When Clicks steps onto the CES stage this year, it will do so with a deliberate wink to the past and a clear eye on a new niche: devices built for conversation, not consumption. The company known for tactile keyboard accessories is unveiling its first smartphone, the Communicator, alongside a companion accessory, the Power Keyboard — a pair that reads like a love letter to messaging culture and a test of whether nostalgia can be married to modern mobile needs.

The Communicator

Clicks pitches the Communicator as a compact, messaging‑first handset. At its center is a 4‑inch OLED display and a physical, tactile keyboard that evokes the ergonomics of earlier messaging phones while folding modern conveniences into the design. The phone runs Android 16 and includes hardware‑level encryption, signaling that Clicks wants the device to be taken seriously on privacy as well as form factor.

Key hardware highlights include a 50MP main camera and a 24MP front camera, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and expandable microSD storage up to 2TB. Connectivity covers the usual bases — Bluetooth, Wi‑Fi, and NFC for Google Pay — and the battery is a 4,000mAh unit that supports both USB‑C and wireless charging. A small but telling detail: the fingerprint sensor is integrated into the spacebar, and a customizable Signal LED offers a visual shorthand for who or what is triggering notifications.

Clicks frames the Communicator as a secondary device — a phone you carry for messaging and presence management rather than endless scrolling. The company’s positioning taps into a growing appetite for minimalism and digital boundaries, but it also raises practical questions about the logistics of owning two phones and two plans in a world where single‑device convenience remains dominant.

Related /

• The Clicks Communicator is a phone that values simplicity over apps
• Clicks Power Keyboard doubles as a backup battery for your phone

The Power Keyboard

If the Communicator is a throwback in pocketable form, the Power Keyboard is a modern accessory designed to graft that tactile experience onto mainstream smartphones. The keyboard offers a QWERTY layout with directional keys and a number row, and it attaches magnetically via MagSafe or Qi2. It pairs over Bluetooth, so it can be used with iOS and Android devices — and, Clicks notes, with tablets, smart TVs, and even VR headsets.

The Power Keyboard also carries a 2,150mAh battery intended to top up a phone while you type. Its hinge allows the phone to be used in horizontal or vertical orientation, a design choice that recalls the swivel and flip mechanics of earlier messaging devices while aiming for modern versatility. Clicks plans to open pre‑orders on January 2, with a spring launch; retail pricing is set at $109, with an early‑bird price of $79.

Clicks’ product duo is more than a nostalgia play. It’s a bet on a segment of users who want to reclaim attention and reduce the friction of typing on glass. The Communicator’s small screen and physical keys are explicit design choices to discourage passive content consumption and encourage focused communication. The Power Keyboard, by contrast, acknowledges that many people still want the tactile feedback of keys when composing longer messages or emails on their primary devices.

There’s also a privacy and security angle: hardware encryption and a compact, less camera‑centric approach suggest Clicks is courting users who want a pared‑down device that still respects modern expectations for security and payments. Yet the inclusion of capable cameras and NFC shows Clicks isn’t asking buyers to sacrifice utility for restraint — it’s trying to offer both in a different balance.

The idea of a secondary phone is appealing in theory: fewer distractions, clearer boundaries, and a device optimized for a single purpose. In practice, the model faces friction. Two phones often mean two numbers and two plans, and while eSIMs and dual‑SIM setups have eased that burden, the extra cost and complexity remain real barriers for many consumers. Clicks’ challenge will be convincing buyers that the behavioral benefits outweigh the logistical and financial tradeoffs.

The Power Keyboard’s broader compatibility is a pragmatic move. By making the keyboard useful beyond Clicks’ own handset — and by adding battery life to the accessory — the company widens its addressable market. Still, success will depend on how well the keyboard integrates with different operating systems and whether its magnetic attachment and ergonomics feel natural across a range of phone sizes and cases.

Clicks’ entrance at CES 2026 is a clear statement: there’s still room in the mobile market for devices that prioritize how we communicate over how long we consume. The Communicator and Power Keyboard are experiments in restraint and tactility, marrying retro cues with contemporary features like hardware encryption, NFC payments, and wireless charging. Whether they become a mainstream alternative or a niche curiosity will hinge on price, practicality, and whether enough users are willing to carry a second device to reclaim a quieter relationship with their phones.

Availability and pricing to note: the Communicator is available for reservation at $399, rising to $499 on February 27, while the Power Keyboard opens pre‑orders January 2 with a retail price of $109 and an early‑bird price of $79.