BlackBerry is back, sort of. Mobile keyboard maker Click technology Last week it announced its debut phone, the $499 Communicator, which features a physical keyboard. The company also offers a separate $79 slide-out physical keyboard that fits any device.
At CES, TechCrunch sat down with Clicks chief marketing officer and co-founder Jeff Gadway and went over the latest prototype of the upcoming smartphone.
The device offers a BlackBerry-like keyboard and messaging-focused touchscreen, and runs Android 16 under the hood, meaning the Communicator can run any Android app. The company has partnered with the minimalist Niagara Launcher to display apps on the home screen. Other apps are easily accessible via a scrollable list.
Reception for the new devices has been better than expected, Gadway told TechCrunch. While he declined to share sales numbers, he said that last week, the company made a sale every 6.5 seconds between the two devices.
While the prototype we tested wasn’t a fully functional phone, it’s the same size and weight as the device set to launch later this year, giving us an initial feel of what it would be like to use the Communicator. Built-in storage reaches 256 gigabytes, with microSD expandable storage up to 2 terabytes of data. The device will also feature a 4000mAh silicon-carbon battery and currently weighs around 170 grams (or 6 oz). Under the back is the nano-SIM card.
The phone also comes with interchangeable back covers that you can remove to change its look. Although not present on the prototype, the cover will have a small notch at the top and then a small finger at the bottom.
In our hands-on testing, the phone felt good to hold — not too heavy or light, and it was easy to grip. Gadway told me that the company settled on the final form of the device after dozens of 3D printed shapes. The winning design of the phone features a contoured back that makes it easy to pick up and hold.
The device’s screen is also somewhat raised from the body, and its chin is curved to create a recess that protects the keys when placed face down.
That’s where the device’s side light button can help. Called “Signal Light,” the button can be set to glow in different colors or patterns when you receive messages from specific people, groups, or apps. So you can be sure to respond if your boss or kids contact you and ignore less important notifications.
The tactile, physical keys feel nice, though the prototype version may actually be a little less “clicky” than the final product. (There is some debate about whether the keys should have 110 grams of pressure or 120 or 130 grams, and so far the feedback is that the latter numbers win.)
With less pressure, the keys feel softer, which could be more accessible to those who haven’t used a BlackBerry before. But fast typists tend to prefer more clicky keys because there is more feedback.
“These are the things that Michael Fisher and I and Kevin Michaluk fight for all the time,” Gadway said, referring to his co-founders. “We’re arguing about grams.”
The keys and screen are also at the same vertical height, so you can move seamlessly from the keyboard to the touchscreen.
The Clicks Communicator has a fixed-focus, punch-hole front-facing camera that can take 24-megapixel photos. The rear camera has optical image stabilization and electronic image stabilization for video and can take 50-megapixel images.
The phone is powered by a 4nm MediaTek 5G IoT processor, with 8 gigabytes of RAM.
The Communicator will have a 4.03-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 1,080 x 1,200. Wired charging is supported up to 18 watts and wireless charging up to 15 watts. The device is also Qi-compatible and Android Strongbox ready, which will appeal to security-conscious customers.
The phone also has other standard features like GPS and NFC, and will offer five years of security updates as well as Android updates through Android 20.
The device is expected to be released in the second half of 2026.
