public eye. In spite of that, most people have no idea which type of smartphone their country’s leader uses. Do country leaders use smartphones? Which kind of apps do they use? Who are they allowed to contact? The Guardian recently investigated and published a report on which world leaders use which phones. Here’s what they found:

Barack Obama – Blackberry

Obama is probably the most recognizable world leader. It makes sense that most people already know that he uses a Blackberry. Ever since he was elected, Obama has been regularly spotted using his “beloved” Blackberry. Obama was the first president to use a smartphone in office and his decision to continue using a Blackberry after being voted in came with some objection from the Secret Service. Obama’s Blackberry is heavily modified. Apparently, it only lets him communicate with 10 people. He can’t just download any apps he wants and the entire system has been heavily locked down by the Secret Service. As we reported a few weeks ago, the White House is considering a switch to iPhones or Android phones in the near future, so Obama (or his successor) may soon be using a way better smartphone.

Angela Merkel – Nokia Slide

Many Germans are currently very angry at the United States. That anger has to do with the fact that the NSA was caught spying on German Chancellor’s Angela Merkel’s phone. It had accessed a back door exploit and was using that exploit to read all incoming and outgoing data on the phone.

That simple Nokia Slide phone skyrocketed to world fame in October 2013 as a result of the NSA scandal. Angie uses a Nokia 6260 Slide although she reportedly only uses it for “party matters”. For more sensitive communications, she uses a Blackberry Z10 fitted with “hack-proof” security software that has been specially designed for the Chancellor of Germany.

Nawaz Sharif (Pakistan) – Blackberry Bold

Nawaz Sharif has been routinely spotted using Android phones and iPhones. However, contrary to what many people believe, Sharif doesn’t actually own any of these phones. Instead, he just uses whatever phones his entourage gives him at that moment. For more personal use, Sharif uses a Blackberry Bold and reportedly spends a lot of time on BBM in order to communicate with friends, family, and “close political allies.”

Vladimir Putin – No phone

It’s easy to picture Vladimir Putin wielding a phone like a Bond villain, but he actually doesn’t use any smartphone at all. He says that if he owned a phone, it would just ring all the time, so what’s the point? It’s also important to remember that Putin used to be a KGB spy, which means he probably knows exactly how vulnerable mobile phones can be. Putin is also outspoken about his aversion to the internet - he gets his news from official intelligence reports from his government. The Russian government isn’t filled with technophobes. Russia’s Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has been routinely spotted using iPhones and is widely outspoken about his love for Apple – which is weird in a country known for anti-American sentiment. Medvedev was actually one of the first people in the world to receive an iPhone 4 – Steve Jobs personally sent him an iPhone 4 before it was released to the public.

Francois Hollande (France) – iPhone 5

Francois Hollande became French president largely because of his ability to appeal to the youth and minority vote. Along with using Jay-Z and Kanye West in his election videos, Hollande appealed to the youth vote due to his love of the iPhone.

Most recently, Hollande has been spotted using an iPhone 5. Rumors are swirling that he uses the iPhone 5 for more than just presidential matters and also uses it to converse with a girlfriend. Hollande has come under criticism for using the iPhone and security advisors have urged him to use a more secure device – especially after Apple has been repeatedly accused of installing NSA backdoors into all its devices. France’s former president, Nicolas Sarkozy, was well-known for his love of the Blackberry.

Stephen Harper (Canada) - No phone

Stephen Harper has been Canadian prime minister since 2006. Prior to becoming PM, Harper was a proud Blackberry user. However, since then, he has given up his Blackberry and reportedly does not use a phone. He has, however, admitted to using an iPad to read government research and documents.

Kim Jong-un (North Korea) – Possible HTC user

North Korea is shrouded in secrecy and the vast majority of the country does not own – and will never own – any type of smartphone.

However, that doesn’t mean there are no smartphone users in North Korea. In fact, approximately 10% of the country, or 2 million people, are estimated to use smartphones. Kim Jong-un is one of those people. He has been spotted using an HTC smartphone and is likely one of the only people in North Korea to own such a luxury device. Most DPRK smartphones are manufactured in China and branded using official North Korean company names. The country has limited 3G coverage and North Koreans who live along the Chinese border often use Chinese telecom providers. North Korean smartphones cannot connect to any international services and can only make calls, send texts, and access internet from inside the country.