Clicks Technology has released its Power Keyboard accessory and plans to ship the Clicks Communicator smartphone in December. The U.K.-based company, whose team includes former BlackBerry employees, wants to restore tactile typing that many users say disappeared with all-touchscreen phones.
“Something was thrown out with the bathwater when we moved to modern smartphones,” Jeff Gadway, co-founder of Clicks, told Android Central. Gadway previously served as marketing director at BlackBerry.
The Power Keyboard clips magnetically onto MagSafe- or Qi2-enabled phones (or cases/rings that add magnets). Users slide out the keyboard for typing in portrait or landscape. It doubles as a power bank with a built-in 2,150 mAh battery, measures 119.7 × 76.6 × 15.2 mm and weighs 180 grams. TechCrunch reported Aug. 10 that 75% of first-batch preorders had shipped and that the device sells for $99. Clicks said it had tested across devices including iPhone Air and 17-series models, Pixel 9, Galaxy Fold and other Android phones.
The Communicator is a full Android phone with a square screen above a compact QWERTY keyboard. Engadget reported Sept. 18 that it will run Android 17, use a MediaTek Dimensity 8300, include 50MP main and 24MP front cameras, 12GB of RAM (up from an earlier 8GB plan), 256GB storage with microSD expansion, a 3.5mm jack and a 4,350 mAh battery. Preorders were $499 until Oct. 1, when the price rose to $649—so the lower preorder price has already ended as of mid-October.
Clicks pitches the Communicator as a focused communicator or second phone rather than a flagship rival. It also offers a Clicks Mobile eSIM service in the U.S. and U.K. with promotional data at launch, per company materials cited in coverage. Shipments begin in December, which will test how much demand remains for keys you can feel.
Clicks Brings Physical Keyboards to Modern Phones With Power Keyboard and Upcoming Communicator first appeared on Web and IT News.