One of the more interesting devices at CES 2026 is a phone that doesn't really want to be a phone -- at least not in the modern sense. The Clicks Communicator harks back to the BlackBerry phones of old, featuring an integrated clicky hardware keyboard below a screen that's smaller than most of today's phones. And it's designed primarily to be a distraction-free complement to your existing do-everything smartphone.
See also: CNET Managing Editor Patrick Holland got some hands-on time with the Clicks Communicator at CES 2026 and declared it one of his favorite products.
With the tagline, "doing, not doomscrolling," Clicks Technology envisions the Communicator as a kind of back-to-basics smart device focused on communication and work. It says the device essentially pares down all of the distractions that come with today's large-screen, social media-centric smartphones. Many people have already started carrying a second phone for privacy or to set boundaries, the company said.
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The retro-styled Communicator, priced at $499, links up to your main phone so you can get emails and texts on it. To be clear, you still need a separate smartphone for this device to work.Â
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. "It's a complementary product that stands on its own, optimized for a specific purpose," Gadway said in the Friday announcement.Â
The keyboard is "touch-sensitive," so users can 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 camera.
The Communicator, which has Android 16 installed, is 131.5mm tall and weighs 170 grams.
The backplate on the Clicks Communicator can be swapped out for different colored versions.
At launch, the Communicator will come in three muted colors, including onyx. You can also switch out the back of the device for different colors. The device will cost $499, but the company is offering a $399 early-bird price before the Communicator comes out at an unspecified date "later this year."
Clicks' Power Keyboard
In addition to the Communicator, Clicks also announced a keyboard for smartphones that attaches to your regular phone via MagSafe or Qi2 magnetic connection and looks like the bottom half of a BlackBerry, with those same old-school buttons, instead of haptics simulating touch.Â
The magnetic attachment of the Power Keyboard allows a phone to be attached in vertical or landscape orientation.
The Power 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 either vertically or horizontally above it. The Power Keyboard is also available for preorder today at $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, confident typing experience to all your smart devices, in a compact keyboard you can take anywhere in your pocket," Kevin Michaluk, president of Clicks, said in a statement.
Update on Jan. 9: Preorder pricing for the Clicks Communicator changed