Clicks wants to make physical iPhone keyboard cases a thing again

A UK-based company called Clicks is introducing a new iPhone accessory at CES 2024 in Las Vegas that you might like if you loved BlackBerry phones. It’s a case and a full physical keyboard in one that you can attach to the iPhone if you want a more tactile typing experience, which kinda brings back memories of Ryan Seacrest’s Typo Keyboard from a decade ago. The company’s creator keyboard sits at the bottom of the case and doesn’t cover any part of the screen or any part of the device at all other than its back and edges. Instead, it extends the phone’s length, giving you full view of whatever is on the display even while you’re typing.

That keyboard connects to the iPhone through its Lighting or USB-C port, depending on what model you have, and allows you to charge your phone as usual. It doesn’t have a Bluetooth connection, but that also means it’s not powered by a battery you’ll need to charge. You can switch on its backlight if you want to use it at night or in the dark, and you can use a bunch of keyboard shortcuts if you want to navigate your device without using the touchscreen. To scroll down web pages, for instance, you can press the space bar. That said, its keys do look terribly small, and you may find yourself having a difficult time typing if you have larger hands and fingers.

Clicks is founded by content creators Michael Fisher (MrMobile) and Kevin Michaluk (CrackBerry Kevin), who said that the iPhone keyboard was designed by “a dream team of tech industry veterans.” Michaluk added: “We labored over every decision from exactly how the buttons should feel to the keyboard layout, ensuring it would be intuitive for iPhone users.” You can order the Clicks creator keyboard from the company’s website right now for $139, but shipping won’t begin until February 1.

Clicks

We’re reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.