![\"Holding](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/clicks-communicator-hands-on-ces-1-scaled.jpg\"\/ "\\"clicks")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Joe Maring \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n
For all the people who say smartphones are boring and that innovation is dead, CES 2026 is quickly proving them wrong. Between the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold<\/a>, Motorola Razr Fold<\/a>, and Punkt MC03<\/a>, we\u2019ve seen numerous Android phones that all bring something fresh and new to the table.<\/p>\n But as impressive as those phones are, there\u2019s another Android handset I saw at this year\u2019s CES that has me even more hyped. It\u2019s called the Clicks Communicator<\/a>, and after just a 30-minute briefing\/hands-on session, I can confidently say it\u2019s the most excited I\u2019ve been about a new Android phone in years.<\/p>\n If you have\u2019t heard of the Clicks Communicator before, the general idea is this: It\u2019s an Android phone designed with the singular goal of being the best communications device possible. It\u2019s not meant to be a mobile gaming powerhouse, the best phone for Netflix binge sessions, or a camera champion. Instead, it\u2019s meant to be the best Android phone you can buy for managing emails and triaging endless text messages.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a fascinating mission, and one I\u2019ll discuss more later, but what\u2019s also so intriguing about the Communicator is how radically different its hardware is from virtually every other Android phone available today.<\/p>\n Would you buy the Clicks Communicator?<\/p>\n 337 votes<\/p>\n I already placed my pre-order!<\/p>\n 14%<\/p>\n Yes, but I’m waiting for the full release.<\/p>\n 32%<\/p>\n I’m not sure yet.<\/p>\n 39%<\/p>\n No way \u2014 who would want this?<\/p>\n 16%<\/p>\n Joe Maring \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n As you\u2019ve likely noticed, the Clicks Communicator doesn\u2019t look like most modern Android phones \u2014 largely because it has a keyboard!<\/p>\n Below the 4.03-inch AMOLED display is a full QWERTY keyboard, which feels outstanding. The keys are about 30% larger than those on other Clicks keyboards (including the new Clicks Power Keyboard<\/a>) and are shaped like an oval rather than circular. I certainly need more hands-on time to determine just how fast and accurate my typing will be, but even after just a few minutes playing with the keyboard, it felt noticeably more comfortable than Clicks\u2019 other products.<\/p>\n What\u2019s also unique about the Communicator\u2019s hardware is its back design. Using magnetic backplates, you can easily change the phone\u2019s color whenever you want. I saw pink, blue, green, red, yellow, and black plastic backplates, plus a really lovely leather option that felt incredible. Hardware customization to this extent is all but nonexistent with current Android phones, and I couldn\u2019t be happier to see it return on the Clicks Communicator.<\/p>\n Joe Maring \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n That\u2019s also true of another hardware feature: the phone\u2019s LED notification light. It\u2019s wrapped around the Communicator\u2019s customizable side button, and you can assign different colors for specific contacts and applications. The light is very bright and easy to see, whether the phone is lying on its back or front. And if that\u2019s not enough hardware button goodness for you, there\u2019s also a physical slider on the other side of the phone you can map to toggle on Do Not Disturb, airplane mode, your flashlight, etc.<\/p>\n So many of these hardware decisions feel tailor-made for a phone nerd like me.<\/p>\n So many of these hardware decisions feel tailor-made for a phone nerd like me, which makes sense, given that notable tech YouTuber Michael Fisher is a co-founder of Clicks. These are the things I\u2019d want to see in an Android phone, and lo and behold, they\u2019re all here on the Communicator. That\u2019s true of many of the Communicator\u2019s other specs, too. There\u2019s 256GB of base storage with the option to expand it up to 2TB via a microSD card. Qi2 magnets are built into the swappable back covers, and there\u2019s even a 3.5mm headphone jack.<\/p>\n Joe Maring \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n At this point in the article, I should note that the version of the Clicks Communicator I used wasn\u2019t fully functional. I got to hold the phone, play with its keyboard, and check out its LED notification light, but the Communicator didn\u2019t actually power on; the version I used was just an early hardware sample. That means we still don\u2019t know what the display quality looks like, how responsive\/performant the phone\u2019s chipset is, how good the cameras are, etc. In other words, there are still plenty of unanswered questions.<\/p>\n But even with those unanswered questions, what I have seen of the Clicks Communicator is more than enough to solidify it as one of the Android phones I\u2019m most looking forward to in 2026.<\/p>\n You can use the Clicks Communicator as your primary smartphone, but Clicks is also marketing it more heavily as a secondary phone meant to complement your Pixel 10 or Galaxy S25. That\u2019s exactly how I want to use the Communicator. A\u00a0compact phone with a full-on keyboard, a helpful notification light, and multiple customizable hardware buttons checks all of the right boxes for me, and I could easily see myself using the Communicator in a variety of situations \u2014 whether that\u2019s as a work machine while running around CES or having something simpler and more focused to use during the weekend.<\/p>\n Joe Maring \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n I\u2019ll be the first to admit that the concept of a secondary, single-purpose phone is extremely niche, but I think that\u2019s the whole point of the Clicks Communicator. If the idea of using two phones sounds ridiculous, the Communicator probably isn\u2019t for you \u2014 just like if you don\u2019t place much value in a physical keyboard and notification LED. And that\u2019s OK! The Communicator isn\u2019t trying to be for everyone.<\/p>\n But for the people the Communicator is targeted at \u2014 people like me \u2014 it\u2019s impressive how well-suited for us it appears to be. I\u2019m eager to see how the Clicks Communicator comes together in the final retail version, but even this early, it\u2019s pretty damn promising.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t want to miss the best from Android Authority?<\/p>\n![\"Clicks](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/clicks-communicator-hands-on-ces-13-scaled.jpg\"\/ "\\"clicks")
<\/p>\n![\"Someone](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/clicks-communicator-hands-on-ces-12-scaled.jpg\"\/ "\\"clicks")
![\"Different](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/clicks-communicator-hands-on-ces-5-scaled.jpg\"\/ "\\"clicks")
<\/p>\n![\"LED](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/clicks-communicator-hands-on-ces-7-scaled.jpg\"\/ "\\"clicks")
<\/p>\n![\"Clicks](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/clicks-communicator-hands-on-ces-10-scaled.jpg\"\/ "\\"clicks")
<\/p>\n![\"LED](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/clicks-communicator-hands-on-ces-8-scaled.jpg\"\/ "\\"clicks")
<\/p>\n
![\"google](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/google_preferred_source_badge_light@2x.png\"\/ "\\"google"){kind=icon}
![\"google](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/google_preferred_source_badge_dark@2x.png\"\/ "\\"google"){kind=icon}
<\/a><\/p>\n