Clicks is betting that nostalgia for physical keys can coexist with modern smartphone design. Its new Power Keyboard is a $79 slide-out accessory that snaps onto the back of a phone and adds a BlackBerry-style keyboard while also acting as a wireless charger. By targeting any handset with MagSafe or Qi2, the company is trying to make turning a standard device into an old-school BlackBerry alternative as simple as clicking on a case.
Clicks’ Latest Debut
The Power Keyboard arrives as Clicks’ latest attempt to revive tactile typing without asking users to abandon their existing phones. Instead of building a full handset from scratch, the company is pitching the accessory as part of what one report describes as its own take on the BlackBerry smartphone, plus a $79 snap-on mobile keyboard, integrating directly with current iPhone and Android ecosystems. That shift in strategy matters for anyone who misses hardware keys but is locked into apps and services on devices like the iPhone 15 Pro or Samsung Galaxy S24, because it reframes the BlackBerry concept as an add-on rather than a separate platform.
Earlier Clicks accessories were tied to specific phone models, which limited their audience to a narrow slice of iOS users. The new Power Keyboard instead turns any phone with MagSafe or Qi2 into a BlackBerry, according to early hands-on coverage, by attaching magnetically and sliding out a full physical keyboard beneath the screen. That evolution is significant for the broader accessory market, because it shows how a niche idea can scale once it is decoupled from a single device line and aligned with cross-platform standards like MagSafe and Qi2.
Key Features and Design
At the center of the accessory is the BlackBerry-style keyboard itself, which sits on a tray that tucks behind the phone when not in use and then slides out for typing. One detailed look at the hardware notes that the new Power Keyboard from Clicks gives you a slide-out BlackBerry-style keyboard and wireless charging, combining a familiar grid of physical keys with a mechanism that preserves the full touchscreen when the keyboard is stowed. For users who write long emails in Gmail, edit documents in Microsoft Word, or manage Slack threads on the go, that layout promises fewer typing errors and more screen real estate than on-screen keyboards that permanently occupy the lower third of the display.
Clicks is also using the accessory to address battery anxiety by building in wireless power delivery. The same report explains that the Power Keyboard doubles as a wireless charger, a feature that was absent from earlier Clicks keyboards and that effectively turns the attachment into a slim battery pad that stays with the phone. That combination of input and power support is particularly relevant for commuters and frequent travelers, who often carry both a portable charger and a Bluetooth keyboard; consolidating those roles into a single snap-on accessory could reduce bag clutter and make physical typing a more practical everyday choice.
Compatibility and Ease of Use
Rather than designing bespoke shells for each handset, Clicks is leaning on magnetic charging standards to broaden compatibility. Coverage of the launch stresses that support for MagSafe or Qi2 means the Power Keyboard can latch onto a wide range of phones that already use those systems for wireless charging, without requiring special cases or hardware modifications. That approach lowers the barrier to entry for both iOS and Android owners, and it also signals to other accessory makers that building around shared charging standards can unlock larger addressable markets than model-specific designs.
Setup is framed as intentionally straightforward, with one overview noting that turning your phone into an old school BlackBerry just got easier because the Power Keyboard simply snaps into place and slides out when needed. For productivity-focused professionals who rely on apps like Outlook, Notion, or Salesforce, that ease of use could be the difference between occasionally experimenting with a physical keyboard and adopting it as a daily tool, since it avoids the friction of pairing separate Bluetooth devices or swapping into bulky, model-specific keyboard cases.
Why the Design Finally Makes Sense
Earlier attempts to graft BlackBerry-style keyboards onto modern phones often resulted in unwieldy accessories that added bulk without integrating cleanly into daily use. A recent analysis argues that the Clicks BlackBerry-like phone keyboard finally makes sense because the Power Keyboard’s snap-on form factor and slide-out tray keep the phone’s original design intact when the keys are not in use. That refinement matters for mainstream users who care about pocketability and aesthetics, since it reduces the trade-off between gaining tactile keys and preserving the slim, all-screen look of devices like the iPhone 15 or Google Pixel 9.
The same commentary highlights that the accessory’s integration with wireless charging and magnetic attachment standards helps it feel less like a novelty and more like a natural extension of the phone. By aligning with how people already charge and carry their devices, the Power Keyboard positions physical typing as a feature that can be toggled on demand rather than a permanent design choice. For stakeholders such as app developers and enterprise IT teams, that could revive interest in keyboard-optimized workflows, from keyboard shortcuts in productivity suites to more efficient text entry in secure messaging apps, without requiring a return to dedicated keyboard phones.
Pricing and Availability Impact
Clicks is positioning the Power Keyboard as a relatively low-cost way to recapture the BlackBerry experience. Reporting on the launch notes that the company set a $79 price point for the snap-on mobile keyboard, which undercuts the cost of buying a separate keyboard-centric handset while still offering a dedicated hardware typing experience. That pricing strategy is likely aimed at budget-conscious consumers and small businesses that want the benefits of physical keys for tasks like customer support, field reporting, or on-the-go writing, but cannot justify maintaining a separate fleet of specialized devices.
The Power Keyboard’s debut is timed to coincide with a broader wave of Qi2 adoption in new phones, which could accelerate its potential reach as more handsets ship with compatible magnetic charging hardware. One overview of Clicks’ roadmap notes that the company introduces Power Keyboard and Communicator as part of a diversified lineup that challenges the dominance of touch-only interfaces in a post-BlackBerry era. For the wider accessory industry, that move signals a renewed willingness to experiment with form factors that blend nostalgia and practicality, and it may encourage rivals to explore their own takes on modular keyboards, clip-on game controllers, or other specialized input tools that ride on the same MagSafe and Qi2 foundations.
