The Clicks Communicator hands-on video released this week offers the clearest look yet at a device that London-based startup Clicks Technology believes can carve out a market the big manufacturers long abandoned: the physical keyboard smartphone.
Priced at $499 at retail, with an early-bird reservation price of $399 available now, the Communicator runs Android 17 with 5G connectivity, according to the company’s official product page. That puts it squarely in the premium tier, not the nostalgia novelty category.
What the Clicks Communicator Hands-On Reveals
The new video presents pre-production hardware and internal software as a preview ahead of a planned fourth-quarter shipping date. Clicks showed an earlier prototype at CES in Las Vegas in January, where the device was formally introduced alongside the company’s broader product line.
The Communicator’s design centres on a tactile, touch-sensitive keyboard below a conventional screen. The layout will feel immediately familiar to anyone who spent years on a BlackBerry, though Clicks has added features that go well beyond keyboard nostalgia. A 3.5mm headphone jack, a physical SIM card tray alongside eSIM support, and expandable microSD storage up to 2TB are all present.
The most distinctive software feature is the Signal Light: a customisable illuminated button on the phone’s side that can be set to different colours and patterns to indicate messages from specific people, groups, or apps. The idea is that users can leave the phone face-down and respond only when a colour they’ve assigned to something urgent appears. Clicks has partnered with Niagara Launcher to handle Android app access, leaning into a stripped-back experience that separates communication from the scroll-and-tap loops that dominate most smartphones.
The Communicator is available in three colour finishes: Smoke, Clover, and Onyx. Customers who place a reservation receive one free back cover, per the company’s product page. A tactile switch for toggling aeroplane mode rounds out a hardware spec sheet built around deliberate, friction-reducing choices.
A Phone Built for Focus, Not Feeds
Clicks Technology is incorporated and headquartered in London, according to its press release issued on 2 January 2026 via GlobeNewswire. The company first drew attention at CES 2024 with the Clicks Keyboard, a physical keyboard case for touchscreen smartphones including iPhone, Google Pixel, and Motorola Razr devices. The Communicator, unveiled at CES 2026, is the leap from accessory maker to phone manufacturer.
At the same January event, Clicks also announced the Clicks Power Keyboard, a successor to its original keyboard case that connects to up to nine devices via Bluetooth and incorporates a 2,300 mAh power bank. It supports MagSafe for iPhone and Qi2 for Android, positioning it as a companion product for users who may not switch to the Communicator outright but still want a physical keyboard on their existing phone.
The broader product strategy reflects a bet that the market for focused, communication-first devices is larger than the smartphone industry has assumed. The Communicator’s marketing positions it as a second phone, something you carry for work while leaving the social-app-laden primary device at home or in a bag. Whether that pitch lands with a wide enough audience remains a question the fourth-quarter launch will begin to answer.
Future videos from Clicks will cover specific features in depth, including the Signal Light, Prompt Key, and Message Hub. Anyone holding out for a lower entry point should note that the early-bird $399 reservation price sits $100 below the standard retail figure, and there is no stated deadline on how long that offer remains open.
