{"id":772706,"date":"2026-07-01T06:00:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T06:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/772706\/"},"modified":"2026-07-01T06:00:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T06:00:11","slug":"the-clicks-communicator-phone-with-blackberry-roots-demoed-in-new-video","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/772706\/","title":{"rendered":"The Clicks Communicator Phone With Blackberry Roots Demoed in New Video"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Clicks Communicator<\/a>\u00a0is the phone<\/a>\u00a0I look forward to most in 2026. It’ll be out before the end of the year, but the company just showed off a working version of the $500 smartphone with a physical keyboard for the first time. <\/p>\n

The brand-new\u00a0Android phone<\/a>, announced in January, has a physical keyboard that gives off Blackberry<\/a> and Palm Treo<\/a> vibes. The Communicato is made by Clicks, the company behind\u00a0phone keyboard cases<\/a>, and is positioned as the remedy for the constant attention our smartphones<\/a>\u00a0seem to demand. <\/p>\n

Every aspect of the phone has been considered to prioritize the messaging and typing experience above all else. It brings a number of old-school Android features back with a 2026 take on a notification light, a physical keyboard and a swappable back plate (that just so happens to support Qi2 wireless charging and magnetic accessories). <\/p>\n

This phone isn’t for everyone, but for those of us excited for a well-made, thoughtfully designed handset that costs $500, the Communicator can’t come out quick enough — especially compared to another “new” $500 Android phone that comes only in gold<\/a>. <\/p>\n

At a time when a number of devices are being released that mimic old BlackBerry phones, like the\u00a0Unihertz Titan 2 Elite<\/a>, or are\u00a0retrofitted BlackBerry Classics<\/a>, the Clicks is a new handset, actually designed by a former Research in Motion designer who worked on BlackBerry phones. It brings the best of Blackberry and early smartphones, blending with contemporary features like Android 16 and wireless charging. <\/p>\n

Luckily, the new video Clicks posted (see above) shows a working preproduction prototype with an early version of the software, giving us a taste to satisfy our appetite. The video opens with a shot of the Clicks Communicator screen, and a close-up of a person using their thumbs to type “hello, world.” Double-thumb typing on a phone? What year is it? I am so ready for this. The video shows texting and messaging in WhatsApp, navigating apps and opening Spotify.<\/p>\n

In the nearly six-and-a-half-minute video, Clicks co-founder and chief marketing officer, Jeff Gadway shows off the phone’s software, home screen and several of its features. The Niagara launcher’s app ribbon looks incredible. Gadway even takes a call on speakerphone, showing off the speakers. <\/p>\n

Until now, we have had a look at a nonworking hardware prototype of the Communicator and saw its software running on the cover screen of a Motorola Razr housed inside a Clicks Keyboard case. <\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

I took this photo in March. On the left is a dummy prototype of the Clicks Communicator, and next to it is a Motorola Razr (closed) inside a Clicks Keyboard case. Notice the Razr has the Niagara launcher on its cover screen.<\/p>\n

Patrick Holland\/CNET<\/p>\n

Gadway promises more videos deep-diving into other features, like the phone’s signal light\/prompt key, “in the weeks to come.” You can reserve the Communicator on Clicks’ website for $199<\/a>. The phone is expected to ship in Q4 of 2026.<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

Watch this: The Clicks Communicator Phone Is My Favorite Thing at CES\n <\/p>\n

03:33 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Clicks Communicator\u00a0is the phone\u00a0I look forward to most in 2026. It’ll be out before the end of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":772707,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[49,48,190,61],"class_list":["post-772706","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mobile","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-mobile","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/772706","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=772706"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/772706\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/772707"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=772706"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=772706"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=772706"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}