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Apr 12, 2001
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BlackBerry fans that miss having a physical keyboard on their smartphones may want to check out Clicks, a company that has developed a keyboard case that's designed for the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro models.

clicks-keyboard-for-iphone.jpg

Clicks is showing off its keyboard accessories ahead of CES, and the iPhone 14 Pro version of its keyboard will be ready to ship out in February. The keyboard is priced at $139, with an iPhone 15 Pro version coming in mid-March and a $159 iPhone 15 Pro Max version set to release in the spring.

The Clicks Creator Keyboard is available in "BumbleBee" yellow and "London Sky" gray, and it adds a small physical keyboard to the bottom of an iPhone. Clicks says that the case design is meant to "feel like a natural extension" of the iPhone, and the keys have been designed for ideal click resistance and feedback for fast and accurate typing.

clicks-keyboard-3.jpg

The standard QWERTY keyboard features keys for activating dictation, accessing emoji, and activating shortcuts like returning to the Home screen and scrolling. At night, a built-in backlight can be turned on.

An iPhone connects to the keyboard via Lightning (iPhone 14 Pro) or USB-C (iPhone 15 Pro), and passthrough charging is supported. The case also supports wireless charging capabilities, though it does not have MagSafe.

The iPhone 15 Pro version of the Clicks keyboard measures in at 188.45mm, so it is 41.85mm longer than the 146.6mm iPhone 15 Pro. That is equivalent to 1.65 inches, so expect an iPhone equipped with this keyboard to be over an inch and a half longer. It's a little over 3mm wider than the iPhone, and 2.50mm thicker. The case weighs in at 62 grams, a little under half of the 187 gram weight of the iPhone 15 Pro.

clicks-keyboard-gray-color.jpg

Dimensions are similar for the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models, so the keyboards do add some considerable bulk to the iPhone. Clicks says that the keyboard is easy to put on and remove, and while in use, it does serve as a hardware-based keyboard, so you won't see the software keyboard on the display.

Clicks for iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro can be pre-ordered from the Clicks website, while the iPhone 15 Pro Max version can be reserved for $30.

Article Link: Miss Physical Keyboards? New 'Clicks' Accessory Adds Keys to Your iPhone
 
Uhhh.

Okay.

I will say this, the physical keyboard on my first smartphone—the G1—was probably the best for doing stuff like SSH or code. That's pretty niche though. At the time I was basically always on call for DevOps work and it was pretty cool to be able to do it well enough from my phone.

But seriously, who is this this for? Between Bluetooth keyboard options, swipe typing, and typing by voice... why would I want this keyboard? What does it actually solve?
 
I'm sure I'm overthinking this, but doesn't this put the center of mass way above where your fingers will support it from behind so you have to hold it from above-- meaning every keypress is going to bounce the the top of the phone uncontrollably? I've got that problem already using the soft keyboard, this just extends that lever arm...
 
This is extremely weird. However, I can see some people using it: the group of people who probably still get upset that smartphones no longer have physical keyboards. Would I buy one? Hell no! But do I see a market for it? Yes (albeit, a pretty small one).

I'm sure I'm overthinking this, but doesn't this put the center of mass way above where your fingers will support it from behind so you have to hold it from above-- meaning every keypress is going to bounce the the top of the phone uncontrollably? I've got that problem already using the soft keyboard, this just extends that lever arm...
That makes sense. I would like to think they thought of this issue and tried to come up with a solution, but I don't think they have thought of it.
 
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