{"id":628626,"date":"2026-09-18T14:36:13","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T14:36:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/628626\/"},"modified":"2026-09-18T14:36:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T14:36:13","slug":"the-clicks-communicator-ships-in-december-with-more-ram-and-new-mobile-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/628626\/","title":{"rendered":"The Clicks Communicator Ships in December With More RAM and New Mobile Service"},"content":{"rendered":"

At a time when nearly every phone-maker is raising prices and cutting memory, one company is bucking the trend by adding more RAM.<\/p>\n

The $649 Blackberry-inspired Clicks Communicator phone<\/a> will launch in December, but the company behind it just announced that the unreleased handset will have a larger battery and more RAM than originally expected. Clicks Technology, better known for its keyboard cases and Power Keyboard accessory, released a video<\/a> on Friday sharing a number of upgrades, feature details and news about the launch.<\/p>\n

The Clicks Communicator will ship with 12GB of RAM (up from the promised 8GB) and a 4,350-mAh battery (up from 4,000 mAh). Given this year\u2019s trends, it is absolutely wild that the company is adding more RAM while keeping the previously announced preorder price of $499. Google<\/a>, Motorola<\/a>, Samsung<\/a> and, most recently, Apple<\/a>, have raised prices on most of their phones, including the new iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max<\/a>, citing higher RAM and component costs driven by the increased demand for memory by AI data centers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Clicks Technology announced the keyboard phone at CES in January. The marquee feature is a built-in physical keyboard that is similar to the one found on the company\u2019s keyboard cases. The design was inspired in part by using a Motorola Razr\u2019s cover screen inside a Clicks keyboard case for the phone. After receiving an unexpectedly high number of preorders, Clicks was able to upgrade the design and features, including the processor<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"AI 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.Patrick Holland\/CNET<\/p>\n

Turns out, plenty of people want a thoughtfully designed handset that combines old-school features \u2014 including a keyboard, dedicated notification light and headphone jack \u2014 with a modern smartphone focused on messaging, calls and efficiency. The Communicator, designed by a former BlackBerry designer, is the phone I\u2019ve been looking forward to most this year.<\/p>\n

People who preordered the Clicks Communicator can now configure their phone\u2019s color, keyboard layout, charging covers and accessories on the company\u2019s website<\/a>. If you\u2019re considering buying one, you can preorder it for $499 ($150 off) until Sept. 30.<\/p>\n

The Communicator is sold unlocked, meaning that you can use your current carrier\u2019s nano SIM card or eSIM with it. But you also have the option to use the company\u2019s new voice and data service for phone called Clicks Mobile. It\u2019ll run on AT&T in the US and Vodafone in the UK.<\/p>\n

The video also showcases a number of Communicator features in depth. Here are a handful that stood out.<\/p>\n

\"\"The Communicator will ship with the game Brick Breaker.Patrick Holland\/CNET<\/p>\n

Clicks Care<\/p>\n

You can extend the warranty beyond a year and add accidental damage protection. \u201cIf something happens, even from day one, we\u2019ll ship you a replacement,\u201d says Jeff Gadway, Clicks Technology co-founder, in the video. Clicks Care will be available in the US and Canada for $129 for two years.<\/p>\n

Prompt Key <\/p>\n

While the physical keyboard is the main attraction, you can press the Prompt Key for speech-to-text input. The feature is powered by an on-device model, but Clicks Technology is exploring ways for Communicator owners to use other apps and services for voice input. The Prompt Key can also be used to bring up Gemini when you\u2019re not in a text field.<\/p>\n

Signal Light<\/p>\n

An LED loop around the Prompt Key glows in different colors for calendar reminders, tasks and to indicate incoming calls and messages. You can customize the Signal Light with different colors for different contacts and priorities. The light will flash in different patterns to distinguish between a call and a message. This is what Pixel HiLight<\/a> on the Pixel 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max<\/a> should have been; instead, that sits mostly dormant on the back of the phone and only glows during calls or when Gemini is \u201clistening\u201d to a prompt.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Quick replies<\/p>\n

You can read and respond to message previews straight from the home screen, without opening the app. Gadway explains that the company is working to make it possible to reply and dismiss message previews using just keyboard shortcuts: No need to touch the screen.<\/p>\n

\"\"Message Hub is a quick way to reply to messages without having to open apps.Patrick Holland\/CNET<\/p>\n

Message Hub<\/p>\n

A curated pop-up on the home screen, the hub prioritizes incoming message notifications according to your Signal Light preferences. You can hop into the Message Hub at any time by pressing the Prompt Key or the Clicks Key on the keyboard.<\/p>\n

Customizable hardware keyboard<\/p>\n

The physical keyboard has a red Clicks Key that can be used to trigger shortcuts, similar to Click\u2019s keyboard cases and the Power Keyboard. You can also reassign the bottom-row keys to take screenshots, switch between apps and perform other tasks.<\/p>\n

Locking your phone<\/p>\n

You can lock the Click Communicator by double-tapping the app list on the home screen. The phone uses a special version of Niagara Launcher, which displays apps in a list that you can navigate by sliding your finger along the right side of the screen.<\/p>\n

\"\"The Saffiano leather charging covers will cost $79.Patrick Holland\/CNET<\/p>\n

MagSafe charging covers<\/p>\n

The phone supports 15W Qi2 wireless charging and has a swappable backplate available in a variety of colors. There will be two Saffiano leather charging covers.<\/p>\n

Case, bumper and screen protector<\/p>\n

Accessory maker Dbrand is creating a $39 case for the new phone called MNML (pronounced \u201cminimal\u201d) and a $35 screen protector. Clicks is selling its own bumper case for $49 \u2014 it gives off a strong iPhone 4 bumper vibe.<\/p>\n

The Clicks Communicator\u2019s specs<\/p>\n

Smoke, clover and onyx colors<\/p>\n

4.03\u2033 AMOLED display with Gorilla Glass, 120Hz<\/p>\n

MediaTek Dimensity 8300 (MT8883), 4nm processor<\/p>\n

12GB RAM<\/p>\n

256GB storage, expandable via microSD up to 2TB<\/p>\n

4,350-mAh lithium-ion battery, rated for more than 800 charge cycles<\/p>\n

USB-C port<\/p>\n

15W Qi2 wireless charging<\/p>\n

50-megapixel main camera with OIS<\/p>\n

24-megapixel selfie camera<\/p>\n

Android 17 with software updates through Android 20 and 5 years of security updates<\/p>\n

Wi-Fi 6<\/p>\n

Bluetooth 5.4<\/p>\n

NFC with Google Pay<\/p>\n

3.5mm headphone jack<\/p>\n

Three microphones<\/p>\n

Dual speakers<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Patrick\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPatrick Holland\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDirector of Content\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAs Director of Content, Hardware, I lead CNET’s team of journalists and editors, covering news and testing on smartphones, laptops, wireless carriers, AI, and pretty much anything with a battery.
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tSee full bio\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"At a time when nearly every phone-maker is raising prices and cutting memory, one company is bucking the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":628627,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[61,60,202,80],"class_list":["post-628626","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mobile","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-mobile","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/628626","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=628626"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/628626\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/628627"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=628626"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=628626"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=628626"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}