There’s a bit of an obsession with resurrecting the BlackBerry-style physical QWERTY keyboard but, after trying a couple of more recent attempts, I’m still struggling to see the appeal in 2026, and I’m really not sure who will buy them.
The era of the physical smartphone keyboard is one I barely grew up in. My first phone without a traditional T9 setup was the Samsung Alias 2, a two-way flip phone that opened to an e-paper QWERTY keyboard. It was from there that I moved on to touchscreen Android phones that I moved on to. the last decade write and live day after day. So the nostalgia game is not In fact work with me. I’ve really enjoyed my time with the repeated attempts to revive BlackBerry as a brand, but physical keys aren’t something I immediately gravitate toward.
But clearly there is some There are people who really want these devices.
Enough that hardware is still being built for that market.
Two such devices have crossed my desk lately, starting with the Unihertz Titan Elite 2. This is a dedicated QWERTY Android phone that made its first appearance earlier this year and, as BlackBerry reboots, is pretty solid.
The form factor here is compact and comfortable, with a full keyboard that feels comfortable under my thumbs. There is a certain charm in the simplicity of the hardware, which is only emphasized by the vibrant orange color. But the lack of polish doesn’t help. The keyboard’s backlight only activates when you’re actively typing (or after a long swipe gesture), making texting in a dark room inconvenient at best and virtually impossible at worst. The software is also quite complicated. Aside from the inherent restrictions that come with using a phone with such a small screen, Unihertz’s tweaks to Android 16 feel a bit rushed and unfinished.
It’s a good concept, and for $489It’s certainly one way to soothe the BlackBerry itch.
Personally, however, I was more intrigued by the Clicks Power Keyboard, enough to have purchased one myself.
The $119 add-on is a BlackBerry-style keyboard with a built-in battery and Qi2 accessory, which works with your phone via Bluetooth to type things. He works very well, and the keyboard itself is surprisingly easy to operate even though the keys are so small. The docking point extends to better fit your phone, which on my Pixel 10 practically meant having it fully extended.
With my Pixel 10, it works very well, although my real issue here is that the overall form factor feels very clunky. Extend the phone is very satisfactory, but it makes it difficult to balance the weight of the keyboard and the phone together, which makes it difficult to type. It’s somehow worse when the phone is horizontal, which is the opposite of what I expected.
These are all things you can adjust to, but they put me off the idea of wearing this with any frequency. It’s a really good idea and maybe the best way to quickly get that BlackBerry feeling back, but it really cemented something for me; I think I just don’t know. want a physical keyboard.
And it’s a shame.
I really thought the Power Keyboard would be what made the difference for me and help me find that love for a physical keyboard.
These devices just aren’t for me, and I think that will be true for a lot of people. The last decade of touchscreen smartphones has largely eliminated that muscle memory for physical buttons. Don’t get me wrong, I love It’s a nice physical button, but for me the pros outweigh the cons when it comes to a digital keyboard. Better layouts, faster access to emojis/symbols, and more make it difficult to take that step back to a physical keyboard.
While the Unihertz device feels like a game of “Hey guys, we made a modern BlackBerry,” Clicks is at least thinking outside the box. The Power Keyboard makes a lot of sense as a magnetic accessory that can be used wirelessly with devices other than your phone, while the next click communicator It’s billed as a companion device dedicated to, well, communication, and I like that angle. In both, I’ll still struggle with the usability that comes with a small physical keyboard in the year 2026, but I appreciate that Clicks is taking a smart approach.
What do you think? Are you in that niche of customers who want a physical QWERTY keyboard in 2026?
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