Click technologya company known for making physical keyboards for smartphones is launching two new devices ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next week. In addition to a new $79 sliding keyboard for smart devices, the company is also unveiling its first smartphone: the Communicator, a smartphone with a physical keyboard designed to be carried around as your second device.
Yes, it looks a lot like a BlackBerry. (Quick, someone tell Kim Kardashian, famous BlackBerry hoarder.)
The $499 smartphone is described as “purpose-built” for people who have two phones — one for work and one for personal use. That is, the company believes its market will be people who do a lot of real work on their devices — that is, texting, emailing, working with documents, or other things where using a physical keyboard could be an advantage.
While it offers a screen for viewing and replying to messages, Communicator does not provide access to addictive social media apps or games. Instead, the company partnered with the maker of an Android launcher, Niagara Launcher, to provide access to messaging apps and productivity tools like Gmail, Telegram, WhatsApp, and Slack.
The phone’s signature feature is Signal Light, a light-up button on the side of the device that can be customized with different colors and light patterns to indicate when you’ve received messages from specific people, groups or apps. For example, you could make messages from VIPs glow purple while chats from WhatsApp are green.
You can press this button, known as a prompt key, to dictate messages when you’re in a text field, or otherwise make a quick voice memo if you’re not. The company is teasing the possibility of integrating AI apps with that button — like notes, voice recorders, or AI agents — but nothing like that is available yet.
Like other Clicks products, the Communicator features a tactile keyboard with ergonomic keys designed for faster typing. The keyboard is also touch-sensitive, allowing users to scroll through messages, lists and web pages without having to use the touchscreen.
The device also includes other old-school features like a 3.5mm headphone jack, a physical SIM card tray (plus an eSIM), expandable microSD storage (up to 2TB), and a touch switch to turn airplane mode on or off. This switch can also be set to work with the signal light or keyboard touch input, the company says.
The back cover is removable so you can change the style of the device by changing it to a different color. The phone itself is available in Smoke, Clover (dark green) and Onyx.
The device will be offered at $399 for early bird customers who deposit $199 before February 27th. Customers who pay the full early bird price of $399 in advance will receive two additional back covers. The phone is expected to launch sometime later this year.
Full technical specifications of the phone include:
- Android 16 with 5 years of security updates
- Height 131.5 mm. weighing 170 grams
- Global 5G, 4G LTE and 3G/2G support, unlocked
- 4,000 mAh silicon-carbon battery
- 256 GB built-in storage and microSD expandable
- 50MP main camera with OIS and 24MP front camera
- NFC with Google Pay, Bluetooth 5.4, Wi-Fi 6
- USB-C and wireless charging
- Interchangeable back covers in different colors to personalize the device
Clicks CEO Adrian Li noted in a release that the company has shipped more than 100,000 of its previous keyboards to customers in more than 100 countries.
“This response validated something we strongly believed: There is a growing demand for purpose-built products that help people communicate with confidence and take action. Clicks Communicator is a natural evolution of that idea,” he said.
The company’s other new product is a sliding keyboard that can be attached to a smartphone, tablet or even used with a smart TV, to save you from the tedious typing on the screen with your remote control.
The keyboard is powered by a built-in 2,150 mAh battery and connects to phones via MagSafe or Qi2 magnetic connections. It can also be used with existing phone cases, the company claims. Multiple slider positions allow the keyboard to accommodate different phone sizes and can be attached when the phone is held in either portrait or landscape mode.
When used with tablets, TVs, or other smart devices such as AR/VR headsets, the keyboard is used regardless of the device it’s paired with.
Similar to other Clicks keyboards, the Power Keyboard offers tactile buttons and its settings can be customized using the Clicks mobile app for iOS and Android
The Power Keyboard costs $79 for early bird customers and will later retail for $109. Pre-orders start on January 2nd. The device should ship in the spring, the company says.
