I’m a long-time BlackBerry fan. I still remember buying my Blackberry Pearl 8100 back in 2006 at Argos for a whole £250 – I know, phones have gotten way too expensive – mainly to access Blackberry Messenger, a platform-exclusive chat platform that was the way to message pre-WhatsApp.
But it wasn’t until I got my hands on the Blackberry Curve that I was truly sold. The full-size keyboard was a game-changer, especially compared to the T9 keyboards we were used to at the time.
It not only meant I could type messages faster and more accurately, but after a while, I didn’t even need to look at the screen to write out an entire message – and I can’t say I can do the same with a touchscreen. There’s just something about the tactile feel of a keyboard.
I hopped from BlackBerry to BlackBerry for years, and even had a side hustle customising the cases for the phones – but sadly, the industry at large moved away from physical keyboards for touchscreen alternatives, and BlackBerry fell by the wayside.
There have been attempts to bring back the physical keyboard, from the Typo Keyboard created by Ryan Seacrest that actually got into trouble for being so similar to BlackBerry’s alternative to, more recently, Clicks.
The company first shipped Clicks Keyboard for iPhones back in 2024, and it’s safe to say I was very excited – until I used one, that is. It made my already-large iPhone feel even bigger and longer, and it even stuck out of my jeans pocket. As much as I enjoyed having a keyboard again, it was too big a sacrifice to use daily.
But, my dear reader, Clicks came to Vegas with something big that I was not expecting; as well as revealing the Clicks Power Keyboard with Qi2 support, it announced the Clicks Communicator, a fully-fledged smartphone with, you guessed it, a physical keyboard.
I’ve been covering CES and simultaneous Vegas launches for over ten years at this point, and in that time, I’ve seen products of all shapes and sizes revealed – but I’ve never been tempted enough to actually pre-order anything until now.
The Clicks Communicator changes that. Just look at it and you’ll see the BlackBerry inspiration, and I mean that as a compliment. It’s a smaller device than what we’re used to, with a 4.03-inch AMOLED screen with a 1080 x 1200 resolution, complete with an integrated physical keyboard and a uniquely angled rear that should make it nice and comfortable to type on two-handed – because let’s be honest, it’s all about productivity here.
There’s a distinct focus on messaging and productivity apps like WhatsApp, Slack and Gmail, and while there’s nothing stopping you from installing apps like Instagram – it runs on a custom version of the Niagara Launcher on Android 16 – the small, squat screen won’t provide the best viewing experience.
But if you’re typing a long email, replying to a WhatsApp message or even drafting a work document, that screen makes much more sense.
Clicks suggests the Communicator could be used as a second phone alongside your iPhone, Pixel or Galaxy, with your ‘main’ phone for photography, gaming and social media, with the Communicator more for, y’know, communicating. Just like you would on a BlackBerry.
The old-school vibe doesn’t stop there either; it also offers a 3.5mm audio jack and a microSD card that lets you expand storage up to 2TB, and the 4000mAh battery is pretty sizeable for a rather compact device.
With an early bird price tag of just $399 (around £295 in the UK), it’s an easy pre-order from me – and I can’t wait to get my hands on it later this year.
A (part-time) digital detox
You might question why I’d want a dedicated device for communicating with friends and family when I’ve got access to some of the best phones around right now, and the answer is becoming ever more common: I want a break from all the apps vying for my attention all the time.
I’m sure I’m not alone in having lost countless hours staring at my phone screen, whether I’m mindlessly scrolling through TikTok or playing another silly mobile game for way too long. I’m even guilty of getting distracted when I get my phone out to send a message or look something up in my emails.
The problem is, I don’t want to go fully nuclear and just delete all the time-wasting apps from my phone. I do have downtime, and it’s then that I still want to scroll through social media and watch stupid videos online – I just want to cut down on distractions in general.
The Clicks Communicator seems like the perfect detox device for that. I’ve still got access to apps like WhatsApp and Slack for work, and I can install Instagram to access my Instagram messages – but with an oddly shaped screen, I won’t be anywhere near as tempted to mindlessly scroll through my timeline.
Not to mention, Reels’ vertical videos won’t look that great either, so I’ll actively be avoiding them on the device.
It means I can take the Clicks Communicator to work, events and other places where I want to unplug from the digital world while still retaining access to my messaging apps and Google Maps without distraction.
Not just that, but the physical keyboard should make for a much more comfortable typing experience than touchscreen alternatives. That’s ideal, especially for longer messages and emails, and for me personally, it’ll be the device I do on-the-go writing on.
Sure, I’ve usually got my laptop, but on busy trains, planes and standing at bus stops, having something that fits in the palm of my hand will be infinitely easier to use.
So, yes, the Clicks Communicator is easily my CES must-have, not just for nostalgia but for more focused productivity – and I can’t wait to use it for myself.
