The era of the glass rectangle has gone unchallenged for nearly twenty years. We have accepted smudged screens and autocorrect errors as the price of admission for modern connectivity. That changes now. The Clicks Communicator has officially debuted at CES 2026 to challenge the touchscreen monopoly. It promises a return to tactile typing without sacrificing modern Android capabilities.
This is not another retro gimmick or a simple nostalgia play. This device represents a serious attempt to fix our broken relationship with smartphones. Clicks Technology has moved beyond building keyboard cases for iPhones. They have built a standalone device designed from the ground up for communication. It aims to help you reclaim your focus in a world designed to distract you.
A modern phone with a classic touch
Clicks Technology made headlines two years ago by slapping bright yellow keyboards onto iPhones. Founders Michael Fisher and Kevin Michaluk proved there was still a hunger for physical buttons. Now they have taken that philosophy to its logical conclusion. The Communicator is a purpose built Android smartphone that features a 4.03 inch AMOLED display on the top and a spacious QWERTY keyboard on the bottom.
The design philosophy here is intentional friction. The screen is large enough to read emails or navigate via maps. However, the squarish aspect ratio makes it annoying to watch long videos or scroll endlessly through TikTok. This is a feature rather than a bug. The device wants you to get your work done and then put the phone away.
The keyboard is the star of the show.
You get the satisfying click of real buttons that former BlackBerry users have missed for a decade. The keyboard does more than just type characters. The entire surface works as a capacitive trackpad. You can scroll through web pages or emails by lightly brushing your thumb over the keys. This keeps your fingers off the screen and makes reading long documents a pleasure.
clicks communicator android smartphone with yellow physical qwerty keyboard
Software designed to stop doomscrolling
Hardware is only half the battle when fighting digital addiction. A standard Android home screen is usually a cluttered mess of colorful icons begging for your attention. Clicks took a different approach. They partnered with the developers of Niagara Launcher to build the user interface.
Niagara is famous in the Android community for its minimalist list based design. The Communicator does not have pages of app grids. It presents a clean list of your most important apps and incoming messages right on the home screen.
Key software features include:
- Unified Messaging: See texts, WhatsApp, and Slack messages in one feed.
- Quick App Search: Just start typing on the keyboard to launch any app instantly.
- Focus Mode: A dedicated software switch to silence non essential notifications.
- Minimalist Interface: High contrast text and black backgrounds to save battery and reduce eye strain.
This integration runs on top of Android 16. That means you still have access to the full Google Play Store. You can still call an Uber or check your banking app when you need to. You are not cutting yourself off from the modern world like you would with a “dumb phone.” You are simply choosing how you interact with it.
Hardware features that fans actually want
The modern smartphone industry has removed many features that power users loved. The Communicator brings them back. The device includes a 3.5mm headphone jack. You can listen to music with high quality wired headphones without needing a dongle.
Storage is another area where Clicks bucked the trend. The phone supports expandable storage via a MicroSD card slot. You can carry your entire music library or archive of documents offline. This is critical for business users who value data privacy and offline access.
One of the most innovative new hardware additions is the Signal LED. This is a large button on the side of the phone that houses a customizable RGB light.
Think of it as the spiritual successor to the blinking notification light of the 2010s. You can program the Signal LED to glow green for WhatsApp or blue for work emails. You can assign a specific color like red to your boss or pink for your partner. You know exactly who is trying to reach you without ever turning on the screen. This allows you to ignore low priority alerts and stay in the flow.
Pricing and release date information
Creating a new hardware company is incredibly difficult and expensive. Clicks has managed to keep the price accessible by making smart choices with internal components. The Communicator will retail for $500 later this year.
Early adopters can reserve the device for a special price of $399.
The company achieved this price point by using a mid range processor. The device runs on a 4nm MediaTek system on chip. It is not the fastest chip on the market. It does not need to be. You will not be playing high end 3D games on this device. The processor is perfectly capable of handling email, web browsing, and messaging apps with ease.
The battery life benefits from this decision as well. The combination of a smaller screen and an efficient processor suggests the phone will easily last a full day or more on a single charge. The Clicks Communicator is available in two launch colors. You can choose the signature Bumblebee Yellow or a more understated Vapor Gray for the boardroom.
The Clicks Communicator is a bold bet that there are enough people tired of the status quo. It combines the utility of a smartphone with the discipline of a productivity tool. It offers a way out of the dopamine loop without forcing you to disconnect completely.
We want to hear your thoughts on this unique device. Are you ready to ditch the glass slab for real buttons? Let us know in the comments below. If you are discussing this on social media, use the hashtag #ClicksCommunicator to join the conversation.
