Clicks’ Power Keyboard brings BlackBerry-style typing to any phone — with some compromises
Clicks Technology, the startup pushing to revive physical keyboards on smartphones, has begun shipping its $99 MagSafe-compatible Power Keyboard this summer following earlier delays, with 75% of first-batch pre-orders now delivered. The slide-out keyboard attaches magnetically to a range of phone sizes and works in both portrait and landscape orientations, offering an alternative to onscreen typing for users nostalgic for BlackBerry-style devices. It also serves as a preview of the company's forthcoming Clicks Communicator smartphone, which will feature a built-in physical keyboard when it launches later this year.
In testing on an iPhone 17 Pro Max and Pixel 10 XL, the keyboard felt well-made and improved on Clicks' earlier keyboard case, though it still made larger phones feel top-heavy and awkward to hold in portrait mode. It connects via MagSafe or Qi2 (or an adhesive alternative), pairs over Bluetooth, and includes a backlit keypad plus its own 2,150 mAh battery rather than drawing power from the phone. Minor setup quirks were noted, including a fiddly process for pairing a second Bluetooth device, but reviewers found the typing experience and build quality a clear step up from the company's previous product.
- Clicks' $99 Power Keyboard now shipping, 75% of pre-orders delivered
- Magnetic slide-out keyboard fits various phones, works portrait or landscape
- Improves on earlier design but still feels top-heavy on large phones
New here? Start with this
Clicks Technology is a startup trying to bring back the physical, slide-out keyboards once famous on BlackBerry phones, at a time when almost all smartphones rely on onscreen typing. Its main product for now is the Power Keyboard, a $99 accessory that magnetically attaches to the back of a phone and slides out to reveal physical keys, aimed at people who find typing on glass screens less satisfying or less accurate than typing on real buttons.
The keyboard is also a stepping stone towards the company's bigger project, the Clicks Communicator, an upcoming phone that will have a keyboard built in rather than attached as an accessory. That device is expected to launch later this year, so the Power Keyboard doubles as an early look at the technology and build quality the company hopes to deliver.
This matters because it reflects a small but persistent niche of smartphone users and manufacturers who believe physical keyboards were abandoned too readily, and are testing whether there is enough demand to bring them back as either add-ons or fully integrated handsets.