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One of the most interesting devices of CES 2026 is a phone it doesn’t really want to be a phone – at least not in the modern sense. THE Click Communicator reminiscent of older BlackBerry phones, with a clickable hardware keyboard built under a screen smaller than most phones today. And it’s primarily designed to be a distraction-free complement to your existing do-it-all smartphone.
See also: CNET editor-in-chief Patrick Holland received hands-on time with Clicks Communicator at CES 2026 and declared it one of its favorite products.
With the tagline “do, not doomscroll,” Clicks Technology envisions the Communicator as a kind of back-to-basics smart device focused on communication and work. It says the device essentially reduces all the distractions that come with today’s large-screen, social media-centric smartphones. Many people have already started carrying a second phone for privacy reasons or to set boundaries, the company said.
Watch this: The Clicks Communicator phone is my favorite thing at CES
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The retro-style Communicator, priced at $499, connects to your main phone so you can receive emails and texts there. To be clear, you still need a separate smartphone for this device to work.
A Clicks communicator hanging out with an iPhone 17 Pro.
Jeff Gadway, the company’s chief marketing officer, describes the Communicator’s relationship to your smartphone as what a Kindle is to an iPad. “This is a standalone add-on product, optimized for a specific purpose,” Gadway said in Friday’s announcement.
The keyboard is “touchscreen,” which allows users to scroll through messages without using the screen, and the device supports voice recordings. Other features include a 3.5mm headphone jack, a switch for airplane mode, expandable microSD storage and a physical SIM tray, as well as eSIM compatibility. It has a 50-megapixel main camera and a 24-megapixel front-facing camera.
The Communicator, which has Android 16 installed, is 131.5mm tall and weighs 170 grams.
The Clicks Communicator backplate can be replaced with versions in different colors.
At launch, the Communicator is available in three soft colors, including onyx. You can also change the back of the device to different colors. You can pay a reservation deposit of $199. Or if you just want to buy one before it releases on an unspecified date “later this year,” the company is offering an early bird price of $299, which is $200 less than the introductory price.
Clicks electric keyboard
In addition to the Communicator, Clicks also announced a keyboard for smartphones on Friday that connects to your regular phone via a magnetic MagSafe or Qi2 connection and looks like the bottom half of a BlackBerry, with those same old-fashioned buttons, instead of haptics simulating touch.
The Power Keyboard’s magnetic mount allows you to attach a phone in vertical or landscape orientation.
THE Electric keyboard has a slider that allows it to be attached to smartphones of different sizes, and you can use the keyboard with a smartphone placed vertically or horizontally above it. The Power Keyboard is also available for pre-order today for $79. Availability is expected “in the spring,” the company said.
It can also be paired with a tablet or smart TV as well as AR and VR environments, the company said.
“Power Keyboard brings a consistent, secure typing experience to all your smart devices, in a compact keyboard you can carry anywhere in your pocket,” Kevin Michaluk, president of Clicks, said in a statement.
