CES 2026 NEWS – Physical keyboards on phones didn’t die because people stopped wanting them. They died because touchscreens won the spec war, and manufacturers followed the numbers. Clicks Technology has spent the past two years proving there’s still an audience willing to strap a real keyboard to their iPhone, and the company shipped over 100,000 units to back that claim. Now they’re taking a bigger swing: a standalone smartphone built around a physical keyboard, plus a universal keyboard accessory that works with nearly any device you own.
The timing’s perfect. CES 2026 kicks off next week in Las Vegas, and Clicks is using the pre-show window to announce both the Communicator smartphone and the Power Keyboard. One product doubles down on the BlackBerry formula. The other admits that most people aren’t ready to switch phones, but might appreciate better typing anyway.
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Communicator: A Phone That Knows What It Isn’t
The Communicator looks like a BlackBerry because that’s exactly the point. Clicks isn’t pretending otherwise. The $499 smartphone (or $399 for early bird buyers who put down a $199 deposit) targets people who already carry two phones: one for work, one for everything else. It’s designed to be that second device, the one you reach for when you need to send a real email or hammer out a Slack message without pecking at glass.
What makes this interesting isn’t just the hardware. Clicks partnered with Niagara Launcher to strip out the distractions. You won’t find Instagram, TikTok, or games on this thing. The app selection focuses on messaging and productivity: Gmail, Telegram, WhatsApp, Slack, and tools that benefit from actual keys under your thumbs. It’s a deliberate limitation, not an oversight.
The neatest feature is the Signal Light, a customizable LED button on the side that glows different colors based on who’s trying to reach you. VIP contacts can trigger purple. WhatsApp threads might glow green. You can configure patterns and hues per person, per app, or per group. Press the button (Clicks calls it the Prompt Key) while you’re in a text field, and it triggers voice dictation. Press it outside a text field, and it captures a voice note. The company hints at future AI integrations for this button, though nothing concrete ships at launch.
The keyboard itself follows the same design philosophy as Clicks’ existing iPhone cases: tactile keys with ergonomic shaping, touch-sensitive surface for scrolling without lifting your hands to the screen. Old-school features round out the package: 3.5mm headphone jack, physical SIM tray alongside eSIM support, microSD expansion up to 2TB, and a hardware switch for airplane mode that can also toggle the Signal Light or keyboard touch input.
Under the Hood
Specs land in solidly mid-range territory, which makes sense for a secondary device. You’re not buying this to shoot 8K video or run console ports. You’re buying it to type. Android 16 runs the show with five years of security updates promised. The 4,000 mAh silicon-carbon battery sits inside a 131.5mm tall body weighing 170 grams. Global 5G, 4G LTE, and legacy network support means it’ll work almost anywhere. Storage starts at 256GB onboard, expandable via microSD.
The camera setup won’t win any DxOMark awards, but that’s not the goal. A 50MP main sensor with optical image stabilization handles the rear, while a 24MP front-facing camera covers video calls. Good enough for documentation, good enough for Zoom. NFC with Google Pay support, Bluetooth 5.4, Wi-Fi 6, USB-C charging, and wireless charging complete the connectivity picture.
Interchangeable back covers let you swap colors without buying a new phone. Launch options include Smoke, Clover (a dark green), and Onyx. Early bird customers who pay the full $399 upfront receive two additional back covers as a bonus.
Power Keyboard: Buttons for Everyone Else
The Communicator requires commitment. The Power Keyboard doesn’t. At $79 for early bird pricing ($109 retail), it’s Clicks’ answer to everyone who asked for keyboard functionality without switching phones.
This isn’t a case. It’s a standalone Bluetooth keyboard with a built-in 2,150 mAh battery that attaches magnetically via MagSafe or Qi2. The keyboard slides out from behind your phone when you need it and tucks away when you don’t. That sliding mechanism is the make-or-break detail here. If it feels loose or rattles against your phone, the whole product falls apart. Clicks hasn’t shipped review units yet, so that question stays open until spring. Multiple slider positions accommodate different phone sizes, and you can orient it for portrait or landscape typing. It even works with existing phone cases, according to Clicks.
The use cases extend beyond phones. Pair it with a tablet for actual typing. Connect it to a smart TV to escape the misery of on-screen keyboards. AR and VR headsets work too. The tactile buttons match other Clicks products, and the companion app (available for iOS and Android) handles customization.
Pricing and Availability
Both products open for pre-orders on January 2, 2026. The Communicator ships at $499 retail, with early bird pricing at $399 for those who commit before February 27. The $199 deposit secures the early bird rate. The Power Keyboard ships in spring 2026 at $109 retail, with early bird pricing at $79.
Clicks CEO Adrian Li frames these launches as validation of the company’s thesis: people want purpose-built products that help them communicate without the friction of touchscreen typing. Whether that thesis extends to a dedicated smartphone remains to be seen. A hundred thousand keyboard cases is impressive. A hundred thousand people willing to carry a second phone is a different ask entirely.
Who This Is For
The Communicator makes sense for a specific type of person: someone who already juggles two phones and wants one of them optimized purely for communication. Real estate agents, executives with separate work and personal lines, anyone who treats their phone as a messaging terminal rather than a pocket computer. The distraction-free app environment is either a feature or a dealbreaker depending on your relationship with social media.
The Power Keyboard casts a wider net. If you’ve ever wished your phone had real keys but weren’t willing to buy a niche case or switch devices, this might be worth the $79 gamble. The universal compatibility and backup battery functionality sweeten the pitch. Both products ship later this year, giving you time to decide whether buttons are worth the bet.
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