The BlackBerry is again, form of. Cellular keyboard maker Clicks Technology final week introduced its debut phone, the $499 Communicator, which sports activities a bodily keyboard. The corporate can be providing a separate $79 slide-out bodily keyboard that matches on any gadget.
At CES, TechCrunch chatted with Clicks’ chief advertising officer and co-founder, Jeff Gadway, and went hands-on with the newest prototype of the upcoming smartphone.
The gadget presents a BlackBerry-like keyboard and messaging-focused touchscreen, and runs Android 16 underneath the hood, which implies the Communicator can run any Android app. The corporate has partnered with the minimalist launcher, Niagara Launcher, to show apps on the homescreen. Different apps are inside straightforward attain through a scrollable listing.
Reception for the brand new units has been higher than anticipated, Gadway instructed TechCrunch. Though he declined to share gross sales numbers, he stated that over the previous week, the corporate was making a sale each 6.5 seconds between each units.
Whereas the prototype we tried was not a totally practical cellphone, it’s the identical measurement and weight because the gadget that’s getting ready to ship later this yr, giving an preliminary really feel for what it could be like to make use of the Communicator. Onboard storage lands at 256 gigabytes, with expandable microSD storage of as much as 2 terabytes of information. The gadget may also sport a 4000mAh silicon-carbon battery and is at the moment weighing in round 170 grams (or 6 oz). Beneath the again is the place your nano-SIM card will go.
The cellphone additionally comes with interchangeable again covers that you could pop off to alter its look. Whereas not current on the prototype, the duvet may have a small notch on the prime after which a bit of finger choose on the backside.
In our hands-on take a look at, the cellphone felt good to carry — not too heavy or mild, and was straightforward to grip. Gadway instructed me the corporate settled on the gadget’s closing kind after dozens of 3D printed shapes. The successful design for the cellphone contains a contoured again that makes it straightforward to select up and maintain.
The gadget’s display can be considerably elevated off the physique, and its chin is curved as much as create a recess that protects the keys once you place it face down.
That’s the place the gadget’s light-up aspect button will help. Referred to as the “Sign Gentle,” the button will be configured to glow with totally different colours or patterns once you obtain messages from sure folks, teams or apps. So you’ll be able to remember to reply if it’s your boss or the youngsters contacting you and ignore much less necessary notifications.
The tactile, bodily keys really feel good, although the prototype’s model may very well be rather less “clicky” than the ultimate product. (There’s a debate on whether or not the keys ought to have 110 grams of stress or 120 or 130 grams, and suggestions to date is that the latter figures are successful.)
With much less stress, the keys really feel softer, which might be extra accessible for many who haven’t used a BlackBerry earlier than. However individuals who sort quick are inclined to favor extra clicky keys as a result of there’s extra suggestions.
“That is the stuff that Michael Fisher and myself and Kevin Michaluk battle over on a regular basis,” stated Gadway, referring to his co-founders. “We’re combating over grams.”
The keys and the display are additionally on the similar vertical top, so you’ll be able to seamlessly transfer from the keyboard to the touchscreen.
The Clicks Communicator comes with a fixed-focus, hole-punch entrance digicam that may seize 24-megapixel pictures. The rear digicam options optical picture stabilization and digital picture stabilization for video, and might seize 50-megapixel photographs.
The cellphone runs on a 4-nanometer, MediaTek 5G IoT processor, with 8 gigabytes of RAM.
The Communicator’s may have a 4.03-inch AMOLED show at 1,080 x 1,200 decision. Wired charging is supported at as much as 18 watts, and wi-fi charging at as much as 15 watts. The gadget can be Qi suitable and Android Strongbox-ready, which can attraction to security-minded prospects.
The cellphone has different commonplace options too, like GPS, NFC, and can provide 5 years of safety updates in addition to Android updates by means of Android 20.
The gadget is anticipated to ship within the second half of 2026.
