Clicks Communicator - A Spiritual Successor to the Blackberry?

Clicks (the brand that made those QWERTY keyboard cases) is going all-in with Clicks Communicator: a small Android phone designed for messaging first and "doomscrolling" last. It's a proper, unlocked handset with 5G, a compact screen, and hardware choices most phones ditched years ago (hello again, headphone jack).

What Clicks Communicator actually is

Clicks Communicator is positioned as either your main phone or a second phone you grab when you want fewer distractions. It runs Android 16 and is sold unlocked with support for 5G/4G/3G/2G bands.

• Standalone smartphone (not an accessory)
• Android 16 with access to apps
• Unlocked, with global band support
• Built around a physical keyboard and compact display

It’s basically a deliberate swing at the “I miss buttons” crowd, but without forcing you onto some weird closed app store. Android is still Android.

The keyboard is the whole point

Clicks leans hard into input. The keys are meant to feel tactile, and the keyboard is also touch sensitive so you can scroll through messages and web pages without lifting your thumb to the screen. There’s even a fingerprint sensor in the spacebar.

• Ergonomic keys with tactile feedback
• Touch-sensitive keypad for scrolling
• Fingerprint sensor built into the spacebar
• Side key can trigger voice-to-text, recording, or transcription

That side key is interesting if you live in WhatsApp voice notes (Dubai classic). Clicks says you can hold it to turn voice into text, start a recording, or transcribe a meeting.

Notifications, but less chaotic

Clicks adds a few “stay aware, don’t spiral” touches. There’s a Signal LED you can customise for specific people or apps. And there’s a Message hub concept that pulls messages together on the home screen, with keyboard shortcuts to triage quickly.

• Custom Signal LED for people/apps
• Message hub to bring messages together
• Keyboard shortcuts for faster actions

This is the part that will either feel refreshing or slightly controlling, depending on how much you enjoy being perceived by your notifications. Either way, the intent is clear: keep you responding, not roaming.

Specs: small screen, sensible extras

Communicator isn’t trying to win a spec-sheet war. But it does tick a lot of “why did phones remove this?” boxes.

• Display: 4.03-inch AMOLED, 1080 × 1200
• Battery: 4,000mAh silicon-carbon (Clicks won’t estimate battery life yet)
• Cameras: 50MP rear with OIS + 24MP front
• Charging: Qi2 wireless + USB-C
• Storage: 256GB + microSD expansion up to 2TB
• SIM: nanoSIM + eSIM
• Audio: 3.5mm headphone jack
• Security: Android Strongbox ready
• Size/weight: 130.5 × 78.63 × 12mm, 170g
• Chipset: MediaTek 4nm 5G IoT SoC platform

Also worth noting: Clicks says it’s committing to 2 years of Android updates and 5 years of security updates.

If you want a “normal” UAE daily driver instead, here’s our running list of best phones in the UAE.

Price, reservations, and UAE availability

Clicks is pushing a reservation model with two main routes on the Communicator page.

• Pay in full: $399 early bird (shown as $399 vs $499)
• Deposit: $199 now, with the remaining balance collected before delivery
• The page also shows $30 shipping/duties alongside the paid-in-full option

For UAE readers, using the Central Bank of the UAE’s USD rate (1 USD = AED 3.6725) that’s roughly:

• $399 ≈ AED 1,465
• $499 ≈ AED 1,833
• $199 ≈ AED 731
• $30 ≈ AED 110

Clicks says to reserve before 27 February to lock in early bird pricing, and that orders are on track to ship later this year (with final timing confirmed closer to manufacturing).

And yes, Clicks explicitly lists the United Arab Emirates in its shipping countries.

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