Clicks Communicator is the latest attempt at resurrecting the BlackBerry, and it costs $499

After making physical keyboard cases for select smartphones from Apple, Google, Motorola, and Samsung, Clicks has decided to make a smartphone with a physical keyboard. Called the Clicks Communicator, the Android-powered smartphone is the latest attempt at making a modern Blackberry-styled smartphone.

The Clicks Communicator has a 4.03-inch 1080 × 1020 AMOLED touch display with rounded corners and a uniform bezel. The screen has a punch hole for a 24MP front-facing camera, but rather than in the center as is the trend these days, Clicks has opted to have the punch hole in the top left corner.

Inside the Clicks Communicator is an unspecified 4nm MediaTek processor with an unspecified RAM but 256GB of storage. It also has a microSD card slot for adding up to an additional 2TB of storage. There's a single 50MP camera on the back with optical image stabilization, and a 4,000mAh silicon-carbon battery with support for Qi2 wireless charging and USB-C charging.

The spec sheet says the phone has a physical SIM slot but also has support for an eSIM. It features NFC, Wi-Fi 6, an audio jack, and a USB-C port. It also has a physical kill switch on the side and a power button at the top.

The right side houses a physical button called the side key, which has an integrated customizable LED. Users will be able to assign a custom color for a specific contact or apps. They can also press and hold the side key to record a voice note, transcribe a meeting, or convert voice into text.

The keyboard is touch sensitive, so you can scroll through apps and webpages without touching the screen. There's also a fingerprint scanner buried under the spacebar key. In addition, users can assign custom shortcuts to the red Clicks key on the keyboard

Available in three colors, the Clicks Communicator has a flat frame, while the removable back has a dimpled surface to provide grip. The phone ships with Android 16 with a custom launcher. Clicks says it will provide two years of Android updates and five years of security updates.

The Clicks Communicator will be sold unlocked and is available to pre-order now. It has an early bird price of $399 which also includes priority access shipping and two free back covers worth $100. You can also choose to lock in the early bird price of $399 by paying a $199 reservation deposit. Once the device launches, it will sell for $499. Shipping is scheduled for later this year, with a specific date confirmed when the final stage of manufacturing begins.