Meet the Clicks Communicator, a Keyboard-First Android Phone

Clicks has officially unveiled the Communicator, a standalone Android device built around a full physical keyboard, aimed squarely at people who miss the days of typing on real buttons instead of glass. The phone has drawn constant comparisons to a modern BlackBerry, and the resemblance is intentional. A tactile keyboard sits below a compact touchscreen, all wrapped in a wedge-shaped body with swappable backplates, a look that stands out hard against the usual glass-and-metal phone lineup.

According to Clicks, the Communicator runs on Android 17 and supports all the standard Android apps, while adding features aimed at cutting down on distraction. That includes a customizable notification light called the Signal Light, which can be set to specific colors for certain people or apps, and a home screen built on the Niagara Launcher that lets users curate exactly which apps and notifications surface first.

Here's what the specs look like so far:

• Display: 4-inch OLED
• Operating system: Android 17, with updates committed through Android 20
• Chip: MediaTek Dimensity 8300 (4nm)
• Battery: 4,450 mAh silicon carbon cell
• Extras: 3.5mm headphone jack, expandable microSD storage, removable rear panel for swapping SIM cards, and backplates
• Price: $499, with reservations open now via a $199 deposit or full upfront payment

The keyboard itself was designed by Joseph Hofer, the industrial designer behind some of BlackBerry's most recognized keyboards, including the Bold 9000 and the Passport. In an interview with PhoneArena, Hofer said he spent a decade away from phone design after BlackBerry exited the hardware business, and came back for this project because he sees most modern phones as tools that pull people into their screens rather than help them finish a task and put the phone down. The keys are a new shape he designed from scratch, described as vertical pills rather than BlackBerry's classic ovals, giving roughly 30 percent more surface area to type on.

Clicks isn't pitching the Communicator as a replacement for an iPhone or Galaxy. Instead, it's positioning the phone as a companion device, something to reach for when you want to send a quick message without opening the door to a feed. That puts it in a small but growing lane of intentional tech, alongside devices like the Light Phone 3, though the Communicator packs in far more features than that stripped-down option.

The company recently released a hands-on video showing the Communicator running in working order for the first time, confirming that both the hardware and software have moved past the concept stage shown at CES. Clicks says the phone is on track to ship later this year, with more software details expected in the coming weeks.

For more articles like this, visit our Tech News Page!