When the original iPhone launched in 2007, it marked the rise of on-screen keyboards, but some people still miss the full physical keyboards that were common on BlackBerrys and other mobile phones earlier this century. For iPhone texters who want real buttons to press, a new physical keyboard iPhone case will debut at CES 2024 — and prominent phone industry YouTubers have contributed to the design.
New Clicks Technology company is launching its eponymous Clicks keyboard as its first product for $139, which will be compatible with the latest iPhones to start. The keyboard is available with either Lightning (for iPhone 14 Pro) or USB-C (for iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max) connectors, and is already built into a wraparound case. Simply insert your iPhone into the device and start typing. The keys are backlit for night typing, and they run off the phone’s battery, so no charging is necessary.
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“We use keyboards on our desktops, laptops and tablets every day, so it’s strange that we’ve given up physical buttons on smartphones,” said Michael Fisher, known as Mr. Mobile on YouTube and co-founder of Clicks Technology. press release. Fisher’s channel includes contemporary reviews and retro profiles of phones from yesteryear, when screens were smaller and designs were quirkier and in the days when manufacturers gave phones a bold, exotic look to entice buyers.
The Clicks keyboard brings some of that power back with its bright banana yellow color, which wouldn’t look out of place on a Nintendo N64 console. It’s also available in a sleeker gray color for the early Founders Edition round of the product; Other colors may be available in the future.
Having a physical keyboard underneath the phone lengthens the entire package, so you may not be able to fit it in your pocket, and it’s hard to know if the extra length will make it more difficult to hold while typing. But there are definite advantages to a dedicated keyboard, most notably faster and more accurate typing than a numeric keypad, as well as a command button to allow for home screen or search bar shortcuts. A less obvious benefit: Without the numeric keypad visible, you can keep the screen full when typing.
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“We put a lot of effort into making every decision from exactly how the buttons should feel to the keyboard layout, ensuring it would be intuitive for iPhone users,” said Kevin Michaluk, known as CrackBerry Kevin on YouTube and co-founder of Clicks Technology. He joined forces with Fisher and a team with mobile experience from companies like Apple, BlackBerry and Google to design the keyboard.
The Clicks Keyboard is available to order now and will begin shipping on February 1 for iPhone 14 models, with the iPhone 15 shipping sometime in the spring. The keyboard is working on a partner app that will soon be downloaded from Apple’s App Store and will bring new functionality to the keyboard over time, according to a press release.
Even though smartphones have moved to full front displays and users are able to use numeric keypads, there is still a group of phone lovers who are sad about their physical keyboards. A startup co-founded by Ryan Seacrest got into a dispute with BlackBerry in court over an iPhone keyboard in 2014, but even phone owners today are finding that numeric keypads are nonexistent — like one Redditor asking if there was a case for last year’s iPhone 14 with one Physical keys that slide like T-Mobile’s Sidekick phone from last year.
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