Clicks' Power Keyboard Brings BlackBerry-Style Typing to Any Phone

The MagSafe-compatible Power Keyboard from Clicks is designed to bring a more tactile typing experience to any smartphone.

Clicks Technology, the startup determined to bring back physical keyboards to smartphones, began shipping its now-$99 MagSafe-compatible Power Keyboard this summer, after some delays. As of last week, 75% of the pre-orders from the first batch had shipped to customers.

-- The device is designed to work with a range of devices, with a slide-out keyboard that can accommodate different phone sizes and can be used in either portrait or landscape mode, giving any phone a BlackBerry-like feel. The company says it has tested the device with a number of phone models, including the iPhone Air, 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max, 16 Pro, Pixel 9, Galaxy Fold, and other Android devices.

-- However, in its current implementation, the Power Keyboard suffers from the same fate as the company's earlier Clicks keyboard – a smartphone case that included a physical keyboard. It can make the phone feel top-heavy and difficult to hold in portrait mode, especially if you're using a larger smartphone as I did in tests with the iPhone 17 Pro Max and Pixel 10 XL.

Design and Build Quality

• The device itself is crafted with care, and could appeal to those who still desperately long for their BlackBerry. Unboxing the device, we noticed the Power Keyboard was nicely packaged as a premium device would be, with peel-away cling films to prevent scratches during shipping and a full-color Quick Start guide to using the product.
• You may first need to charge the device's battery via USB-C, though we found ours shipped with a charge already. To pair the device with your phone over Bluetooth, press and hold the power button and slide out the keyboard. We quickly paired the device with our Android phone. We ran into trouble once we switched over to the iPhone. Even after "forgetting" the device on Android, it still refused to pair with our iPhone. Returning to the instructions, it appears this was our mistake. The trick is to press a number key alongside the power button on the keyboard to add a second Bluetooth device.
• Once connected, you can then pull the keyboard out when you need to type. Helpfully, the keyboard adjusts to different phone sizes, so it will work with standard models as well as larger "Ultra" or "Pro Max" devices. We appreciated the satisfying clicks as the keyboard locked into place on the various sliders. The keyboard offers an adjustable LED backlight, so you can type in the dark.

Features and Customization

• The keys themselves have a nice, clicky feel and are well-placed, making them easy to reach. While it takes quite a bit of adjustment after years of on-screen keyboards to return to pressing buttons, the learning curve is less steep than it was on the earlier Clicks keyboard case. It's clear that the company has been iterating on what it learned with its older device, and those lessons have been channeled into this product.
• In addition, while Clicks' older keyboard case pulled power from the phone by way of its USB-C connection, the Power Keyboard instead includes a built-in 2,150 mAh battery. The product itself has a slimmer profile than some snap-on battery packs, at 119.7 × 76.6 × 15.2mm, and doesn't add an unreasonable amount of weight at 180 grams.
• The keyboard is highly customizable, with features like the Clicks key functioning as a Tab button, or turning on "Cursor Mode" (Sym + CMD) to make certain letters on your keypad work as directional keys that move a cursor on the screen. You can also adjust various settings like the idle timeout, battery reserves for wireless charging, LED backlight, and whether the Return key works as a hard or soft return.

Additional Uses

• While the Power Keyboard is designed for smartphones, it can also be paired with any device that supports external Bluetooth keyboards, such as tablets, smart TVs like the Apple TV, or AR/VR headsets, like the Apple Vision Pro. This could come in handy when you're trying to set up new apps and have to type your email address and passwords awkwardly via a remote control or other input method.