Tried the Clicks Communicator Phone and It Left Me Nostalgic for the BlackBerry Era
The Clicks Communicator at the CES 2026 in Las Vegas, with its futuristic foldables and AI robots, made it look like a time capsule mid-2000s. This newest Android smartphone takes us back to a time when the messaging and emailing apps were not buried behind endless lines of social content instead they were brought to the forefront, supported by an actual physical QWERTY keyboard and centered design. To a long-time BlackBerry enthusiast a current-day device holding tactile typing and productivity was a refreshing breath of nostalgia and joy.
Tactile Typing and Attention Given Back To Typing.
The peculiarity of the Clicks Communicator is the full physical keyboard under a small display, which is uncommon in 2026 when the majority of phones are mere slabs of glass. Such a mere addition makes the whole experience using the device worthwhile once again, as typing has a sense of purpose once more. It is certainly pleasing when real keys are pressed rather than tracked and tapped via a touchscreen, and it instantly catapulted me back to the days when I was frantically typing emails on a BlackBerry Bold or Passport.
In addition to the keyboard, the Communicator uses Android 16 and a custom launcher, which puts communication apps in the first-line (Gmail, WhatsApp, Slack and Telegram) rather than distraction apps (Facebook, Instagram, etc). Endless doomscrolling is less desirable on the small screen with such a bare interface, and, at last, is not restrictive, but rather deliberate.
Vintage Design Meets Contemporary Connection and Characteristics.
The phone also has a nostalgic spirit but the under-the-hood tech is up to date. The Communicator also has 5G connectivity, worldwide LTE, up to 2 TB of expandable storage, and 4,000 mAh battery with current-day charging capability of USB-C and Qi2 wireless charging, which BlackBerry users would have only wished to have two years ago. What makes it a very convenient pocket-sized item is that it is just about the height of a peanut and is too small to be compared with modern flagships, it is a kind of second phone, a phone that people who uphold communication as their main priority would always have with them.
Nostalgia Encountered Reality of Prosaic Skepticism And Excitement.
The attempt to test the Communicator made me feel quite nostalgic and slightly optimistic. I found it refreshing to use real keys once more and the invigorating emphasis on communication, but it is unclear how valuable it will be in the long term and whether it will work in the real world. Rumors in some tech circles have been expressed that the device in the CES was not available as a working device, but rather a model, which makes some of the pre-orders seem unsafe to some impatient enthusiasts. With this said, the Communicator is an exhilaration to the BlackBerry faithfuls, or those who are fed up with incessant app feeds.
Who Is The Real Considerer Of The Clicks Communicator Now.
The Clicks Communicator is not something everybody will like. It is obviously a niche product: it is ideal to make a purchase from those who do not focus on consuming multimedia but want to use their phone to message, email, and have a meaningful interaction. Provided you miss the slower and more deliberate phone experience, or just feel the satisfying clacks of BlackBerry keyboards, this phone will exploit this feeling and provide you with modern necessities. In using it, I found myself reminded that occasionally, looking back could be the source of inspiration in the present forward movement, the tactile pleasure enhanced by the present-day connectivity in a manner that actually made sense to me.
News Source: PCmag.com
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