The Clicks co-founder explains who its tiny Communicator telephone is for

Clicks is an apologetically gadgety firm, making gear that feels charmingly out-of-place in a world the place nearly each smartphone out there may be an all-screen slab. That was clearly two years in the past when the corporate first revealed its keyboard case that introduced tactile typing to the iPhone and ultimately different Android units. Somewhat than that being a one-off curiosity, the corporate had two new bulletins at CES 2026: a magnetic keyboard accent that additionally doubles as a battery financial institution and small, squat cell phone with a keyboard. And whereas there isn’t a working prototype of the Clicks Communicator accessible for the press to see, I acquired to take a look at the brand new Energy Keyboard discuss with Clicks co-founder and former BlackBerry advertising and marketing director Jeff Gadway about the place he thinks his merchandise match into the smartphone world.

At first look, the $79 Energy Keyboard seems like a giant enchancment over the unique Clicks Keyboard case. It magnetically attaches to any telephone with Qi2 and connects over Bluetooth. The keyboard itself is just like the unique Clicks keyboard, however there’s a devoted quantity row which is a pleasant enchancment. However the factor that basically caught my eye was its old-school slider kind issue. When closed, the Energy Keyboard sits on the again of your telephone like a thick wi-fi battery pack — however it satisfyingly slides as much as reveal the keyboard just like the Palm Pre or BlackBerry Torch smartphones of outdated.

The Energy Keyboard’s final trick is that it may cost your telephone up when connected. The battery itself isn’t enormous, so that you’re not going to totally recharge a contemporary smartphone. But it surely’s nonetheless a pleasant addition for in the event you want some energy in a pinch. You may as well set it up so it doesn’t cost your telephone and as a substitute makes use of all of the battery to energy the keyboard; in that scenario, the keyboard will final weeks with no cost. Or you possibly can designate a proportion that may solely be utilized by the keyboard — for instance, if the battery pack’s cost drops beneath 20 %, it’ll cease charging your telephone and as a substitute save that energy for the keyboard.

As somebody who has by no means owned a smartphone with a keyboard, I can’t say how good the Clicks keyboard truly is — there can be a particular studying curve earlier than I acquired snug with it. It definitely feels tiny to me, however in the event you simply kind on and belief autocorrect you need to get the hold of it earlier than too lengthy. Whether or not the advantages of utilizing a bodily keyboard matter are as much as you to determine. It’s good seeing a much bigger display unobstructed by the digital keyboard, however I really feel far too set in my touchscreen methods to think about switching it up. However some individuals simply liked their keyboards, and for them this gadget may hit the spot.

The Clicks Communicator is the extra surprising of the 2 new units the comapny is engaged on, however with no working demo mannequin I can’t render any judgement about the way it will truly work. When it was introduced, Clicks particularly mentioned they have been concentrating on individuals who used a number of units, a demographic that I wasn’t totally satisfied was massive sufficient to justify the Communicator’s existence. However Gadway assured me the corporate had accomplished loads of analysis earlier than transferring into the {hardware} manufacturing section.

“You have acquired people who find themselves mandated to hold a second machine for company deploy. You then’ve acquired people who find themselves small enterprise homeowners and wish to have a separate telephone for his or her small enterprise,” he mentioned. “In markets like Europe, there is a requirement for employers to present individuals the choice to have a separate machine and create extra separation. You have acquired vacationers who desire a second SIM, and you then’ve acquired this rising cohort of digital detox, digital minimalism, digital well-being individuals.” None of these segments may be enormous by itself, however add all of it up and the Clicks staff felt like they’d a good alternative.

The opposite half of the thought course of was making the Communicator totally different from an iPhone or Pixel — as a substitute of getting two basically equivalent units, Clicks needed to make the Communicator with a definite focus. “Our thought course of was that complementary units in tech are on the rise,’ Gadway mentioned. “You put on an Oura Ring and also you put on a sensible watch; you carry an e-reader for studying and a pill for content material consumption. So why should not your second telephone be higher at sure issues than your first telephone as a substitute of simply being a straight duplicate?”

That’s the place the squarish, 4-inch touchscreen, keyboard and customized implementation of the Niagara Android launcher, which is a list-based UI slightly than a grid of apps. The customized Clicks implementation of it focuses in your messaging apps and shortly triaging by new gadgets (therefore the Communicator title). The keyboard itself is contact delicate and will be swiped throughout to navigate and take actions on what you see. However the Communicator is simply an Android telephone at coronary heart which suggests you possibly can set up any apps that you simply discover important — although its kind issue modifications what it’s best used for. “You may obtain no matter apps you need, however we have optimized it to be higher at particular issues,” Gadway mentioned. “So, you realize, do you wish to watch letterboxed TikTok movies on this? In all probability not. You might, however it’s not the factor you are going to attain for to do this. However we’re not going to present you a product that restricts what you are able to do.”

The benefit of being a smaller {hardware} maker is that Clicks doesn’t must promote tens of millions of those — they’re simply taken with providing another for individuals who may get pleasure from it, simply as they’ve accomplished with their keyboard equipment. After all, the Communicator is a much bigger funding; it’s up for pre-order now for $399 (that’s Pixel 9a territory, for comparability). As soon as it launches within the second half of the 12 months, we’ll discover out if it may discover its viewers.