The most insane iPhone 15 Pro Max accessory ever is here
We used to make compilations with the most bizarre phone accessories on this site, but the accessory I want to write about today is of a more trivial function – it's a keyboard case for the iPhone 14 Pro (Max) and iPhone 15 Pro (Max). And somehow, it's still one of the most different products I've seen.
Clicks is a bold new accessory for your iPhone which revives the physical QWERTY keyboard, and it does so in a portrait format at that, akin to some Nokia and BlackBerry phones of old. Clicks is made by London-based Clicks Technology and co-founded by Michael Fisher of MrMobile and PocketNow fame.
You can effortlessly slide your iPhone in and out of the keyboard case, which is good, because it makes your phone huge. After all, you're literally adding a full physical QWERTY keyboard to the height of the phone.
Clicks introduces a full portrait physical QWERTY keyboard to iPhone in a world that has long moved away from physical phone keyboards. Can we get used to pushing real, albeit tiny keys again? I honestly don't know. I gave the Clicks keyboard a try and immediately found myself doing a ton of mistakes, way more than with my usual typing on the virtual keyboard. It's safe to say that even if Clicks has the potential to boost typing efficiency, you'll need at least some time to adjust to the cramped realities of the physical QWERTY.
Clicks has those special touches that make a trivial product into a great and notable product. Aside from that striking signature bumblebee (yellow) color, this keyboard also features some standard iOS/Mac modifier keys like CMD and Globe. This allows you to pull off iPad/Mac-level keyboard shortcuts, such as CMD+H to go to the homescreen / minimize an app, CMD+Space to enter Spotlight Search, Globe+N to open the notification shade or just hit Space or Shift+Space to go down or up on a web page.
Some other cool things about Clicks are that it comes with a backlight, doesn't break wireless charging and features passthrough charging, so you can plug your charging cable into your keyboard case and your iPhone is going to get charged.
The case itself is very light, which is great because you don't want it adding any unnecessary grams to a phone that is already quite heavy. Yet, holding and typing with Clicks on doesn't seem to make the phone feel too top-heavy.
Let's face it: there is original thought involved in the creation of Clicks, and that, I think, is to be admired. The big question here, though, is if typing on the tiny physical keys will ever feel as fast and convenient as with the on-screen keyboard. Remember, we're living in a very different and arguably faster-paced world compared to 10-15 years ago. Things have changed, our habits have changed, and virtual keyboards have become way smarter and more practical.
It's true that each of the 36 tiny keys on Clicks has been tuned to offer a balance of clickiness, resistance and feedback to offer a pleasant typing experience, and it seems to me that the creators behind this peculiar keyboard have largely achieved their design goals. However, for the little time I spent with it, I sure felt like I'd be better off sticking with my 21st century virtual keyboard. But I might be wrong. Maybe, given more time, one would adjust to the tiny physical keyboard and start reaping the benefits of typing quickly and seeing all their content on screen, unobstructed by a virtual keyboard. Maybe one can even learn to live with the extra-long footprint that the case necessitates.
Let's put it this way, I wouldn't bet money on it, but I'm sure there will be users out there who'd appreciate Clicks for one of its several benefits. For those users, it'll set them back $139 for the iPhone 14/15 Pro version, and $159 for the iPhone 14/15 Pro Max version. Not the cheapest of iPhone cases out there, but then again, those other cases don't have all the crazy functionality that Clicks brings to the table. You can get Clicks for iPhone from the official Clicks website. Initial "Founders Edition" units have been sold old, but it should get back in stock in a month or so.
The more important thing is: what do you think about Clicks? Would you ever use a similar keyboard case for iPhone or Android?
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