Technologies

In a World Without BlackBerry, Physical Keyboards on Phones Are Making a Comeback

Commentary: You might not even need a new phone to get clicky buttons.

If you have fond memories of clicking away on the BlackBerry, the Palm Treo, the T-Mobile Sidekick or similar handhelds from back in the day, I have good news for you: Phones with keyboards are making a comeback. Sort of.

There’s a growing number of companies looking to bring back clicky, tactile buttons, whether for that nostalgic appeal or to reinvent phone keyboards as an addition to your iPhone or Android device. Some of these have even just announced their plans at CES 2026 or will be bringing these button-filled phones to this year’s Mobile World Congress.

From keyboard cases to modern-day BlackBerry clones, here’s what we know about the potential QWERTY renaissance.

Why are keyboards on phones making a comeback?

It’s difficult to assess the exact turning point for when physical phone keyboards made a comeback, but we have a couple of guesses. Perhaps the biggest reason this is happening is that people rely on their phones as their primary computer. As such, they’re probably typing long emails or editing documentation with just their phone’s touch keyboard.

While that’s perfectly fine for most people, some yearn for the comfort and tactile feel of physical keys. And perhaps getting tired of bad autocorrect errors when typing too quickly.

Another potential case for phones with keyboards is simply the desire for variety. Some people might feel a general fatigue over the familiar look and feel of modern smartphones. Having a handset that functions differently — see the popularity of recent flip and folding phones — is a welcome change.

Plus, phones with keyboards appeal not just to the older generation who miss them, but also to the younger generation who are increasingly into retro tech.

Can I get a BlackBerry in 2026?

Not really. If you want to get a new BlackBerry right out of the factory, you’re out of luck, as the company discontinued hardware production in 2020 and further discontinued its software services in 2022.

You could try to get a BlackBerry on the secondary market (like the TCL-made KeyOne or Key2), but the Android version is outdated and won’t be as functional as other smartphones. Wirecutter’s Brenda Stolyar recently attempted to revive a Blackberry Classic Q20 from 2015 and discovered that, while it can still run modern apps, it takes a lot of patience to sideload them onto the device.

Zinwa is one company that’s buying up old stock of BlackBerry hardware, replacing the internals with new components, installing Android and then reselling them. Its first “product” is the Zinwa Q25, which is essentially a retrofitted BlackBerry Classic. You can buy the finished product for $400 or get a conversion kit for $300.

What keyboard phones and accessories are currently available?

There are several options for keyboard phones on the market.

Clicks keyboard case

The easiest way to get a phone with a keyboard is to turn your existing phone into one. That’s the promise of the Clicks keyboard case, which adds a physical keyboard to most modern smartphones. It made a big splash at CES 2024 and has continued to expand its lineup (we’ll get to that shortly). Simply pop your phone inside the case, and voila, you’ll have a phone with a keyboard.

In our hands-on, we liked the extra screen real estate, how quickly the keyboard interface worked, the preprogrammed keyboard shortcuts and the tactile keys. That said, the keyboard does feel a bit crowded, and it’s unclear if it’s that much more comfortable than the default touch keyboard. Currently, the Clicks keyboard case works with the iPhone 14 and newer, the Razr 2024 and newer and the Pixel 9 and 9 Pro. Its price starts at $139.

There are also plans to release a Clicks Power Keyboard, that attaches to your phone via MagSafe or Qi2 magnetic connection. The Power Keyboard has a slider that accommodates phones of different sizes, plus it can be paired with a tablet, a smart TV or anything that uses Bluetooth. This makes the Power Keyboard much more flexible than the Clicks case, since it doesn’t need to be made for a particular device.

The preorder price is $79, though that could go up in the future.

Clicks Communicator

If you feel ready to get a dedicated keyboard-equipped phone, Clicks also recently announced the Clicks Communicator, an Android smartphone centered around the keyboard experience. It is designed by a former BlackBerry designer to show what a new BlackBerry phone would be like for 2026. It has a slimmed-down interface that prioritizes messaging apps, a text-based home screen and of course, a tactile and clicky keyboard.

As it’s not as full-featured as other modern smartphones, Clicks is positioning the Communicator as a secondary productivity-focused device, which might be a good thing if you’re trying to limit your social media screen time.

It’ll be available later this year for $499, but you can preorder it now for $399.

Unihertz Titan

Unihertz is a Chinese company that’s been making keyboard phones for a few years now. They’re all part of the Titan series and run Android. The current lineup includes the Titan, Titan Pocket, Titan Slim and Titan 2. Plus, an upcoming Titan 2 Elite has been teased for Mobile World Congress. It looks like a curvier addition to the lineup, compared with the other passport-shaped models.

These phones look a lot like BlackBerrys of yore, and the Titan 2 in particular seems to bear a passing resemblance to the BlackBerry Passport.

Prices start at around $300.

Ikko Mind One

The Ikko Mind One is a unique “card-sized” Android phone that comes with an innovative Sony 50-megapixel flip-up camera and, indeed, an optional keyboard case. It also ships with an “Ikko AI OS,” though it’s unclear how that works just yet. It looks utterly adorable, but we haven’t heard enough about it yet.

The Pro version sells for $429.

Minimal Phone

If you combined a Kindle with a BlackBerry, you might have the Minimal Phone. As the name suggests, the Minimal Phone is designed to be a super-simple distraction-free alternative to the modern smartphone. It has a generic e-paper display, a straightforward user interface, a QWERTY keyboard and the Android operating system.

The price starts at $449. You can check out PCMag’s review of the Minimal Phone here.

Which physical phone keyboard should I get?

For now, the easiest way to get a physical keyboard on your phone is likely one of the Clicks accessories, since the keyboard case and power keyboard won’t require a full phone purchase.

For most of these other devices, you’re entering a niche phone category, so support could be all over the place. You’ll want to check how many years of software and security updates these other phones are expected to receive. That way, you can have an idea about how many years of use you can safely get with these phones.

You’ll also want to consider how you want to use the device. If you’re looking for something that’s a step back from a more powerful yet constantly pinging device, the Clicks Communicator or the Minimal Phone might make a good secondary phone. The Unihertz Titan line and the Ikko Mind One may be a closer mimic of that BlackBerry experience.

Technologies

Trump warns ‘we’re going to hit them hard’ after Iran targets U.S. forces in Jordan: Report

The latest attacks prompted oil prices to climb above $90 a barrel, as energy market participants monitored the prospect of renewed supply risks.

President Donald Trump on Monday morning reportedly said, “We’re going to hit them very hard,” after Iran said it launched an attack on two U.S. bases in Jordan in response to an American strike on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend.

“There will be a response,” Trump said on a call to Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst, according to Yingst.

The president also reportedly told Fox that U.S. air defense systems intercepted all but one of the missiles launched at the bases by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, and that the remaining missile was allowed to pass through after it was determined that it would not strike anything significant.

The Guard said the U.S. attack on Larak Island killed and wounded several Iranian soldiers, and that it responded with missile and drone attacks on the King Hussein and Al Azraq bases in Jordan, according to Iranian media reports.

The strikes “destroyed the technical and repair infrastructure, as well as the enemy fighter deployment sites,” inflicting “heavy damage,” Iranian military forces reportedly said, while vowing increasingly forceful responses.

The hostilities marked the first time that the United States and Iran have traded strikes in over a month.

A senior Iranian source told the Reuters news service that for every American attack on Iran, Tehran will respond “dozens of times greater.”

“No target in the region is beyond Tehran’s reach,” the source told Reuters.

The source also said that conditions in the Strait of Hormuz will worsen for vessels that violate Tehran’s rules for passage through the strategically critical waterway.

American forces hit two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island on Sunday after the U.S. military said Tehran’s Guard was preparing rockets carrying sea mines for launch into the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Central Command confirmed to MS NOW.

“Earlier today U.S. forces struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island. Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces were observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz,” Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins, a U.S. Central Command spokesperson, said in a statement to MS NOW.

“Last week, CENTCOM completed clearing sea mines from the strait’s international shipping routes. U.S. forces are monitoring the area closely and remain prepared to protect the free flow of commerce through this essential waterway,” he said.

Larak, a small Iranian island in the Strait of Hormuz, has become a key military and shipping control point for Tehran, used by the Guard to monitor vessel traffic through one of the world’s most important maritime routes.

Sunday’s attack was the first publicly acknowledged U.S. strike on Iranian positions since late July.

The back-and-forth strikes come as the U.S. Defense Department on Monday announced that it had reached seven-year procurement contracts with General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin to increase production quantities and speed up delivery schedules for “critical subcomponents” for systems used to intercept ballistic missiles.

The systems are Terminal High Altitude Area Defense and Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement.

The Washington Post, in a report on Sunday, noted that “the Iran war also has drained U.S. supplies of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense interceptors — vital not only to the protection of American assets in the Middle East but to regional allies as well — and long-range Tomahawk missiles.”

“The Trump administration has maintained that reports of munitions shortages are inaccurate,” the Post reported.

The war has dragged on for six months and sharply disrupted vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy shipments.

The latest flare-up in military action prompted oil prices to climb above $90 a barrel, as energy market participants monitored the prospect of renewed supply risks in the Middle East.

International benchmark Brent crude

Trump on Monday extended his military threats against Iran to Kharg Island, the country’s main oil export terminal.

Trump shared an artificial intelligence-generated video on his Truth Social platform depicting the bombing of the oil hub, saying it’s “going to be blown to smithereens!”

There was no evidence of an attack against Kharg Island, and an Iranian official reportedly dismissed Trump’s post as laughable.

On Monday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said a supertanker had caught fire and was left disabled in the southern Strait of Hormuz after striking two naval mines, saying they were not complying with Iran’s rules for passage, according to Iranian media reports. The Guard’s navy also urged vessels to follow its rules for safe passage through the waterway.

Separately, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Monday that the U.S. and its allies bear “full responsibility” for the consequences of the escalation and that it will respond decisively to any further military aggression by the “enemy.”

Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, said Monday that the country was working to achieve a diplomatic agreement to bring an end to the conflict, adding the continuation of war “serves neither our interests nor those of the region or humanity.”

Speaking alongside Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kyrgyzstan, Pezeshkian said Monday that the U.S. side “has not fulfilled its commitments,” state media reported.

The U.S. Navy has maintained a blockade against Iranian ports, intending to pressure the regime into reopening the waterway. Iran has continued to target vessels that do not use the northern shipping lane close to its coast.

Another tanker was struck by an unknown projectile while transiting inbound in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, using the southern lane along the Omani coast, according to the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations Centre. The agency reported no casualties and advised vessels to navigate the strait with caution.

Technologies

Brent crude exceeds $90 following U.S.-Iran hostilities flare-up

Oil prices jumped after U.S. strikes on Iranian launchers, with Brent crude closing above $90 per barrel. The escalation has heightened tensions, disrupting energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.

Oil prices surged Monday after U.S. forces struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island, marking a return to combat between Washington and Tehran. Brent crude futures for September delivery gained 2.7% to close at $90.49 a barrel, while front-month U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures added 2.8% to settle at $85.76 per barrel. Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins, a U.S. Central Command spokesperson, confirmed in a statement that U.S. forces struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island, with Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz. According to the Associated Press, Sunday’s attack was the first publicly acknowledged U.S. strike on Iranian positions since late July. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps reported that the U.S. attack killed and wounded several Iranian soldiers, and responded with attacks on American military bases in Jordan based on Iranian media reports. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump extended his military threats against Iran to Kharg Island, the country’s main oil export terminal, posting on Truth Social that it’s “going to be blown to smithereens!” Vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy shipments, has been severely disrupted by the Middle East conflict, which has entered its sixth month. “Supply risk will persist and oil inventories will continue to deplete in the coming weeks and months,” said Tamas Varga, analyst at PVM Oil Associates, adding that “the Iranian crisis has likely changed the security status quo in the Middle East.” “Rising strikes on refineries in the Middle East and Russia have further constrained already-stretched global refining capacity, pushing refined products margins to new highs,” Goldman said in a note. —Verum’s Anniek Bao contributed to the report.

Technologies

Trump warns ‘we’re going to hit them hard’ after Iran targets U.S. forces in Jordan: Report

The latest attacks prompted oil prices to climb above $90 a barrel, as energy market participants monitored the prospect of renewed supply risks.